Government responds to Hospital Petition
The Government has responded to a petition formally presented to the House of Commons by Braintree MP Brooks Newmark, which called for progress on Braintree's long-delayed community hospital project. The Government has responded to a petition formally presented to the House of Commons by Braintree MP Brooks Newmark, which called for progress on Braintree's long-delayed community hospital project.
The observation from the Secretary of State for Health notes that "the issues raised in the petition are complex" and confirmed that they were linked to ongoing discussions over the provision of an Independent Sector Treatment Centre.
The formal response further noted that "plans for the ISTC are at a critical stage" and that their approval by the Department of Health would be instrumental in determining which facilities may be offered on the St. Michael's site.
Brooks said, "After I presented my petition I wrote to the Secretary of State to emphasise on behalf of local people that I expected to receive a formal response from the Government. I am pleased that the Secretary of State has placed a response on the record and confirmed that plans for facilities at the site are progressing well."
Mr. Newmark has also received a letter from the Minister of State for Health Services, Ben Bradshaw MP, thanking him for presenting the petition to the House on behalf of his constituents.
The letter also states that "as you rightly note, we are in discussions with Care UK as the preferred bidder on the proposed phase 2 Essex elective scheme, which is expected to be located in the new Braintree Community Hospital... Incorporating the ISTC within the proposed new hospital will mean that patients will attend one site in the centre of Braintree to access a wide range of health services. This will complement local primary care provision and help to reduce waiting times further…We hope to have concluded discussions by early spring."
Brooks said, "I am delighted to hear a Government Minister make an explicit reference to Braintree's Community Hospital, its location, the wide range of services expected to be offered there and the proposed timescale for a final decision to be made. This is further confirmation that the pressure being put on the Government looks like it will really pay off for local residents in 2008."
The Petition of the people of Braintree,
Declares that a new community hospital on the site of the former St. Michaels 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. -[Presented by Mr. Brooks Newmark, Official Report, 4 December 2007; Vol. 468, c. 804 .] [P000049]
Observation from the Secretary of State for Health:
The issues raised in the petition are complex as the potential for a new community hospital to replace the existing St. Michaels hospital in Braintree is linked to the proposals for an Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) in Essex.
The plans for the ISTC are at a critical stage, the outcome of the negotiations will need formal approval of a business case by Department of Health officials. If the ISTC is approved it may dictate what the PCT can do with regards to the St. Michaels hospital site.
Click here for letter from Minister of State for Health Services, Ben Bradshaw MP(doc).
