Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, has condemned the announcement of a further 500 job losses at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

An angry Mike Penning has condemned today’s announcement by the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust that up to a further 500 jobs will go as part of desperate cost-cutting measures. This is in addition to the 200 jobs that have already been lost in the past month or so.

“This is devastating news for everybody in West Hertfordshire,” he said, “billions of pounds of taxpayers hard-earned cash has been ploughed into the NHS and all the people of Hemel Hempstead will get to see of it is a downgraded Hemel Hempstead Hospital with plans to sell off a vast area of the site for redevelopment.”

Mike Penning continued:
“The worst is that this decision has not been based on any clinical need and is purely made as a result of financial mismanagement of the NHS. Patients needs should be put first and in this case, they are not!”