Darren Barber, the UNISON branch secretary at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEL) and chair of its staff side forum, is to meet with Henry Bellingham, the MP for North-West Norfolk, to discuss issues at the King’s Lynn hospital and the provision of health care in West Norfolk.
Mr Barber had requested that the MP attend a meeting that would be open to the hospital’s staff, but Mr Bellingham has, at least initially, rejected such a meeting.
Instead, the meeting will be in private, although Jo Rust, the secretary of King’s Lynn Trades Council, will be present, after also requesting a meeting on the same issues.
“I am disappointed that he rejected the meeting we asked for, but this is a start,” said Mr Barber.
“We have said all along that the root cause of problems here at the QEH is a lack of government funds, and this was partially acknowledged by the government with the extra £3.9 million given to our A&E. But it’s not enough – deep cuts bleed,” continued Mr Barber.
“It is the responsibility of our MP to acknowledge this, and to fight for the much-needed extra funds in Parliament. What we really fear is that our hospital is being wound down by stealth and, in 10 years, we will be left with just a cottage hospital.
“Mr Bellingham needs to remember that the QEH not only provides local health care, without the need to travel to the PFI [private finance initiative] hospitals at Norwich or Peterborough, but it is also the biggest employer in our town.”
And Mr Baber continued: “I will be asking him: ‘Who will you put first – the people of West Norfolk or the Tory Party line of cuts and privatisation?'”
Of the three Norfolk MPs who have been invited to a meeting at the hospital, Mr Bellingham is so far the only one to respond. The branch is yet to hear from Elizabeth Truss or Norman Lamb.
Meanwhile, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn UNISON campaign in defence of the NHS in West Norfolk, has entered the world of social networking.
It can be found at the NHS SOS West Norfolk page on Facebook and at @sos_nhs on Twitter.
