Labour have announced that a government in their hands would immediately halt the proposed closures of A&Es in England and carry out a full scale review of all proposals.
Having listened to campaigners and concerned patients up and down the country, Labourâs health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has said he would immediately halt the Tories chaotic âsustainability and transformation planâ (STP) programme.
âLabour will put the best interests of patients at the heart of our NHS. We will halt planned closures to hospitals and other services. We will have a moratorium on the STPsâ he said.
The party has listened to hundreds of patients and campaigners up and down the country that have been pleading with the government to hear their concerns about their local services. Threats of hospitals being closed, A&E services moved miles up the road, and childrenâs wards being shut, have caused widespread concern and confusion across the nation.
What is more, these decisions have been decided behind closed doors, with no genuine involvement of local people.
Cllr Stephen Morgan, Portsmouthâs Labour Leader and parliamentary candidate for Portsmouth South, said:
âLast year QA Hospitalâs A&E departments spent 134 days on black alert â thatâs nearly half the year. When this happens patient safety and care can be compromised. No wonder health workers are telling me our NHS is at breaking point.
The public deserves better. I welcome plans to review every single STP proposal to look at whatâs in the interest of quality of patient care. This is a must in Portsmouth”.
Labour will ask a new body – NHS Excellence – to lead a review of current plans with patients and local communities involved at every stage.
Cllr Morgan added: âLocal people should always be at the heart of decisions about how care is providedâ.
