Blair to Blame for RUH Cuts

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 5th Apr 2006

Commenting on the impending cuts at the RUH, Bath's MP, Don Foster, said:

"I put the blame for these cuts directly at the door of Tony Blair.

"In his increasingly desperate scrabble to build some sort of legacy for himself he has rushed through reforms which attempt to tackle decades of problems and underinvestment in just a few months.

"You simply can't constantly change the rules with just a few weeks notice. That's no way to run a health service.

"I am desperately worried about the effect these cuts will have on my constituents and I can well understand how concerned the staff must be for their jobs - but I can also see that the RUH has been forced into this.

"The staff and management have made great strides over the last few years, not only in terms of waiting times and quality of care but also in efficiency. The RUH is 10% more efficient per procedure than the national average - and that's come from being one of the worst in the country.

"Yet despite this the government still aren't giving them the money they need, and these cuts are sadly inevitable.

"We've heard the government spin that they're putting more and more money into the NHS, but what people really want to know is where is all that money going?"