I am pleased that we have now got a secure future for Warwick Hospital. Following all the anxiety that was around last year as we went through he process of the Acute Services Review regionally. Throughout that period I campaigned hard to prevent any downgrading of services at our hospital. That campaign was successful and I'm grateful to everybody in the area who helped by signing petitions, writing letters and attending public meetings.

At the same time I was lobbying government at the highest level to achieve some important changes in the way we operate NHS funding. The processes that we were using were not helping Warwick Hospital to deal with its deficit. However, I was successful in my efforts to persuade the government to change the rules. As a result, the hospital has been able to come to a satisfactory financial settlement with the local health authority. Its finances are now stable and it can plan confidently for future development of the hospital and its services.

I look forward to the development of a new ambulatory cancer unit which I hope will be open soon. I am grateful to all those who participated in my online auction, which raised £500 for the appeal. If you missed the auction, then you can still donate to the hospital directly by contacting them. Money raised is going to top up the £700,000 contributed by the government.

Bryan Stoten - Chair of Warwickshire PCT - gave his assesment of the situation over the past year in the PCT's 2006/07 annual report, just published. He says that;

"Over the last year many people..have been concerned by the stories emanating from the publication of the Acute Services Review. Many of these stories were simply 'made up'. One website actually claimed that all maternity cases would in future move from Warwick to Coventry - neither a suggestion...nor remotely possible..."

"Others suggested that A&E departments would be closing across the county. Chairs of the Acute Trusts in Nuneaton and Warwick had to publish a formal denial to address that untruth. In reality we have some of the finest health services ever seen in the UK on our doorstep."