Dr West Needs To Stop Attacking Our NHS
I was very disappointed to read Lib Dem candidate Dr Charles West’s latest outburst, this time about the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. I would have thought after other local Doctors challenged his misleading comments about the new Walk-In Centre at Monkmoor Road, he would have learned to take a wider view on the difficult subject of NHS funding. Apparently not.
Now his latest Lib Dem focus leaflet screams in banner headlines that Shrewsbury’s health services are in crisis. The RSH is full to bursting point, the boss has resigned and according to Dr West, we are at risk if we burst an artery at the wrong time. Strangely, he never has anything good to say about local NHS services, or the dedicated staff, many who have been his colleagues, who work so hard to run our NHS.
Of course I’m not saying we shouldn’t scrutinise our local NHS performance, or debate allocation of resources and service provision. But in my opinion we are never going to find the best solutions unless we adopt a more balanced approach to the subject. NHS funding has never been an easy topic. Finite resources have to be balanced against an ageing population and continuing, and often expensive, new medical advances.
But scaremongering and making misleading claims should have no place in this debate. The RSH is currently dealing with patients requiring treatment as a result of the coldest winter for thirty years with much snow and ice. No wonder the RSH is currently busy. What are the RSH supposed to do, put patients with broken limbs to the back of the queue?
I would have expected someone who spent such a long career working for the NHS to be able to take a more balanced view. After all Charles West was a manager in the NHS himself. He should also recognise the improvements Labour has brought to the RSH. The new day surgery treatment centre for instance, which is now carrying out operations such as cataracts, even on Saturdays.
I’m afraid Dr West’s comments on our local NHS are taking an unfortunate tone. I can’t recall him publishing leaflets in the past attacking the NHS in such a partial and unbalanced way. But since he became the Lib Dem candidate this is the regular message he gives out. Is this really concern for local patients, or just naked political opportunism?
