Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Member of Parliament for The Cotswolds, has said that the decision to close Cheltenham Hospital’s Accident and Emergency between the hours of 8pm and 8am is part of the attempt to rationalise services between Cheltenham Hospital and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Commenting on the decision Mr Clifton-Brown said “I can see the rationale for splitting services between Gloucester Royal Hospital and Cheltenham Hospital as the two are only seven miles apart. However what I will be looking for is an enhanced service at the Gloucester Royal Hospital Accident and Emergency so that all of my constituents will receive an excellent service and are not expected to wait for many hours to be seen. As an individual I would prefer one superb Accident and Emergency service available to me, rather than two less efficient services. The most important aspect of this is that the people of The Cotswolds receive the best possible service.”