Hewitt fails to give Burstow vital assurances

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 29th Sep 2006

Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, has expressed his concern at the 'inadequate' response he has received to his letter to Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary.

Mr Burstow wrote to Ms Hewitt in early September after receiving a letter indicating that Ms Hewitt had withdrawn her decision to recommend the St Helier site for the location of a new Critical Care Hospital. In his letter, Mr Burstow demanded assurances that facilities at St Helier would not be downgraded and that the full range of healthcare facilities would continue to be provided in Sutton.

However, Ms Hewitt's response fails to provide any such assurances. The only direct mention of the future of the hospital made in the letter is a reference to "the need to be certain about such a significant investment decision in the current financial climate".

Speaking of his concerns for the future of the Hospital, Mr Burstow said:

"The Secretary of State's response is totally unsatisfactory. I asked Ms Hewitt to provide me with simple assurances about the future of St Helier and of health services in our area."

"Not only has she totally failed to provide these guarantees, she has not even addressed the fundamental issue of the future of health care in our area."

"I will be meeting with Ms Hewitt when Parliament returns and I will be demanding answers to these serious questions."