Brake Calls Secretary of State for Health's Bluff

1.46.24pm GMT Tue 5th Sep 2006

Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, has today tabled a parliamentary question challenging the Secretary of State for Health to confirm that the Government will authorise the funding required to build a new acute hospital and local care hospitals in Sutton, Merton and the Epsom area. His parliamentary question will be answered next week.

Tom Brake explained, "Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent on the Better Healthcare Closer to Home programme so far. But now alarm bells are ringing with the civil servants in NHS London identifying that the local NHS Trusts' finances have experienced an unexpected and significant deterioration. This makes any new acute hospital at St Helier or Sutton very doubtful and puts the whole programme in jeopardy. If the Secretary of State cannot provide assurances that funding for a properly researched and designed programme will be available, there will be little point throwing good money after bad. She might as well put an end to the uncertainty right now and let patients know they will be using existing NHS hospitals for many years to come."