MP furious at health trust plans to sell hospital site.
7th June 2007
Mike Penning calls for an urgent statement from the Government.
An angry Mike Penning has reacted furiously to reports that the West Herts Hospitals Trust are planning to sell off our hospital site in 2008.
“Our worst fears are being realised,” he said “the people of Hemel Hempstead are being sold down the river”.
He went on to add:
“In typical fashion this devastating piece of news, which will have a serious impact on the health of the people of this town, has been slipped out in board papers rather than announced publicly.
“It is abhorrent to me and insulting to the dedicated and hardworking staff that the trust refers to our state-of-the-art, modern hospital as ‘redundant estate’!”
The trust’s board is meeting today to discuss an ‘annual strategy plan’ which sees acute services centred at Watford and elective surgery at St Albans. The plan states:
”This will lead to the disposal of any redundant estate that does not add value to the trust."
“The trust has assumed further expenditure in 2008/9 of £4million, reflecting the preparation of the Hemel Hempstead Hospital site for disposal and transfer.”
Mike has now called on the Secretary of State for Health to come to Hemel Hempstead to explain to us the ‘benefits’ of closing our hospital.
“Patricia Hewitt should come and explain how she is going to bulldoze our hospital in order to balance the books of the NHS. This decision has not been made with any reference to healthcare need – it is purely a drastic accountancy measure. It’s all very well announcing an NHS surplus of £510million but at what cost to peoples’ health?
“Local people cannot understand how the NHS can be in overall surplus yet our hospital is going to close.
“Speaking in the House of Commons today, Mike Penning has called for an urgent statement from the Government on their proposals to bulldoze our hospital.”
