Stopping cuts to Kingston’s NHS remains my priority

First, thank you to the several thousand people who’ve returned completed health surveys. I’m sending out 50,000 forms locally to ask people their views on our NHS, and to help me make Kingston’s case in Parliament. If you’d like a survey, please call my office on 8288 0161.

Second, I want to ask for people’s help in my latest campaign against NHS cuts – to demand Government writes off the historic debt Kingston’s NHS has run up.

Let me explain about my new “health debt write off” campaign.

Kingston’s Primary Care Trust has a historic debt of over £20 million. Currently it’s battling to control an annual overspend of £9.6 million – but after that, it must then pay back the £20 million.

Kingston’s not the only London PCT in that position – Hillingdon and Brent also have big debts, so we can make common cause.

Plus we’ve had some success already – when we persuaded Health Ministers not to demand payback immediately, and not to levy a “penalty” interest rate of 10%, which would have made the dire situation even worse.

We have a strong case. First, part of the reason we have the debt was the money taken from Kingston in a panic “clawback” scheme.

Second, the NHS as a whole is in national surplus and has underspent this year by nearly £1 billion: a one-off debt write-off is affordable.

So we should ask for more help from Government. If we don’t achieve a major health debt write-off, our local NHS cuts could continue for years.