News story
24th March 2004
Minister Slammed for "Washing Hands" Over Future
of Frenchay
Northavon MP Steve Webb has condemned a Government health minister
for claiming that key decisions about the future of local health
services were nothing to do with the Government. The Lib Dem MP was
speaking after leading a debate in the House of Commons about the future
of hospitals and community health services for his Northavon
constituents. During the debate, Steve Webb told health minister
Melanie Johnson that plans for the future of local health services
should be judged against three tests—did they increase capacity and not
cut it; did they guarantee improved access to quality care, including
A&E services; and did they increase community-based health care?. But
when pressed on how the Government would respond to the plans being
prepared by North Bristol NHS Trust, the Minister said that the plans
“will not necessarily come to Ministers or to the Department”. She
then went on to admit that her reply “..may prove not to be as accurate
as it could be”, before repeating her understanding that “..normally the
decision would be made at Strategic Health Authority level”.
Since the debate, Steve Webb has spoken to the Strategic Health
Authority who have confirmed that major capital projects of the sort
planned by North Bristol NHS Trust have to go the Department of Health
for approval and will be in competition with bids from around Britain.
It is estimated that only half of these bids are likely to be
successful.
Speaking after the debate, Steve Webb said:
“I was shocked that the Minister appeared to be trying to wash her hands
of any responsibility for the future of our local hospitals. If the
Government does not take responsibility for the NHS, who will? If there
are plans to cut our local health services, local people have a right to
hold the Government to account. "I hope that having raised these
matters in the House of Commons, the Government will now start to take
these issues more seriously and will listen to the real concerns of
local people”.
Click here to read the text of this debate in the House of Commons.
Click here to read the results of my
recent survey on planned changes to local hospital services.
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