The head of Barnet Hospital has played down fears it will be overwhelmed when a nearby hospital loses its A&E.

A fortnight ago, Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson rubber-stamped plans to close the A&E department and reduce maternity services at Chase Farm Hospital, in Enfield.

The services will transfer to Barnet Hospital, in Wellhouse Lane, Barnet, and North Middlesex Hospital, in Sterling Way, Enfield, and this has sparked fears that Barnet could face an influx of patients from Enfield.

But Averil Dongworth, chief executive of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, insisted the impact on Barnet Hospital’s A&E department would be small.

“Eighty per cent of the work that goes to Chase Farm will still go there. The majority are minor injuries that occur every day. The majority of the rest will go to North Middlesex Hospital because it is closer. There will only be a small flow to Barnet.”

She added that the changes would allow for the redevelopment and expansion of the Barnet Hospital A&E department, which might include a specialist section for children.

“It’s not Barnet Hospital as it is now — it is Barnet Hospital but better,” she said.

The plans will cost an estimated £100 million to implement, although Ms Dongworth admitted she would be surprised if the figure did not rise.

The first major changes are expected to take place in two years, but Barnet politicians are still asking questions about Barnet Hospital’s ability to cope.

Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers said her concerns over the scheme had deepened in recent weeks.

“I’m still worried whether it will be feasible for people who use Chase Farm to get to Barnet,” she said.

“There’s also concern that if Barnet is going to cope with the extra patients it’s going to cost substantial amounts.

“There’s a worry over how accurate the Primary Care Trusts have been with their estimates and whether the money will be available. Part of the plan is to sell off land at Chase Farm for development and use the money to fund the reconfiguration,” she added.

“We’ve got to ask whether the current crisis in the property market will affect that.”

The Independent Reconfiguration Panel, an expert body on NHS change, scrutinised the proposals before Mr Johnson gave his approval, and criticised the lack of certainty over the number of births that will be dealt with at the three hospitals. Last year, a BBC investigation exposed Barnet Hospital’s maternity ward as overstretched and understaffed.

But Ms Dongworth said the change, which will move staff from Chase Farm to Barnet Hospital, will allow greater coverage on labour wards.

Concerns remain over transport links between the two boroughs, which Ms Dongworth acknowledged. She said: “We need to work through the detail, the numbers and volume. It’s one of the things we’ll be working with our partners and the public to address.”

But she believes the additional travelling time will be worthwhile if the level of care improves.

“If you go to a major road traffic accident, the paramedics are very calm,” she said. “They treat people on the scene, which is much more important than getting them to a hospital as soon as possible, and they’ll pass other hospitals to get to another one for specialist treatment.”