KEETCH DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM GOVERNMENT ON HEREFORD BED CLOSURES

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 9th Jun 2003

Hereford's MP, Paul Keetch, has released correspondence from Health Minister David Lammy that appears to be at odds with bed closures announced recently by the local NHS Trust. He has also written to the Minister to ask why assurances given to hospital staff by the Minister are not being carried out locally.

"In October last year I took a delegation of health care professionals to see the Parliamentary Under Secretary of Health at his London Office", said Mr Keetch.

"At that meeting he assured me and the staff that no wards would close in Hereford until alternatives were up and running. He confirmed that to me in a letter dated 28th November 2002 saying, 'the PCT understands that bed closures cannot occur without the alternatives being in place', and I wrote to him on May 1st asking him to confirm this in the light of the Trust's announcement to close Monnow Ward in mid July."

"As I have not yet received a reply I am tabling Parliamentary Questions this week. It is incredible that assurances given by a Minister of the Crown appear to be over-ruled locally. There is still a problem over bed numbers and to close Monnow months before Hillside is ready is outrageous.

"I have nothing but praise for the professionals who work locally at our hospital, both clinical and administrative, but this decision flies in the face of everything health workers are saying to me. That is why I have taken the unusual step of publishing correspondence from the Minister."