Thursday 7 August 2014

Stephen Metcalfe MP: More Labour scaremongering over local hospital

Stephen Metcalfe, local Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock has today hit back over Labour’s recent claims about our Basildon & Thurrock health services and called on them to apologise to our local health workers whose efforts they have criticised.

Although Basildon Hospital was the first trust in the country to be taken out of special measures, Labour has claimed that the NHS in Basildon is “moving backwards on every single measure” and that without a Labour win at the next election, then “healthcare free at the point of use will no longer be a given in this country”.

Stephen Metcalfe, commenting on these claims said: “It is sad to see Labour allowing party politics to get in the way of fully recognising the hard work and commitment of local people in getting our local hospital back on the right track and caring for our local community.”

Labour’s claims are directly contradicted by the results that have been published in recent weeks, where the hospital has now achieved a rating of ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission, and its maternity ward as a further example has become the first in the country to be rated as ‘outstanding’.

Stephen Metcalfe continues: “This scaremongering is particularly rich coming from Labour, as it was under their government that the issues at Basildon Hospital were ignored. Now that we are actually seeing results, all they can do dismiss the progress that has been made for political gain.”

Speaking on the subject of the principle of free healthcare, Stephen Metcalfe said: “There is absolutely no suggestion by the Conservatives that the principle of free healthcare at the point of access will be threatened, and in fact, the work that we do ensures that this principle is actually safeguarded for the future. While the previous Labour government left the country on the brink of bankruptcy, it is the current Government that are now picking up the pieces. We are supporting our local services in Basildon and Thurrock; pledged to increase the overall NHS budget year on year in this Parliament and recognise the hard work of everyone who works in our health services.”