Richard Burt Steps Up Health Campaign With Petition And Visit From Lib Dem Shadow Health Secretary

11.45.15pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 4th Jul 2006

West Worcestershire's Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Richard Burt, is stepping up the campaign against health cuts in Worcestershire.

Richard, who attended BBC Hereford and Worcester's recent two hour debate on the NHS crisis in the county, has launched a petition calling on the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt to accept responsibility for unprecedented cuts at a time of record investment in the NHS.

The petition calls for an end to government imposed financial penalties for cash strapped trusts and the scrapping of preferential financial inducements to private health sector providers at a time when doctors and nurses in the NHS are losing their jobs.

Richard Burt said: "Government mismanagement is to blame for NHS job losses and service cuts across the county, and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt must accept responsibility.

"The Health Secretary's claim that this is the 'best ever' year for the NHS beggars belief when contrasted with the intense crisis facing NHS services in Worcestershire."

"If Patricia Hewitt thinks this is the best year ever for the NHS, I would advise her to get out there and experience some of the pain being inflicted on NHS staff and patients. She cannot even begin to make things better until she is prepared to take responsibility for what is happening."

Cuts to nineteen services, including the loss of cancer beds, home visits for the elderly and sexual health clinics follows hard on the heals of the announcement of 720 job losses, including doctors and nurses by Worcestershire Hospitals Trust.

Readers can Richard Ricahrd's health petition on this website (click "Petitions" in the left-hand menu).

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Steve Webb MP, will accompany Lib Dem LibDem candidate on a fact finding mission to the county this Friday (7th July) to get a closer understanding of the issues facing NHS trusts and patients locally.