More than 30 hospitals have either closed major services since the General Election, or are making plans to do so, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found.
In addition, five NHS trusts are in talks about centralising units at hospitals in their areas, but have yet to say where the axe will fall.
Patients' groups said the scale of the closures was "unprecedented," and would threaten public confidence in ministers' pledges to protect the NHS frontline. They warned that lives would be put at risk by the drastic cuts.
The Sunday Telegraph has discovered that since May's General Election:
Six hospitals have decided to downgrade Accident and Emergency departments, in four cases permanently. The downgrade means they can no longer take the most serious cases.
Seven maternity units have suspended or agreed closures of services, or said they will only be able to take "low-risk" cases.
Decisions on plans to downgrade a further 19 maternity and casualty units and to centralise emergency surgery at other hospitals are expected within months.
