DEVON’S LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MPS SLAM “SECRETIVE AND DEVASTATING” £256M NHS CUTS
All six of Devon’s Liberal Democrat MPs have launched an attack on the Government after uncovering £256 million worth of cuts to NHS services across the county.
In a joint letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the MPs accuse ministers and NHS leaders of “keeping Devon’s communities in the dark” over decisions that will hit local hospitals, staff and patients.
The cuts affect five major organisations in Devon:
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust – £21 million
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – £69 million
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust – £42 million
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust – £68 million
- Devon Integrated Care Board – £56 million
The MPs point out that, at the same time, the Government has imposed a hike in National Insurance contributions on local employers, hitting Devon’s hospitality sector hard.
Steve Darling, MP for Torbay, said:
“These are eye-watering cuts that will devastate services at Torbay Hospital and beyond. It’s outrageous that the Government is hitting local businesses with higher taxes while ripping a quarter of a billion pounds out of our NHS.”
The MPs’ letter demands that the Health Secretary:
- Publish full impact assessments for each Trust and the ICB.
- Guarantee open public consultation before any cuts are imposed.
Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon said:
“How can a Health Minister who mere months ago promised to ‘rebuild the NHS’ justify such deep cuts to our health services in Devon? The fact that these cuts are happening is bad enough but the inconsistent way they have been communicated is deeply troubling. Our message to the Health Secretary is clear: make this process fully transparent and consult affected communities before any cuts take place.”
Richard Foord, MP for Honiton and Sidmouth added:
“Transparency is required. We remain largely in the dark about where these colossal funding cuts will fall, and how they will affect people across Devon. As public servants, senior managers at NHS Devon have a duty to be open with residents about what is being proposed.”