All emergency and trauma surgery cases are now going to St Helier

Thousands of people walked from the clock tower in Epsom, Surrey, on Saturday before a petition was handed in at Epsom General Hospital.

Members of the campaign group Health Emergency and the local MP then gave speeches at a rally in Roseberry Park.

Emergency and trauma surgery has been stopped at the hospital.

Ambulances with patients classed as emergency cases will now all go to St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, south London.

But a spokeswoman for the hospital's NHS Trust said it meant only about 1% who would have gone to Epsom now having to be taken to St Helier.

She said Epsom's accident and emergency department would continue to treat those with minor injuries and other less serious conditions.

Maternity services

Changes approved by the trust's board are also seeing all cases of pre-booked inpatient surgery being dealt with at Epsom.

Millions of pounds are being spent on developing the hospital into a "centre of excellence for planned surgery".

But Chris Grayling, the Conservative MP for Epsom and Ewell, said there was a great "strength of feeling about the threat to our local hospital".

There are now concerns it could also lose its maternity services.

The trust spokeswoman said any other plans were still in the pipeline and would be consulted on before any firm decisions were taken.

She said the changes were "about making services safer and better for patients".