I asked the Health Secretary in the chamber recently whether he understood the reality of what was happening to the NHS under the Tories’ watch.
South Tyneside District Hospital was once an award-winning local care centre and, despite consistent campaigning from us at the Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign, the hospital has seen losses to key care services and the downgrading of others.
Despite the valiant efforts of the staff at the hospital, the recent Care Quality Commission report it downgraded the trust to “needs improvement” in safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership; all of which clearly affect patient safety.
The Government has managed this decline as parts of the Trust are chipped away or merged and we’re now left with a situation whereby it was reported recently that no children have been born in the birthing unit since it reopened in 2022. How on earth have we ended up in this situation…?
As usual, the Secretary of State recycled an old spending commitment in response.
You can watch my question in full HERE.