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Kingston Hospital
Threatened with "Stealth Privatisation"
23.10.06
A surprise new warning about the
long term future of Kingston Hospital
has been issued by Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and
Surbiton. Edward Davey has
specifically warned that the Government’s policy of giving preference
to
private health providers over NHS could lead to even successful local
hospitals
like Kingston
being hit.
Edward
Davey’s stark
warning coincides with a decision by the Government to sign a contract
with a
private firm, Cliniceta, to operate an Independent Centre Treatment
Centre at St George's
Healthcare
Trust. This Centre could lead to a reduction of “standard” operations
that
currently bring in core revenue to Hospitals like Kingston. Edward Davey and his
Liberal
Democrat colleague, Susan Kramer MP, met staff at Kingston Hospital
on Friday, and pledged their support against cuts.
Edward Davey said:
“Kingston
Hospital is one of London’s
leading hospitals, yet Labour’s latest drive to favour private
healthcare is a
real threat to its future.
“Kingston is already facing
uncertainty, as
more operations are being directed into primary care, with GPs
performing them
in their surgeries. Now the Government is destabilising an unstable
situation,
by its stealth privatisation of the NHS.
“Health
experts tell me
that London
has
too many hospitals, and that hospitals like Epsom are already under
threat. Yet
this Government’s response is to give special preference to yet more
facilities
in South West London, with this new independent centre at St.George’s.
“Even before this
latest threat, Kingston
Hospital
is facing some
difficult cuts, with the prospect of compulsory staff redundancies. Now
there
can be no certainty where it will end.
“Anyone
who believes in
the NHS should be alarmed that both Labour and Conservative politicians
now
appear ready to see private providers run amok, creaming off the easy
“standard” operations from efficient hospitals like Kingston.
“I will be raising
these serious
concerns with Ministers and campaigning hard to protect our local
hospitals.”
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