News Release

3rd May 2002

SUMMIT WITH HEALTH CHIEFS OVER LOCAL HOSPITAL

Michael Fabricant met with Alan Snuggs (Chief Executive of the Burntwood Lichfield and Tamworth Primary Care Trust) and Yvonne Sawbridge (Director of Nursing) this morning (Friday 3rd May) to discuss the future of the Lichfield Maternity unit and other hospital services in Lichfield and Burntwood. Alan Snuggs revealed to Mr Fabricant that the executives of the PCT will be recommending to the Trust Board that a 6 bed, 3 delivery room Maternity Unit be kept in Lichfield. "This is a major victory for people power in Lichfield" says Michael Fabricant. "Alan Snuggs revealed to me that local strength of feeling, including the marches through Lichfield, were major influences in their decision". But worryingly, £3 million must first be found from central government to fund the hospital development which is likely to cost £11.8 million. This has not yet been agreed. (The rest of the money has been allocated from land sales and from the Shropshire and Staffordshire Area Health Authority).

"For the first time since the threat of closure hung over the Maternity Unit, we have seen a proper analysis of people's needs", says Michael Fabricant. "Unlike the previous and now defunct Health Authority which wanted to close the Maternity Unit, the dialysis unit and halve the number of hospital beds, and who then set up two bogus and costly 'consultation' exercises which tried to distort the views of local people, the new PCT has examined the needs and wishes of local people and the executives believe that the Maternity Unit should be saved. I have full confidence in their analysis. I now hope and expect the Trust to endorse this decision at their Board Meeting on May 15th.

"I have told the Chief Executive of the PCT that he will have my full support in Westminster to help secure the £3 million shortfall still needed from the Government. Both he and I agree that we do not want to go down the route of Private Finance Initiative funding, a sort of lease agreement, which will result in the PCT paying high leasing fees at the expense of employing nurses and other health professionals.

"I also raised the question of day surgery in Lichfield and the maintenance of hospital beds in Burntwood and these are two outstanding issues which have yet to be resolved.

"We have come a long way since 2000 when our Labour Government announced a review into maternity units. The old South Staffordshire Health Authority used this as an excuse to make no decision about keeping our Maternity Unit open. All my enquires in London now suggest that this review has been kicked into the long grass by the Government and that no extra funding will be available for maternity units. So with this in mind, I congratulate the executives of the PCT who have unilaterally decided to ignore London and press ahead with the Maternity Unit regardless. But what a shame that with a growing population, we had to go through this palaver in the first place! Meanwhile, the fight for hospital facilities in Burntwood and Day Surgery in Lichfield continues".