West Herts Hospital Trust consultation "flawed" and "seeks to damage our local health service" petitioners tell Parliament.

Members of Dacorum Hospital Action Group went to the House of Commons to watch our local MPs Mike Penning and David Gauke present the “Save Hemel Hospital” petitions to Parliament.

Mike Penning presented two petitions, with totally over 15,000 signatures, collected by Dacorum Hospital Action Group and other local residents. The petitions called the current consultation of West Herts Hospital Trust “flawed” and said it “seeks to damage our local health service”.

After presenting the petition, Mike Penning said:

“These cuts are all about generating financial savings and have nothing to do with providing better health care for the people of Dacorum”.

He added:

“Hemel is the largest town in the county and has been designated a growth area. It just doesn’t make any sense at all that we should lose our hospital. The hospital has relatively new buildings and a large adjacent site – already in public ownership – which could accommodate expansion. That is not the case at Watford.”

David Gauke also presented a petition signed by residents of Berkhamsted. Afterwards he said:

“This is a major threat to the healthcare of the residents of the whole of West Hertfordshire. If Hemel is closed and services relocated to Watford, that will put an enormous strain on the staff, services and accommodation at Watford. Quite simply Watford will not be able to cope!”

Photo: Mike with SW Herts MP, David Gauke, and member of the Dacorum Hospital Action Group.

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