Health Minister Offers Keetch Pledge On Number Of Hospital Beds

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 22nd Oct 2002

In a meeting with Paul Keetch, MP for Hereford, Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and a group of health professionals from Hereford Hospital, Junior Health Minister David Lammy MP offered a commitment that the 90 beds due to be lost to the hospital would not be closed until further provision had been made.

The meeting, which took place on the afternoon of Tuesday 22nd of October, was arranged in order that health professionals could put their points of view directly to the Government and express their concerns from grassroots level.

Following the meeting Mr Keetch said:

"It was certainly a successful meeting. The Minister commented that he had seldom met with as strong and knowledgeable a delegation, and I certainly think that the case to have sufficient capacity at the hospital was made effectively."

"I think that the assurance from the Minister that the 90 beds would not close until further provision was available was an important step, and I hope that the Government will be bound by that pledge.

"I think that the Minister was impressed by hearing the views of the people that actually work in the hospital and not simply from the viewpoint of the politicians involved."

The party of Herefordshire health professionals, made up of nurses, consultants, practitioners and patient's representatives, all agreed that the meeting had gone well and that the Minister had listened carefully to their concerns.

"The Minister said that he would continue to keep an eye on the situation at Hereford." Mr Keetch added.

"There is still a shortage of beds in Hereford, and this situation has not yet been fully resolved. The assurance that the Minister has given is an important one, but we have not reached our objective yet. This is a positive step, but we will still have to judge the Government by its actions."

The group plan to meet with Mr Lammy again when the situation has developed further.