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.”
