Edward Garnier

Conservative Party | Harborough

Garnier: Unhelpful Reply from Health Minister on St Luke’s Hospital Delays

Edward Garnier, MP for Harborough, followed up the recent announcement from Leicestershire and Rutland Primary Care Trust that the St Like’s Hospital project was to be yet further delayed with a parliamentary question about its progress and today received the unhelpful answer set out below from Health Minister Ivan Lewis.

The MP said: “Quite frankly the progress, or rather non-progress of the redevelopment of the St Luke’s Hospital has resulted in huge sums of public money, is a public scandal and now I hear no more from the Minister than a resume of the history. He shows no understanding of the urgency or seriousness of the problem. I spoke directly to Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State, in the Commons recently and he said he would check on the matter but if the Government cannot even get something as relatively simple as bringing this 10 year-old saga to a satisfactory conclusion we should not place much trust in their ability to do anything.”

Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the rate of progress of the redevelopment of St Luke’s Hospital in Market Harborough; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Ivan Lewis, Minister for Health: East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the public consultation on the future of community health services in Leicestershire and Rutland, including St. Luke’s hospital and other community hospitals, is now planned to commence later in the year, following a change to the national and regional NHS Next Stage Review: “Our NHS, Our Future” timetable.

The review by Leicestershire county and Rutland primary care trust (PCT) of community health services is part of a broader national review being carried out across the national health service in England, which is now almost complete. The national review is the culmination of nearly a year of engagement with NHS staff, patients and stakeholders which will influence the shape, style and delivery of health care for the next 10 years. In turn, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland NHS trusts have been reviewing how they can work together to deliver the best health care services for the communities they serve.

The national and regional timetable has been revised to take into account further detail at national and regional level, and this means that Leicestershire county and Rutland PCT will need to wait to ensure that its proposals are consistent with the wider picture.

The East Midlands SHA further reports that it is planned that the PCT’s Board will approve the public consultation document at its meeting on 5 June 2008, and the public consultation will follow this.

Following the public consultation, the PCT will prioritise developments to its community hospitals according to a number of criteria, including local needs, minimising service disruption, and availability of capital finance.