720 jobs are to be cut in the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as it tackles a 5 million pound deficit.
Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire is campaigning against the cuts. "NHS staff have saved thousands of lives in Worcestershire. But Labour's top down approach to financial management in the NHS has been a disaster. Responsibility for much of the current financial crisis in the NHS lies with Gordon Brown, who has forced hospitals to adopt a controversial new system of financial accounting. This means that NHS Trusts which finish the year in deficit receive both a cut in their budget equal to the deficit in the next year, and also have to repay the deficit from the year before."
This is not the only cause of the NHS financial crisis. Labour have made things worse with ministerial meddling, with 10 major reorganisations of the NHS since 1997. It is estimated that the latest regionalisation of Strategic Health Authorities and the merger of Primary Care Trusts has cost over 300 million pounds.
Unfair funding for Worcestershire has made the situation worse here. Funding in South Worcestershire in 2006-07 will be 1125 pounds per person, which is 12 per cent below the national average, despite our older population.
Waste and bad planning also mean that newly trained therapists are not able to find jobs that use their skills effectively.
Harriett Baldwin continued, "I believe local people should be involved with the design of local health services and not Whitehall. In Worcestershire we need fairer funding based on our local clinical requirements, not a budget decreed by Gordon Brown from the centre."
To find out more about the campaign and if you missed the chance to sign the written petition, you can add your name online at www.conservatives.com/nhyes.
Photo: Harriett with Serena Croad, leader of the Conservative Group on Malvern Hills District Council and two Conservative candidates for councillor on Malvern Hills District Council, Sabina Alam and Richard Simmonds