The Department of Health launched the new 2010 local authority health profiles last week which showed worrying results for Greenwich. The statistics are collected annually by the Association of Public Health Observatories and are designed to help local people understand what is happening in their area in regards to the services provided by the local council and health services. The statistics also allow residents to compare Greenwich’s performance against England as a whole, and against other London authorities.

Your Eltham South councillors attended the recent Greenwich NHS consultation events for the new Community Hospital on Passey Place.  Residents living in Eltham North, South and West as well as those living in Middle Park and Sutcliffe have been asked to give their views.

The exhibition set out the early plans for the redevelopment of the site and Cllr Thomas and Cllr Clare asked a number of questions regarding the healthcare faiclities that would be on offer to replace the former cottage hospital, as well as transport and parking issues and design issues.

NHS Greenwich will begin a series of consultation events next week to allow residents to look at it's early proposals for the the development of a new community hospital at Passey Place.  NHS Greenwich is stating that construction is likely to start in mid 2011 with final completion in early 2013.

The hospital will replace the former Eltham and Mottingham House cottage hospital and is likely to include:

A report published in November placed south east London’s hospitals among the worst in the country for patient safety. The ‘Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2009’ placed the South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT - including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital) in the lowest of 5 groups.

From Spencer Drury, PPC for Greenwich & Woolwich

New official figures expose consequences of lack of access to NHS dentists

Alistair Craig, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Greenwich & Woolwich, this week backed the action plan unveiled by Conservatives to clean up hospitals in Greenwich and across the country, and clamp down on dirty wards which are breeding grounds for dangerous ‘superbugs’ like MRSA.

Michael Howard has promised that an incoming Conservative government will give priority to sustained and effective action to tackle the MRSA hospital "superbug". He warned that in spite of 21 separate initiatives by the Blair administration, thousands of NHS patients are still dying from hospital infections every year.

Tony Blair promised in 1997 that he would save the NHS in 24 hours.  Almost 7 years later, despite billions of extra pounds of taxpayers' money, the truth is that the NHS is worse than ever. 

Hugely dedicated NHS staff, who work day and night to treat their patients, are unable to do their jobs properly because of Labour's obsession with bureaucracy and artificial targets.  These are having a real effect on front-line patient care.