News from Westminster Labour
Westminster Labour councillors to campaign to save St Mary’s Hospital
Westminster’s Labour Councillors have accused the Conservative-led Government of breaking their election promises following the news that St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington could be closed, and have vowed to lead a public campaign to keep the hospital open.
St Mary’s was where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. The 500-bed hospital was recently designated one of London’s four major trauma units and is home to Lord Ara Darzi, surgeon and a former Labour Health minister, who pioneered keyhole surgery.
According to the Independent, “Six firms of architects, among them the Danish company CF Moller, have been asked to provide a quote for turning St Mary’s into 3,000 flats.” The article reports that St Mary’s services could be moved to an expanded Hammersmith Hospital at Wormwood Scrubs.
Labour have called for Westminster City Council to join the fight to keep St Mary’s open, and to reveal the extent of any secret discussions Council planning officers have had with architects about the future of the St Mary’s hospital site.
Councillor Barrie Taylor, Labour’s Health spokesperson said: “This is very bad news for health services in Westminster and shows that the NHS is not safe in Conservative hands. St Mary’s Hospital is a world renowned centre of excellence and it is an absolute disgrace that the Conservatives should be planning to sell the hospital to developers in order to capitalise on its value for luxury flats. It is no surprise that this news comes on the eve of the parliamentary debate on Conservative plans that will lead to the privatisation of much of the NHS. We will be leading a very public campaign to save this London hospital from closure.”
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