News Release

4th November 2001

MEETING WITH JOHN HUTTON

Following the cancellation just a couple of weeks ago - with less than 24 hours notice - when 11 councilors and charity workers from Lichfield and Burntwood together with Michael Fabricant (MP for Lichfield) were due to meet Health Minister John Hutton MP, he has cancelled yet again.

But this time, the meeting scheduled for 4pm on Tuesday 6th November at the Department of Health in Whitehall will still go ahead.

Instead, the councilors and charity workers will be meeting Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE who is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health. "We couldn't cancel yet again", says Michael Fabricant. "John Hutton is going to Canada and there is no guarantee that if we set a third date, he wouldn't cancel that one too at short notice. Nevertheless, Lord Hunt is a Health Minister and we will be seeing the same civil servants. We shall be saying that Tony Blair wants local agreement concerning the future of hospital care in Lichfield and Burntwood. By the Health Authority's own admission, there is no such local agreement. The South Staffordshire Health Authority has already moved to meet the genuine concerns of local people. Their original plan to ditch the dialysis unit has been shelved and we are likely to have more bed places than originally planned. But we need further movement: the future of our maternity unit needs to be assured, day surgery should be kept in Lichfield, there needs to be bed spaces in Burntwood following the proposal to close Hammerwich Hospital, and we need assurances regarding the number of beds available in Lichfield. There also needs to be room for expansion of the proposed new hospital: it would be crazy if it has to be rebuilt elsewhere in a few years time when the population growth needs more facilities".