On 27 September I posted a letter I had written to Simon Burns regarding Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and its PFI contracts. I have now received a reply which I have enclosed below.
Archive for the ‘Health Care’ Category
A Letter to Simon Burns, Minister for Health
September 27, 2011It was recently reported that the Department of Health has concerns regarding Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust’s private finance initiative (PFI). I have discussed this matter with both Ministers and the Trust and have subsequently written to Simon Burns seeking confirmation that his department no longer have any concerns regarding Bucks Healthcare Trust’s PFI. A copy of my letter is included below and I will post any reply that I receive.
A letter from Paul Burstow MP concerning Southern Cross
August 9, 2011I recently received a letter from Paul Burstow MP, Minister of State for Care Services, concerning Southern Cross. I have enclosed a copy of the letter below.
Southern Cross Briefing from Buckinghamshire County Council
July 22, 2011Buckinghamshire County Council recently sent me a briefing regarding the four Southern Cross care homes in Buckinghamshire. These are as follows:
Chiltern Court Care Home (Wendover)
Coombe Lodge Care Home (Wendover)
Hillside Nursing Home (Aylesbury)
Lakeside Nursing Home (Aylesbury)
I thought that constituents might wish to see a copy of the briefing (see below). The key section is as follows:
The situation regarding all of Southern Cross homes involves the landlords appointing new operators for the homes (other than Southern Cross) and negotiations are well underway in most homes to be able to announce who the new operators will be by the end of the first week in August. GMB (Britain’s General Union) have now published most of the names of the Southern Cross landlords on their website.
The clear message is that all homes in Buckinghamshire are efficiently run and that no difficulties are anticipated in attracting new providers. Once the new providers are known we are hoping to hold joint resident / family / new operator/ Southern Cross meetings to allay any fears or concerns that families and residents may have.
Southern Cross continue to have care quality at the top of everything they are doing just now.
A Call for Men to Join the Bone Marrow Register
July 14, 2011I am currently supporting the call for men aged 18-30 in the local area to join the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. Anthony Nolan is a charity that builds a register to match donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need potentially lifesaving transplants.
There is a shortage of young male donors on the bone marrow register. Men aged 18-30 account for 80% of donations, but make up just 19% of the register. Presently, Anthony Nolan can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to them in desperate need of a transplant.
This summer Anthony Nolan is aiming to recruit 10,000 more men aged 18-30 to the register.
The charity has provided every MP with a unique code to give to constituents so that it can track how many men MPs have recruited. Those interested in the chance to save someone’s life should go to mp.anthonynolan.org and enter the code VTR8.
It is important that as many people sign up to join the bone marrow register as possible. It would be wonderful to save a life, and yet most of us will never have the opportunity to do so. By joining the register people will know that if somebody out there truly needs their help, they will be there to give it.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
October 29, 2010
On Tuesday 19th October David met with a constituent at a Breakthrough Breast Cancer event in Westminster, in order to support the work of this charity.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer aims to combat this form of cancer through education, research, and campaigns. For more information please visit www.breakthrough.org.uk.
The Lymphoma Association
August 10, 2010On Friday 30th July, I visited the Lymphoma Association to talk about their new report, Supporting People Living with Lymphoma.
David with Chief Executive, Sally Penrose.
High Speed Rail and Buckinghamshire Hospitals
March 12, 2010The decision a few years back to concentrate particular hospital services in either Stoke Mandeville or Wycombe, rather than at both sites, stirred up a huge row. In Aylesbury, we saw cardiac services go south. At Wycombe, which is the local hospital for a lot of my constituents in Stokenchurch, Naphill and other villages, maternity and children’s services were closed and concentrated at Stoke.
An awful lot hangs on having an effective ambulance service to get patients from one end of the county to a hospital at the other. Living in Risborough, I see and hear those ambulances a lot.
So what is going to happen if this rail route goes ahead and involves a viaduct across the A4010 at Stoke Mandeville? Is it really possible to do it without temporary road closures or, at the very best, traffic restrictions that are bound to add significantly to delays. I’ve been onto the Bucks Hospitals Trust today to flag this up as an issue. It’s just the latest illustration of the far-reaching impact that this scheme could have on many aspects of life here.
Health Care in Buckinghamshire
January 26, 2010On 15th December 09 David spoke in a House of Commons debate regarding Health Care in Buckinghamshire. An exact of the debate can be viewed below.
Mr. David Lidington (Aylesbury) (Con): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on securing the debate. I should also declare an interest in two respects. Since I might refer to mental health services, I declare that I am an honorary vice-president of Buckinghamshire Mind. I should make it clear, moreover, that my family and I have been using local health services in the county throughout my time as a Member: all my four children were born at Stoke Mandeville hospital and, because of family illness, I have had occasion to visit the accident and emergency department at Wycombe general hospital, and both the accident and emergency and in-patient wards at Stoke Mandeville hospital within the past 10 days.
To view the full debate click here.
Learn more about health care in Buckinghamshire by visiting:
