Call for hospital debt write off

A Surrey hospital trust's £56m debt should be written off to let it rebuild its reputation, a local MP has said.

According to the BBC, Reigate MP Crispin Blunt said during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday that the size of East Surrey Hospital's debt was because of a delay in the transfer of acute services from Crawley to Redhill in 2001.

Prior to the meeting, Mr Blunt said: "Since 1998 the financial settlement for East Surrey Hospital has been the victim of government interference.

"The current deficit is over £55 million, the largest of any trust in the country" - an amount that could be wiped out with just 4 days' worth of our net contributions to the European Union's audit-failing budget, if the cash were diverted from being sent to that wasteful organisation.

Commenting on his demand that the government write off this debt, Mr Blunt added: "Only this can give the trust the financial footing on which it can begin to rebuild its quality of service and its reputation."

Health minister Dawn Primarolo said Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust was one of 17 classified as "financially challenged".

She added that measures were in place to enable the trust to restore its finances.

But maybe if Ms Primarolo and the government of which she is a part didn't condone wasting so much public money on the audit-failing EU, she wouldn't have to force East Surrey hospital to take these financial "measures" which will very likely harm provision of essential health services.

Redhill: Call for Prime Minister to safeguard hospital

Cuts to hospitals across the area are putting dangerous pressure on East Surrey Hospital, says a former paramedic who is campaigning to save services - reports the Surrey Mirror.

Ken Callanan spoke to the Mirror after delivering a 112,754-strong petition to 10 Downing Street on Saturday.

The petition urges Prime Minister Tony Blair to safeguard the county's accident and emergency (A&E) departments,maternity and paediatric units.

And Mr Callanan said that East Surrey Hospital, in Redhill, was being put under huge strain by Government cuts at other hospitals, particularly after Crawley Hospital's A&E was downgraded.

He said: "My main concern from the point of view of East Surrey is that the hospital is under a lot of extra pressure because it has to treat people who previously would have been treated at Crawley Hospital.

"I have had phone calls and e-mails from nursing staff and a doctor from East Surrey who say that since the A&E at Crawley was downgraded and the maternity unit was transferred [last year] it has put a lot of pressure on them. It's very unfair on staff at East Surrey."

A&E services at that hospital, The Royal Surrey,in Guildford, St Peter's at Chertsey, and Frimley Park are all under review.

Mr Callanan fears more A&E departments, maternity and paediatric units could shut or be downgraded.

Hundreds of Surrey and Sussex health jobs to be cut

A healthcare trust has said it expects around 400 jobs will go as it attempts to wipe out a £2m monthly overspend, reports the BBC.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust announced the cuts as part of a two-year plan aimed at eliminating its £41.2m debt.

Chief executive of the trust, Gary Walker, said: "Our focus will be on retaining essential skills and minimising job losses."

The trust manages Crawley Hospital and East Surrey Hospital.

The government is unable to make up this £2 million monthly shortfall - or indeed the £41.2 million debt - in order to save these jobs, but is apparently able to find £115 million a week for the EU despite no clear idea where the majority of this money then goes to.