Brooks presents community hospital petition to Parliament

Brooks Newmark has formally presented a petition to the House of Commons calling on the Department of Health to take decisive action to put the future of Braintree's Community Hospital beyond doubt.Brooks Newmark has formally presented a petition to the House of Commons calling on the Department of Health to take decisive action to put the future of Braintree's Community Hospital beyond doubt.

Brooks told the House: "I beg leave to present a petition on behalf of 2,641 of my constituents, in addition to a further 9,500 local people who have signed a parallel petition initiated by the Braintree and Witham Times-in other words, more than 12,000 petitioners who demand that the Government honour their commitment to local health care by building a community hospital in Braintree."

The petition states: The Petition of the people of Braintree,

Declares that a new community hospital on the site of the former St. Michael's hospital in Braintree is a vital part of a renewed community hospital network which is needed to deliver improved local care. Further declares that the continuing delays in approving a new community hospital for the people of Braintree, together with an ongoing programme of cuts and closures to viable and valued community hospitals, is at odds with the commitment made in the Health White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say".

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons shall urge the Department of Health to remove any remaining barriers to the construction of a community hospital for the people of Braintree.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

After the presentation Brooks said, "Things have been looking up recently with provisional approval for an Independent Sector Treatment Centre and ongoing discussions on the final shape of the Community Hospital and as Christmas approaches I remain cautiously optimistic.

It is more important than ever that we keep up the pressure on the Government to get this project off the drawing board. However, the PCT admits that there is still a long road ahead. It is vital to show the Government that local people demand a Community Hospital and that we mean business."

Brooks has also written to the Secretary of State for Health to draw his attention to the petition and to express his approval of recent progress on both the community hospital project and proposals for an Independent Sector Treatment Centre.

Brooks wrote, "I appreciate that it has been necessary for Mid-Essex PCT to undertake extensive consultation in order to determine the precise services required at the hospital and to establish a sustainable business case. But I hope that the Department of Health is, and will remain, committed to providing the Trust with all the necessary support to ensure that this project comes to fruition."

Photo: Brooks with the hospital petition before formally presenting it to Parliament.