News story

21st October 2005

MP Hits Out Over Government Decision on Frenchay

Northavon MP Steve Webb has condemned a decision by the Department of Health not to review plans to downgrade Frenchay Hospital. In July, South Gloucestershire Council's Health Scrutiny Committee agreed to a request by Steve Webb to write to the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, asking her to have the decision to downgrade Frenchay looked into by the Government's own Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

After a delay of three months, councillors and MPs have received a reply (dated 21st October) from Lord Warner, a Minister of State in the Department of Health, refusing this request. The Minister argues that consultation on the plan was adequate and that the decision was properly taken.

Steve Webb has reacted angrily to the letter, branding it a "whitewash". He said:

"Under Government plans, Frenchay hospital is to be reduced to a shadow of its current self, yet the decision-making process was deeply flawed. We have made a powerful case to the Government that the evidence for the decision to reject Frenchay was deeply flawed, especially with regard to transport and access issues.

"Yet the Government's reply is a whitewash. It simply trots out the tired old line from the Health Authority that the everyone was properly consulted and that all the evidence pointed in the direction of Southmead.

"The Minister's reply is factually inaccurate, particularly where it deals with analysis of transport issues.

"I can only conclude that the Government's determination to press ahead with the Southmead option is more about regenerating a relatively deprived area than about improving the health of the people of Bristol and South Gloucestershire."

The MP said he would be discussing with local campaigners how best to take forward the fight to Save Frenchay, and that options such as a legal challenge or a referral to the Parliamentary Ombudsman had not been ruled out.