Cameron promises a bare knuckle fight to save NHS District Hospital services
David Cameron the Conservative leader, attempted to regain the political initiative today by promising a "bare knuckle fight" with the Government to save local NHS hospitals from closure.
Amid speculation that Gordon Brown is planning an early election, Mr Cameron sought to reassert his centre-ground credentials by claiming that labour Ministers are attempting to close district hospitals.
"The basic point here is we believe the district general hospital is an absolutely key part of the NHS," the Tory leader said.
"People have put money into the NHS, they’ve paid increased taxes and they want to see their district general hospital improve. People simply do not understand why maternity units and accident and emergency units are being shut down when actually accident and emergency admissions are up and births are up."
He added: "The labour government’s new health minister, Sir Ara Darzi, has said ’the days of the district general hospital are over’.
"That’s why I say the Government can expect a bare knuckle fight with us over the next few weeks and months about saving district general hospitals as a key part of the local NHS."
Mr Cameron made his remarks ahead of a trip to Sussex this afternoon where he was due to visit a hospital.
"What people will see in the run-up to the next election is that all the problems the country faces today - whether it’s NHS closures, family and social breakdown, whether it’s a weak pension system, whether it’s the stealth taxes they are having to pay that are making the cost of living so hard to meet - they can trace all of those decisions back to Gordon Brown sitting at a desk in Number 11 Downing Street as Chancellor," he said.
Speaking later, a Department of Health spokesman said that the Tory leader had quoted Lord Darzi out of context.
From:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2294162.ece
Amid speculation that Gordon Brown is planning an early election, Mr Cameron sought to reassert his centre-ground credentials by claiming that labour Ministers are attempting to close district hospitals.
"The basic point here is we believe the district general hospital is an absolutely key part of the NHS," the Tory leader said.
"People have put money into the NHS, they’ve paid increased taxes and they want to see their district general hospital improve. People simply do not understand why maternity units and accident and emergency units are being shut down when actually accident and emergency admissions are up and births are up."
He added: "The labour government’s new health minister, Sir Ara Darzi, has said ’the days of the district general hospital are over’.
"That’s why I say the Government can expect a bare knuckle fight with us over the next few weeks and months about saving district general hospitals as a key part of the local NHS."
Mr Cameron made his remarks ahead of a trip to Sussex this afternoon where he was due to visit a hospital.
"What people will see in the run-up to the next election is that all the problems the country faces today - whether it’s NHS closures, family and social breakdown, whether it’s a weak pension system, whether it’s the stealth taxes they are having to pay that are making the cost of living so hard to meet - they can trace all of those decisions back to Gordon Brown sitting at a desk in Number 11 Downing Street as Chancellor," he said.
Speaking later, a Department of Health spokesman said that the Tory leader had quoted Lord Darzi out of context.
From:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2294162.ece
Labels: Accident-and_emergency, David-Cameron, maternity, NHS closures, nhs-cutbacks
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