Crispin Blunt

Conservative Party | Reigate

Health Secretary in U-turn over local hospital

Crispin Blunt claims “victory for common sense”

The Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt MP, has withdrawn her decision to overrule local health professionals by placing a new hospital at St Helier. On December 19th 2005 the Secretary of State stated that she intended to intervene on the decision of the Better Healthcare Closer to Home consultation – which had recommended that a new hospital be sited at Sutton. At the time Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate, along with Surrey County Council and Reigate and Banstead Borough Council vigorously opposed this intervention. Steps were taken by the two local authorities to legally challenge the Secretary of State by means of a judicial review of her decision. Speaking at the time Crispin Blunt said:

“The whole local healthcare establishment recommended a new critical care hospital at Sutton. Patricia Hewitt has cited “health inequalities” as the reason for ignoring the advice of this vast and wide-ranging consultation. The truth is her decision is wholly political – placing a new hospital at St Helier to the delight of the local Labour MP.”

In May 2006 problems with the obtaining planning permission for the St Helier site provoked further difficulties for the Secretary of State who had stated her willingness to support the Sutton site “should it prove not to be possible to secure planning permission for the Metropolitan Open Land opposite St Helier in reasonable timescales.”

Writing to the Secretary of State on 2nd August this year, the Chief Executive of the London Strategic Health Authority asked that she refer the matter back to NHS London in light of the legal and planning difficulties. In a letter dated 16th August the Secretary of State withdrew her decision of 19th December 2005.

Speaking today Crispin Blunt said:

“This is a great victory. Patricia Hewitt, as Health Secretary, took a decision to spend over £100 million on a new hospital sited in the interests of the Labour Party not in local people’s health interest. Faced with this being exposed by a judge she has backed down. On behalf of my constituents I am profoundly grateful to Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and Surrey County Council and in particular to their Leaders, Cllr Joan Spiers and Cllr Nick Skellet, for taking the legal action to judicially review Patricia Hewitt’s decision. They have secured the prospect of world class hospital in Sutton co-located with the world-renowned Royal Marsden, which was the unanimous choice of all the medical bodies who examined the issue.”