8 March 2010
Following the recent news of the cuts of between 150-200 hospital beds across Gloucestershire, Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has received answers to a number of questions he has raised in Parliament on the issue.
The figures received by the MP from the Department for Health show that Gloucestershire PCT budget for 2009-10 was £825.9m, and will go up to £868.5m for 2010-11.
Mr Clifton-Brown is scathing of the fact that when he and other Gloucestershire MPs met with the Chairs and Chief Executives of the various Health Trusts on the 22 January, just weeks before the announcement was made, no mention was made of these proposed cuts.
Speaking today the MP said “The relationship between MPs and the Health Trusts is vital as we are all duty bound to serve the public. My colleagues and I were not warned about the cuts in the number of beds. If they feel the government has provided them with an insufficient budget they must tell us”
However, Mr Clifton-Brown, who has pledged that health care provision will be one of his key themes during the forthcoming election campaign, feels that budgetary issues may be only one side of the story. During the meeting on the 22 January, he also raised the matter of complaints by patients not being dealt with expeditiously and in some cases constituents had even noticed that the facts reported of their complaint were simply incorrect.
“If these bed cuts and the failure to properly deal with complaints is a consequence of a budgetary shortfall then MPs need to know so we can deal with the matter. However the Parliamentary answers I received indicate that they are receiving sufficient funds. The conclusion in this case would have to be that the beds are being shut because of inefficient management”
The figures received by the MP from the Department for Health show that Gloucestershire PCT budget for 2009-10 was £825.9m, and will go up to £868.5m for 2010-11.
Mr Clifton-Brown is scathing of the fact that when he and other Gloucestershire MPs met with the Chairs and Chief Executives of the various Health Trusts on the 22 January, just weeks before the announcement was made, no mention was made of these proposed cuts.
Speaking today the MP said “The relationship between MPs and the Health Trusts is vital as we are all duty bound to serve the public. My colleagues and I were not warned about the cuts in the number of beds. If they feel the government has provided them with an insufficient budget they must tell us”
However, Mr Clifton-Brown, who has pledged that health care provision will be one of his key themes during the forthcoming election campaign, feels that budgetary issues may be only one side of the story. During the meeting on the 22 January, he also raised the matter of complaints by patients not being dealt with expeditiously and in some cases constituents had even noticed that the facts reported of their complaint were simply incorrect.
“If these bed cuts and the failure to properly deal with complaints is a consequence of a budgetary shortfall then MPs need to know so we can deal with the matter. However the Parliamentary answers I received indicate that they are receiving sufficient funds. The conclusion in this case would have to be that the beds are being shut because of inefficient management”
