The big issue - Health

David Cameron was quite right recently to draw attention to the changes taking place in the NHS and the move away from the role of the District General Hospital generally as a vehicle for delivering healthcare. This is the style of hospital overwhelmingly preferred by users of the system who, after all, are the people paying for it. Of course the increasing specialisation within health means that it is often more appropriate for some operations to be delivered at a larger centre of excellence. However, for more general matters, people have consistently shown that, whenever possible, they want to be attended to locally, in familiar surroundings, and where they can remain close to friends and family. This is the first reason why there is a concern locally that services may in the future be reduced at St Cross in Rugby.

The second reason is the need for the Trust which runs University Hospital in Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby to make savings of £30million by the end of the financial year. This has led to immediate proposals to cut 200 jobs. It is important for the people of Rugby that this exercise does not result in any diminution of services supplied at St Cross.

For both of these reasons, I am pleased that the new group, HOSt (Hands off St Cross) has been set up and that it is made of local politicians from more than one party. I worked closely with those active in this group a few years ago when we successfully opposed Government proposals for a new international airport in Rugby. This is a team of formidable campaigners and even though we are assured by senior managers involved in the delivery of health services in Rugby that there is no current threat to St Cross, it is comforting to know that there are capable people ready to respond should the situation change