St Helier Residents Back St Helier Hospital

12.00.00am GMT Mon 15th Nov 2004

An overwhelming majority of St Helier residents who attended the key health meeting last Thursday (11 November) spoke out in favour of St Helier Hospital remaining the area's acute hospital.

The meeting held at Hill House, Bishopsford Road was organised by local MPs, Tom Brake and Paul Burstow. The meeting went on for over two hours, during which scores of questions were addressed to Ian Ayres, the Chief Executive of the Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust.

Tom Brake, who chaired the meeting said, "Just about everyone seems to like the principle of GPs taking on more responsibilities and being backed up by a network of local care hospitals and an acute hospital. But now we are beginning to examine the fine print. Will the expenditure be authorised, can the whole package be delivered, will there be enough beds, are just some of the questions that need answering."

With the whole proposal reliant on receiving a green light for a massive funding package, Tom Brake is writing to Dr Reid, the Health Minister to ask him if, in principle, this is the type of hospital re-organisation that the Minister believes represents the future of the health service and should therefore be supported financially.