HEMEL’S NEW MP FACES DAUNTING HEALTH IN-TRAY

Congratulations to David Taylor MP.

Hemel Hempstead elected a new MP yesterday as part of the Labour landslide that sees Keir Starmer take over in Downing Street.

David Taylor will have to tackle a wide variety of health and hospital issues. His last leaflet before the election was all about health, so he realises how important it is.

Here are just some of the issues he faces:

  • Hemel people don’t want Watford General. David must now be aware, from the doorstep and from reports of our public meeting, that people in Hemel don’t want Watford General to be rebuilt in a hugely disruptive and unaffordable 7-year project. Will he follow the cross-party tradition of Hemel MPs opposing the Watford rebuild? His majority is under 5000, making it a marginal. He will surely have to take into account the views of his constituents. But in Watford, David’s colleague Matt Turmaine has promised people that Watford General will be rebuilt. How will Labour square this circle?
  • Financial woes at the West Herts Trust. The West Herts Trust is facing an £18.5m deficit this year – the poorest financial performance in the Herts and West Essex region. Cuts of £27m are being applied – how will David be monitoring the impact of the cuts on patient services? There may be no money for David’s idea of a Community Hospital for Hemel.
  • Mount Vernon crisis. Vital new premises for the crumbling Mount Vernon Cancer Centre are seemingly being held up by disgraceful NHS dithering. The problem is that a crucial move for MVCC cannot happen until the Watford General rebuild is finished – meaning a ten-year wait for a new MVCC.  The obvious solution – a clear joint site for a new West Herts Hospital and a new MVCC – is apparently ruled out by West Herts’ obsession with building at Watford. This is a story that reflects very badly on the NHS.
  • Trust Board does not reflect Dacorum views. Key decisions on hospitals for the 155000 people of Dacorum are made by the unelected Board of the West Herts Trust, which has NOT ONE independent member from the Borough. David has expressed his concern in the past and should now demand urgent action to correct a situation which is totally unacceptable. How was this ever allowed to happen?
  •  GP and dental access problems. GP access is hard for everybody now, but some Hemel practices are worse than others. How can the worst learn from the best? Dental deserts are rife all over the country – how can the NHS tackle that problem in Hemel and other parts of West Herts?