20 October 2005
Boris Johnson MP: Townlands Must Be Saved
Boris Johnson MP has today called on the Government to ensure the future of Townlands hospital.
Handing over a petition to 10 Downing Street containing some 10,000 signatures calling for Townlands to be saved, Mr Johnson said:
I believe Henley needs a hospital, but this is not just a question of clinical need, it is also a question of democracy. If Labour persists in its massacre of community hospitals then it should have the guts to explain the logic of this frankly bizarre decision to the British public rather than hiding behind the excuses of unaccountable, unelected officials.
In support of the petition, an Early Day Motion (number 798) has been tabled that seeks recognition for:
the valuable worked carried out by community and cottage hospitals in providing intermediate and step-down care.
and which notes that:
many community hospitals in Oxfordshire, such as Townlands hospital in Henley-on-Thames, are threatened with closure; and calls upon the Government to ensure that these proposed closures are forestalled and that community hospitals are placed back at the heart of community care.
EARLY DAY PARLIAMENTARY MOTION to follow:
EDM
Provision of Intermediate Care and Community Hospitals
That this house recognises the valuable work carried out by community and cottage hospitals in providing intermediate and step-down care; notes that the cost of treating a patient in a local community hospital is often significantly lower than the cost of treating one in a district general hospital; further notes that “delayed discharge” as a result of lack of capacity at the intermediate care level continues to plague the NHS leading to a shortage of acute beds; further notes too that many community hospitals in Oxfordshire, such as Townlands hospital in Henley-on-Thames, are threatened with closure; and calls upon the Government to ensure that these proposed closures are forestalled and that community hospitals are placed back at the heart of community care. Quality luxury hospital beds can be purchased at www.sondercare.com.
