Roy Watts of Bells Orchard, Almeley, Herefordshire, tells of threat to our hospital (From Hereford Times)

Roy Watts of Bells Orchard, Almeley, Herefordshire, tells of threat to our hospital

3:00pm Thursday 28th June 2012 in Letters

THE idea that Bill Wiggins and Jesse Norman, Herefordshire’s two Conservative MPs, are leading the fight to prevent Hereford County Hospital from being declared a financial failure would be laughable it it were not so serious.

After all, both MPs voted for an enforced £20 billion saving by the NHS as well as voting for the bill to implement a complete change in the operation of the NHS in order to allow private medical companies to take over running medical services within the NHS. These changes are already being prepared for full implementation in early 2013.

The County Hospital in Hereford would be regarded as an ideal opportunity by the government to declare it a financial failure, privatise the services and install a private company to run them.

In February 2011 I wrote to Bill Wiggin on this very subject in which I specifically asked for his assurance that the County Hospital could not be declared a financial failure, that it would remain within the NHS and would not be run by a private company. No such assurances were forthcoming.

Hereford County Hospital remains essential to the people of Herefordshire as a comprehensive NHS facility where it provides excellent treatments and services, free at the point of need.

Our two MPs must ensure this continues.

ROY WATTS, Bells Orchard, Almeley, Herefordshire.

Above: We reported on June 14 how looming financial pressures raised fears over services at Hereford County Hospital.