Thursday, 28 November 2013

Josh Fenton-Glynn talks with Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham about A&E concerns

The Labour Party's parliamentary candidate for Calder Valley has met with Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham to raise concerns about the future of Halifax A&E, the threat of £25 million being cut from Calderdale's NHS budget and a threat to emergency vehicles.

He has also campaigned throughout Calder Valley on the issue and launched a petition on his website calling on the government to keep Todmorden and Halifax walk in centres and Halifax A&E open.

Meanwhile, a possible change in formula for allocating funds to Clinical Commissioning Groups which would see Calderdale lose 10.9% of its funding - equivalent to a cut of £118 per head – is being considered by NHS England.

Josh Fenton-Glynn told the HebWeb, "I am trying to do what I can to raise the threat to our hospital as a national issue and to stand up and fight for funding for our local services.

"The idea that people would have to get from Todmorden to Oldham or Elland and Hebden to Huddisfield fills me with dread. We held a stall in Brighouse and got over 200 petition signatures in 2 hours - that's why I know when people feel this strongly. This is a fight we can win for Calderdale."