Northampton General Hospital £20 million bed and job cuts highlights Labour's NHS failures says Andrew Simpson

8.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th May 2006

Labour is failing our local hospital says Andrew Simpson

The announcement this week by Northampton General Hospital of £20 million of cuts in beds and jobs as well as further cuts in operations has been condemned by Northampton North Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson Andrew Simpson as further highlighting Labour's failure to deal with the underlying problems in the NHS.

"The Government has created an unstable environment for the NHS where extra money one year is met with cuts the following year - this is no way to address the real problems of providing a better service for local people" said Andrew.

"We are told these cuts are a result of the mergers of the three PCT's (Primarary Care Trusts) in Northamptonshire into one and that more services will be provided through GP's surgeries. Yet part of this funding gap is caused by the hospital having to pay back the Department of Health some £8.5 million. It seems what the Government gives at one stage it wants back at another."

Liberal Democrats would free frustrated health professionals from demoralising meddling so they can put patients first. We will:

• Remove central targets so that local health services have the time and flexibility to put patients first - providing personalised care, tackling healthcare-acquired infections and treating the sickest the quickest.

• Cut back red tape such as unnecessary reporting requirements.

• Drive up standards by giving democratic control to local people, though making commissioning of health and social care a function of the elected local authority.

• Reduce quangos in the NHS and simplify arrangements for inspection and audit.

• Focus the Department of Health on making strategic decisions to improve the health of the nation, not micromanaging the NHS.

"The Government should stop meddling with the management of the NHS and instead hand it back to local people by giving them a say in how services are run and guaranteeing a level of funding that helps stabilise the position" Andrew continued.