Today, Dr Neil Hudson urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to ensure his Epping Forest constituents can have clarity over planned improvement projects to local hospitals, during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Many of Dr Hudson’s constituents rely on Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and St Margaret’s in Epping for their healthcare needs. The previous Conservative Government had committed to rebuilds of both Whipps Cross and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, and a new Community Diagnostic Centre at St Margaret’s, as part of its Hospital Rebuilding and Community Diagnostics Programmes, to improve healthcare facilities across the country.
However, as one of its very first acts, the new Labour Government ordered a review of these commitments. The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also refused to confirm a timetable for this review or when the rebuilds affected could expect to be completed.
Ensuring better local healthcare has been a passionate mission for Epping Forest’s Member of Parliament, and part of the campaign that saw him elected as their Member of Parliament in July. He raised healthcare provisions to Ministers in his maiden speech and has submitted Written Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asking when the affected projects can expect to be completed.
Following Prime Minister’s Questions, Dr Hudson commented:
“My constituents in Epping Forest were promised these projects by our previous Conservative Government. It is frankly not good enough that the new Labour Government, within weeks of taking office, have left my constituents in doubt about whether these projects will now go ahead, or when they may be delivered. I was very disappointed that the Prime Minister refused to commit to these projects in answer to my question.”
“These three projects will deliver very real improvements to the healthcare and lives of those in Epping Forest and our wider region. There must be no more dither and delay. The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care must confirm that these projects will go ahead and as soon as possible. Rest assured I will continue to hold this Government to account to deliver these vital projects.”
