A delegation of three of Sutton’s top politicians, Council Leader Ruth Dombey, Paul Burstow MP and Tom Brake MP visited the Department for Health very recently to press the case for St Helier Hospital with new Health Minister, Anna Soubry MP.

Speaking after the meeting Tom Brake MP commented, “The Minister understands the overwhelming importance of St Helier Hospital to hundreds of thousands of local people. We want to see the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review – which is recommending the loss of our A+E, maternity and children’s ward – stopped and the demolition of Ferguson House proceed to prove that the St Helier re-build project is alive and well.”

Paul Burstow MP added, “It was a useful meeting. We were able to impress upon the Minister the failure of the NHS BSBV team to convince clinicians that their plans to close A&Es and maternity units are sound. We’ll carry on campaigning for the plug to be pulled on these disastrous proposals.”

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council said “The campaign to save vital services at St Helier hospital got an adrenaline shot today. We discussed our concerns with the Health Minister who listened carefully and was clearly shocked that the uncertainty about St Helier’s future had been dragging on for so long. We’ll carry on piling on the pressure to save our local health services.”