Truth begins to emerge over services at University Hospital of Hartlepool August 12, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedOn Friday 6th August Jody Dunn and the Liberal Democrats were attacked by Bryan Hanson, Chair of the PCT and former Labour Leader of Hartlepool Council, for expressing concerns about the future of Hartlepool Hospital.
Today (12th) the Strategic Health Authority acknowledged the strength of the concerns of the people of Hartlepool and the validity of the case the Liberal Democrats and the Save Our Hospital campaigners had put together. Closure and down-grading of the Hospital were in fact realities facing the Town and the SHA have finally confessed that they are shelving plans for a new Hospital.
However, the consequence is that Hartlepool Hospital will now be down-graded by the loss of paediatrics, obstetrics, emergency surgery and trauma. This means the loss of the Accident and Emergency department and its replacement with a nurse-led minor injuries unit.
These proposals are unnecessary and misconceived and bad news for Hartlepool patients.
Jody Dunn said: “I have been accused of scare-mongering over the Hospital – but we have been proved right. The statement from the outgoing MP makes it clear that Accident and Emergency, surgery Paediatrics and Obstetrics at Hartlepool are all at risk. There is now a real battle to save local services at Hartlepool Hospital.
“Hartlepool is a large enough town to justify a full District General Hospital and I will do everything I can to fight this attempt by Labour to down-grade local facilities – we cannot allow these services to be moved out to Stockton.
“I am demanding for the Strategic Health Authority to hold a public meeting to explain this outrageous plan to local people.
“The fact is the Labour Party have ignored the warning signs, they have been complacent and they have let Hartlepool down. This is a battle for which the Liberal Democrats and the Save our Hospital Campaign Group have been preparing for many years now. With the campaign now underway for good I can pledge continued support for the campaign – the Liberal
Democrats will not let Hartlepool down.
“I will do everything in my power to fight to save the local services in Hartlepool and to resist the down-grading of facilities which is now being proposed.”
Jody Dunn presses Health Trust for real answers August 9, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedJody Dunn, Lib Dem PPC, and strong supporter for Hartlepool Hospital has responded to last weeks denial by Bryan Hanson, the Chairman of the North Tees and Hartlepool Hospital Trusts, that there was any intention to close Hartlepool hospital by writing to Mr Hanson demanding answers to seven key questions.
Jody said:
“Mr Hansen’s statement was astonishing, given that the strategic health authority’s Hospital Review Group has already stated that it wants to see the closure of both of North tees and Hartlepool in the long term and in the interim wants to see the down-grading of Hartlepool Hospital.
“Mr Hanson claims that misleading statements have been made about the threat to the hospital. He needs to explain what facts the Hartlepool Mail and the local campaigners have got wrong.
“He needs to justify his amazing assertion that there is no plan to close Hartlepool hospital.
“While he is at it, he should come clean about plans to down-grade the hospital in the meantime, with the loss of paediatrics, obstetrics and emergency surgery.
“Mr Hansen needs to explain why the promised formal consultation on these closure and the plans to down-grade the Hospital has disappeared.
“Has it all been abandoned or will it simply reappear after the by-election or after the General Election? It seems that Tony Blair wants them to drop it for a while.
“Finally he needs to explain why patient representative groups tell me that they have heard nothing from the health authorities explaining what has happened to the consultation. They have a right to be told directly and not just read about it in the Hartlepool Mail.”
LETTER FOLLOWS:
Monday 9th August
Dear Mr Hanson,
I read with interest your statement issued on 4th August in which you stated:
“There have been misleading statements by various potential candidates in the by-election campaign. I want to make it clear that there is no intention to close Hartlepool Hospital”
I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions:
*
As far as I am aware other than the LD Health Action Group and the long-standing Save our Hospital campaign groups no one else, other than myself, has as yet spoken about the issue of the future of the Hospital and how it may be an issue in the forthcoming by-election. Could you clarify however what leading statement you are referring to, by whom and when were they made, and on what basis do you consider them be misleading.
*
There has been an ongoing and sustained concern about the future of the hospital, much of which comes from documents distributed by the health authorities – it seems odd that your statement suggests the reverse of what everyone understands to be the case. Therefore, what is the basis for your assertion that there is no “intention to close Hartlepool Hospital”?
Are you saying that the Tees Review has not – in its latest report – suggested or recommended the creation of a single site hospital as a new build and that this would require the closure of Hartlepool and North Tees Hospital?
*
Have there also been plans, proposed as part of the Tees Services Review, to remove in-patient paediatrics, consultant-led obstetrics, emergency surgery and trauma from Hartlepool Hospital? What impact would such a change have on the A&E department?
*
Has the formal consultation planned for September been postponed? If it has, why has no official announcement been made? What is the reason for the postponement of the consultation? Has the Tees Services Review been abandoned or shelved? Or is it still on-going?
*
Have a) you and b) your Board seen the draft consultation document prepared by the Tees Services Review and if not, are you expecting to see it at Board in the next two months?
*
I have spoken widely with many people concerned about the reviews of health provision, but beyond an article in the Hartlepool Mail (Friday, July 30th) there appears to be little information available about the immediate state of affairs. What discussions have you had with the Patient Forum about the postponement of the consultation on the hospital review and about your statement of 4th August that there was “no intention to close the University Hospital of Hartlepool”?
*
If it is your assertion that the Hospital is under no threat of closure, then what are you doing to address the concerns of the 30,000 people who have signed the Save our Hospital petition? Frankly, having read the documents issued by the local health authorities on the Review, I share their concerns.
