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Junior Minister unable to guarantee St Helier's future - Burstow & Brake

January 23, 2007 12:00 AM

Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, and Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, have jointly condemned Health Minister Ivan Lewis for failing to guarantee the future of St Helier Hospital. Paul Burstow, who secured the debate, said it was "one of the most disappointing" of his parliamentary career.

Mr Burstow and Mr Brake called on the Minister to answer the question "Is St Helier Hospital Safe?" with a simple "Yes". The MPs also pushed for government intervention in the current Better Healthcare Closer to Home review to prevent its findings being a foregone conclusion.

However, junior health Minister Ivan Lewis failed to provide any assurances, stating clearly that he would not intervene in the ongoing review.

Commenting after the debate, Paul Burstow MP added:

"The Minister was clearly not well briefed, had no authority to give the assurances which local people need and had failed to grasp the scale of public and staff anxiety over the future of St Helier."

"The fact that he would not give the simple assurance that the full range of health services would continue to be offered in Sutton, or offer certainty over the future of St Helier will only serve to intensify those anxieties."

"What this Ministerial stonewalling demonstrates is that we must redouble our efforts in the campaign to Save our St Helier."

Tom Brake MP spoke of his disappointment at the outcome:

"The Minister refused to give a straight answer to questions of crucial importance to people in Sutton, saying he couldn't intervene in the current review."

"The day a Health Minister states he cannot take decisions about health services is a sorry day for democracy in the NHS."

"Crucial decisions about the future of St Helier are now being taken by unaccountable, faceless bureaucrats and board members, rather than by local people or elected representatives."

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