STANTON PLEDGES ACTION ON MAUDSLEY DECISION (Southwark Liberal Democrats)

Southwark Liberal Democrats <info@southwark-libdems.org.uk>

STANTON PLEDGES ACTION ON MAUDSLEY DECISION

January 26, 2007 2:00 PM

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Southwark Council has pledged to seek an urgent meeting with the Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt after the Council's unanimous criticism of her decision to close the Maudsley Emergency Clinic.

"I am still hopeful that the Health Secretary will see the error of her decision," said Nick Stanton, Liberal Democrat Leader of Southwark Council. "The Maudsley Emergency Clinic is a unique resource in the country and it is an appalling decision to order it to be closed."

"It is a terrible condemnation of Labour's health policy that outstanding services such as the Maudsley Clinic should be closed. The Secretary of State's attitude is that Southwark deserves no more than a bog standard service."

"I will be writing to the Secretary of State asking her to meet with a cross-party deputation of councillors and service users to discuss her plans to close the service. We are still hopeful that it can be saved."

"We will also be asking for Ms Hewitt to visit the Maudsley Emergency Clinic to see for herself the fantastic work that it does. I find it incredible that she can have taken this decision, never having been there."

Cllr David Noakes, who moved the motion on the Maudsley Emergency Clinic added:

"I am delighted that all councillors spoke out against the closure of the clinic at yesterday's debate. I will be working with my colleagues from Lambeth to re-convene the Joint Scrutiny Committee to discuss the implementation of this closure and the other cuts which the SLaM Trust is proposing."