Health concern should revert to a pressure group
Posted by labourblogger on June 20, 2008
Adrian Sewell is Labour Spokesperson for Aggborough & Spennells.
Like most people, I have been very disappointed with the recent public spats between Health Concern and the Conservatives.I think the time has arrived for Health Concern to evaluate its tactics and review its objectives as an organisation.
When Health Concern was first established, under the campaign name of Save Kidderminster Hospital, it received almost 100%support from the people of Wyre Forest and enjoyed the backing of all political parties. As a Labour Party member I was happy to donate money on a regular basis to the organisation in order to commission the Kings Fund report.
I believe Health Concerns decision to enter the political arena in opposition to the established Political groups is a major reason its support has fallen so dramatically.
In last weeks letters page Dr Taylor refers to the “Kidderminster effect”, and how it is feared in the Department of Health, when they trying to introduce change.He then reports in his view point artical, that 1800 operations had been performed at Kidderminster Hospital last year and he went on to praise the lengths of stay.
The changes to Health provision in Worcestershire have now been established for some time and the scare stories many of us mooted have not materialised.As a community we are now feeling the benefits of the changes and investment to the delivery of Health services within the Wyre Forest and Worcestershire area.So maybe it is now time The Department of Health did not fear the “Kidderminister Effect” as Dr Taylor suggests.
I firmly believe that Health Concern should now look to become the uniting force it once was and should re establish itself as a pressure group , scrutinising and objectively questioning the provision of Health within the Wyre Forrest area instead of engaging in a political point scoring game which turns so many people off.
