Whittington saved-for now

Local campaigners are celebrating after the Labour government buckled under pressure from the public and the Liberal Democrats and stepped in to stop the NHS closing the Whittington Hospital Accident & Emergency - for now at least.
Yesterday, the Labour Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, was forced into a humiliating U-turn after months of campaigning and petitioning against the planned closure. Just a few weeks ago, the Health Secretary stated that closing accident & emergency units was ‘the right thing to do’.
But Liberal Democrats are still concerned that the minister has only told the NHS to ‘go back to the drawing board’ and that he has not ruled out the option of the A&E being shut or the services being reduced. This is in sharp contrast to Nick Clegg’s clear statement that he would not allow the NHS to close the A&E if Liberal Democrats were in government.
Liberal Democrat national Health Spokesman, Norman Lamb, said:
“Andy Burnham’s sudden U-turn on the Whittington Hospital is welcome but it’s difficult to believe Labour’s commitment.”
Islington Lib Dem councillor, Rhodri Jamieson-Ball, comments:
“After months of campaigning by the public and the Liberal Democrats, the Labour government has miraculously seen the light seven days before polling day and halted the closure of Whittington A&E - for now at least.
“This just goes to show we were right all along when we said it was in the Labour government’s power to save the Whittington.
“I just hope that this isn’t a temporary reprieve for our local hospital. The Labour minister has not ruled out cuts to services at the hospital after the election. We heard all these promises before in 2001 when the Bart’s A&E was threatened with the axe. What happened then? The A&E was closed down and shifted to the London Hospital instead.”
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