Ruth criticises Government over hospital broken promise

Ruth Cadbury MP used a speech in Parliament on Tuesday 13th June to criticise the Government for its recent u-turn on the repair of Charing Cross hospital, along with Hammersmith hospital and the rebuild of St Mary’s. These hospitals had been included in the Governments ‘‘2030 new hospital programme’’ plans to invest in parts of the NHS estate, yet in a recent statement in the House of Commons the Government admitted they would no longer receive support to enable a full set of repairs before 2030. Ruth warned that this u-turn would have a huge impact on people across West London who rely on Charing Cross St Mary’s and Hammersmith Hospitals.

Ruth also used the debate as a chance to address the impact that the NHS backlog was having on people locally, along with the wider pressures facing NHS staff.

Speaking in full after the debate Ruth said,

‘‘It is shocking that the Government have u-turned and refused to give Charing Cross hospital, St Mary’s and Hammersmith the support these hospitals desperately need to be able to serve patients properly. Our NHS estate is in a dire condition because of a decade of under-investment by the Government and it is clear that they have no plan or a strategy to turn it around.

Because of the backlog of repairs electricity, sewage systems and lifts are failing. Many of the buildings at these three hospitals require replacing. These failures add to the already unacceptable waits facing people locally for diagnosis and treatment services.

These delays are not due to NHS staff, who are working tirelessly in increasingly unacceptable conditions, but rather are the result of a decade of incompetence by the Government. That’s why I will continue to campaign to ensure our NHS gets the support it needs and people locally can access treatment and care.’’