Liz McInnes asks for urgent meeting to discuss local NHS problems

Liz McInnes MP

Liz McInnes MP for Heywood and Middleton, has responded to reports that patients have been advised to stay away from A&E and has asked the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, for an urgent meeting to discuss the problems.

Rochdale Online last week reported that bosses at the local Pennine Acute NHS Trust had advised patients to stay away from A&E unless critically ill and in need of urgent care.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/100680/doctors-at-the-royal-oldham-hospital-aande-see-record-number-of-patients

On Monday (1 February), Ms McInnes raised the issue with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, and today she has written to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ask for an urgent meeting to discuss the problems.

She said: "I am extremely concerned that our local NHS Trust has been forced to advise patients to stay away from A&E, and I am incredibly worried that things may get even worse given that the Trust this year predicts a black hole in its finances of around £20million and has required a bailout.

"That is why on Monday this week I raised this with the Under-Secretary of State for Health with a question in parliament. Sadly, but not surprisingly, I did not get a helpful response. I will not let this matter rest, and so today I have written to the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt MP to ask him to meet with me to discuss what appears to be a growing crisis in our local NHS."