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MP REACTS WITH HORROR TO HOSPITAL BEDS CLOSURE.
Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson has today reacted angrily to the proposal by the Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust that they will close up to 200 beds at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal, as part of a £30 million cuts package.
Speaking today Mr Robertson said, “I am very surprised at this proposal as recently at a meeting of Health bosses this was not even raised as a possibility, but surely they must have known about this. It is not a lot of point attending these meetings if the NHS management cannot share or talk to elected representatives of all parties.
“Many constituents quite rightly ask me why we are seeing cuts in the NHS and other services such as the Police when they are paying more tax than ever before!! The proposals are a cut in the very core business of the Hospital and will I am sure affect patient services. This is not acceptable. I will be raising this matter in Parliament next week.
Date of Release: 17 February 2009. Time of Release: 15.15 hrs.
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Mr Robertson tabled Parliamentary Questions to obtain the information following the announcement that the Trust plans to close a further 150 to 200 beds in the near future. the MP also obtained details of the amount of money the local trusts have been allocated over recent years.
"This is a very worrying trend indeed" says Mr Robertson. "The reduction in bed numbers so far is bad enough, with the loss of 10% of the beds over the last four years. If a further 200 beds are lost then that will mean that, since the formation of the Foundation Trust in 2005, a total of 347 beds, or 25% of the total, will have been lost.
"I realise that statistics don't tell the full story but these figures are very high indeed and further explanations are needed. The Trust says that they need to save money, but the money allocated to the Primary Care Trust, which funds the Hospitals Trust, is to increase by 5.2% in the coming financial year.
"Furthermore, during the time the Hospitals Trust has been cutting beds, the PCT has received an increase in funding of 47% in cash terms, so where has all this money gone?
"As I say, statistics don't tell the whole story, but I will be asking the Ministers and also the local Trusts for an explanation of exactly what is going on. My constituents are being asked to pay more and more tax for fewer services and this is not acceptable."
Date of Release: 2nd March 2010 Time of Release: 12 noon