A councillor who has campaigned against a reduction of services at Ealing Hospital is concerned about what another Conservative government will mean for health services in the borough.

Dr Aysha Raza, who teaches neuroscience, neuroanatomy, and human anatomy at University College London is a councillor for the Greenford Green Ward.

She is also is a campaign organiser for Ealing Save Our NHS, a group opposing cuts to Ealing Hospital.

Dr Raza said: “When Labour lost to the coalition I realised I needed to be more pro-active and that it was not enough for me to just put a cross next to Labour on the ballot paper.

“I became a councillor because I was involved with the Save our Hospital campaign in Ealing.”

Under new plans, Ealing Hospital Services will be significantly reduced.

“The Save Our Hospitals campaign started with all parties. But then the Conservatives pulled out and no longer backed the campaign to save our services. Only Labour and Lib Dem are backing at the moment,” she said.

“Politically the Conservatives have got their head in the sand trotting the same mantra that restructuring is more efficient, but realistically I can’t see that working.”

Despite the strains she said Ealing Hospital has experienced faced, Dr Raza praised the work of the team there.

So far, the Maternity and Children’s ward at Ealing Hospital have closed.

“A lot of people are worried with emergencies, particularly with children. They get confused as to where to go,” she said.

“The main trauma centres are Northwick Park and St Mary's in Paddington, which is quite a distance and there is a real panic.

“Our transport scrutiny committee at Ealing Council looked at public transport connectivity with our main trauma hospital, and it is at least one hour and forty five minutes to get to Northwick Park Hospital from Southall by bus - just not practically good enough.”

Another key issue for Dr Raza is Brexit.

After Britain’s decision to leave the EU, xenophobic graffiti was found scrawled across the Polish Cultural and Social Association in Hammersmith.

Dr Raza says this has left many of her Polish constituents feeling vulnerable.

She said: “We are diverse and wonderfully understanding but hate crime has definitely increased since Brexit.”

“A lot of ladies wearing headscarves have reported getting spat at. This never used to happen in Ealing before. This is a worry and I want us to address it.”

Dr Raza has also been the target of xenophobic and sexist comments.

She said: “I get some comments that are misogynistic and islamophobic and this sort of thing makes people, particularly women more reluctant to go into public and political life.”

“Some people feel entitled to say what they want and leave nasty messages online or on your phone.”

“Especially after what happened to Jo Cox, I keep in close contact with my police team when I am out and about.”

“Ealing Police, despite the cuts they are facing, have been fantastic.

“People need to think long and hard about keeping our cherished public services like our NHS and police in mind when deciding how to vote in forthcoming elections

“It is more important than ever before that we vote for candidates that will defend them, or we risk losing them forever.”