Rugby MP Mark Pawsey draws attention to the closure of Birch Ward at the Hospital of St.Cross in Parliament last week and attacks Labour’s PFI projects.
There has been some concern in the town following the announcement by University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust last week of the closure of Birch Ward, and the loss of 22 beds, in a cost cutting exercise.
Following the announcement, Mark expressed his great disappointment at the decision and has called on the Trust to ensure that the closure is only temporary, pledging to fight to ensure that St. Cross does not lose any services.
The closure of the ward is a direct result of the hospital Trust having massive Private Finance Initiative (PFI) debts which it is struggling to repay. PFI was used by the previous Labour to fund a number of projects which the Government could not afford and PFI contracts have been heavily criticised in recent months as money continues to be diverted into repayments rather than being spent on healthcare.
Speaking after raising the issue in Parliament with the Leader of the Commons Sir George Young Mark said:
“There is obviously concern in the town over the intention to close Birch Ward later this month. The hospital trust has taken this decision to save money as they battle to pay Labour’s legacy of costly PFI repayments. There is a Government review of NHS PFI schemes taking place which has so far resulted in savings for hospital trusts across the country.”
Mark continued:
“We need an urgent review of the PFI contracts attached to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire Trust in order to get to the bottom of this and ensure that no more services are cut here in Rugby. We also need to ensure that the closure of Birch Ward is temporary and I will do all I can to make sure that is the case.”
Responding to Mark’s question Government Minister Sir George Young promised to ask the Treasury to look into the University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire Trust PFI contracts to see whether they were due to be reviewed.