Your statement raises some fundamental issues and I would appreciate a speedy reply in the light of the seriousness of the matter. Clearly the Town and much of the local media understand that the Hospital is at risk with a plan for one Hospital providing for Stockton, Hartlepool and Easington.
In view of the public interest in this matter I am releasing the contents of this letter to the local press.
Yours sincerely,
Jody Dunn
Kilroy-Silk will not stand as MP August 9, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedSpeaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, former television presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk has confirmed he will not be contesting the forthcoming Hartlepool by-election.
Kilroy-Silk had been widely expected to stand for the UK Independence Party, who came fourth in the June local elections in Hartlepool with 8% of the vote.
Labour is defending a 15,000 majority in the seat but recent by-election results at Brent East, Birmingham Hodge Hill and Leicester South suggest a tough fight to retain Hartlepool from a strong Liberal Democrat challenge. The Lib Dems took the previously safe Brent East and Leicester South seats from Labour and got a huge 26% swing from Labour in Birmingham Hodge Hill, narrowly missing out on taking that seat as well.
The BBC have reported increasing Labour fears of another devastating by-election loss:
“Hartlepool has been a Labour constituency for 40 years, but many in the Labour Party fear the Liberal Democrats could overturn Mr Mandelson’s 14,571 majority.” [BBC Online, 27 July]
The Liberal Democrats have nominated barrister Jody Dunn as their candidate, while the Tories are in the process of selecting a candidate.
Huge Student Poll boost for Lib Dems August 6, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedNearly half of all undergraduates plan to vote for the Liberal Democrats, according to a new survey for the Times Higher Education Supplement.
Two-thirds of students said they intended to vote at the next general election, but a third said that their party-political sympathies had changed because of the Government’s plans for fees. Labour could count on about 39 per cent of the student vote before the fees vote, but this has dropped to 20 per cent since the Government got its way on fees.
Charles Kennedy strongly welcomed the results:
“This is very good news for the Liberal Democrats, and I welcome a new generation of voters to a new era of politics. I would urge them to not simply vote for the Liberal Democrats, but to join our Party.
“Their involvement as members, and as future MPs and MEPs could very well shape the future of British politics.”
Almost half of the students surveyed – 49 per cent – said Tony Blair should stand down. Overall, the Times Higher / Opinion Panel Research poll showed support as: Lib Dems 47%, Lab 20%, Con 23%.
Poll places Kennedy as top-rated Party leader August 5, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedThe Liberal Democrats were boosted over the weekend by the results of recent opinion polls. A Populus poll published in The Times over the weekend showed that Charles Kennedy beat both Tony Blair and Michael Howard, with the Lib Dems doing 9% better in the polls than at the same time last parliament.
The results reflect the increasing strength of the Party nationally, following great local election results in June including seizing Newcastle City Council, the first ever Lib Dem MEP elected for the North West Euro area and recent parliamentary gains from Labour in London Brent East, Leicester South and a near miss in Birmingham Hodge Hill.
In the forthcoming Hartlepool by-election, the Liberal Democrats are seen as the challengers to Labour, with some commentators tipping the Conservatives to come a humiliating fourth.
In the Populus poll, Charles Kennedy comes top on the question, ‘How good a leader on a ten point scale is…’ with an average score of 5.04, up from 4.87 when the question was last asked in April. Mr. Blair comes second on 4.90, down from 5.02, while Mr. Howard’s rating has fallen sharply, down to 4.52, from 4.90 previously.
The Populus poll also shows Labour support roughly ten points below its 2001 election level, but the Tory share is not nearly high enough yet to achieve an electoral breakthrough. The poll reported that the main recent gainers have been the Lib Dems, up two points on average since the June 10 elections, and eight to nine points higher than at this stage of the last Parliament.
Kennedy backs Jody Dunn for Hartlepool August 3, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedLiberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy will be actively supporting the Lib Dem campaign in Hartlepool, and has given his strong backing to the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Hartlepool by-election.
Charles Kennedy, who in a Populus poll for the Times over the weekend is now the top rated party leader, said:
“This is an exciting time for the people of Hartlepool. The opportunity to elect a new Member of Parliament in a by-election provides an excellent chance to make sure that the views and opinions of local people are heard.
“I can with all confidence, recommend Jody Dunn to local residents.
“Jody is an exceptional candidate and will make an excellent MP for the Town.
“A local barrister and mother of four, Jody is a lively, charming and bright young person who stands out as impressive.
“I have no hesitation is giving Jody my fullest support and will be joining her on the campaign trail meeting and speaking with local people.”
“Hospital decision should not be delayed” – Hughes August 1, 2004
Posted by in : News , comments closedSenior Liberal Democrat MP, Simon Hughes, has criticised the additional delay to the review of the future of Hartlepool Hospital.
Simon, who was in town today to support the campaign of Jody Dunn, said:
“It is not acceptable that the hospital decision has been delayed again. Local people have been waiting a year and now face another year-long wait before knowing the future of the local Hospital.
“The review has raised the prospect of facilities at Hartlepool being downgraded and possibly shut in the long-term – this is unacceptable.
“This review has taken too long already. We now have a by-election forced upon us and this is being used by the Labour Government and the Health Authority to delay the decision on the hospital.
“The Liberal Democrats are supporting the Save our Hospital campaign and would urge local residents to sign the petition.
I am delighted at the warm reception we got today from local residents – we collected a large number of signatures outside Middleton Grange shopping centre and people we spoke to were angry at the further delay.
Simon went on to say “I am delighted to support Jody as candidate for Hartlepool. She is a strong and powerful voice for local people – I know that she will stand up for local people and fight for Hartlepool.”
