Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) (Con): The Leader of the House will know that in the past year I have raised the disastrous financial situation of the hospital trust on which Hemel Hempstead relies. Last week, it announced that all the acute units would close, including intensive care, the high-dependency unit, and the acute cardiac and stroke units. Children's paediatric services will not be available 24 hours a day. A total of 700 jobs will go, including those of doctors and nurses. Where has all the money gone? May we have an urgent statement? Mr. Hoon: I will not be drawn into the particular case, but it is important that health service provision across the country should allow constituents of all right hon. and hon. Members to access services in the most cost-effective way possible. It is therefore the Government's ambition to ensure that we have a self-sustaining reform system with the highest possible investment of taxpayers' money. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would support that. |
