Tom Brake MP Reports Back

July 2007

Dear Friend

The 'Save our St. Helier Hospital' campaign is still on the boil

Best wishes,

Tom Brake

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The Better Healthcare Closer to Home project board are now putting forward two options - a partial rebuild on the St. Helier Hospital site and a new build on the Sutton site. They have ruled out building on the green space opposite St. Helier Hospital because of strong covenants.

We still need extra petition signatures to put more pressure on the NHS Trusts to keep the full range of services at St. Helier Hospital. St. Helier must not lose any more of the key services it currently provides, a point I made in my first meeting with the Epsom and St. Helier Trust's new Chief Executive, Samantha Jones, when I met her at the end of July.

Let all your friends and family know that the petition can be signed online at www.tombrake.co.uk/petitions

The Chief Executive has had a busy first couple of weeks. St. Helier Hospital was just one of the places flooded in the recent flash-floods. Carshalton College and Carshalton Girls were also damaged.

Residents in Nightingale Close, Richmond Green, Durand Close and Buckhurst Avenue were the worse affected. I have called on and met many of them in the last week. Their spirit, and the support they received from many of their neighbours, was truly impressive.

In comparison, events in Parliament have been low key. I have been able to raise with Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, concerns expressed by many charities that huge sums of money (£1.7 billion so far), previously available for good causes, are being diverted to the Olympics.

Her response does not give these organisations any reassurance that this will not happen again.