Labour is challenging the Conservatives over a Somerset county councillor’s statement that some people should be made to pay for NHS treatment. David Huxtable said the NHS should become “more commercial.”
Labour’s candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset, Mick Lerry, has written to his Conservative opponent, Ian Liddell-Grainger about Huxtable’s comments.
Mick’s letter says: “A Conservative Party county councillor from the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency has made deeply concerning remarks about the future of our health service. David Huxtable, was exposed as saying:
“I think that whichever party wins the Election funding for the NHS will have to become more commercial. Paying for missed appointments at the doctors would seem a good start. I think people able to pay for treatment should pay.”
“A survey showed that over a quarter of Conservative Party councillors support increased NHS privatisation and the introduction of charging for certain NHS services. This is perhaps not surprising given the Conservative-led government’s record of increasing NHS privatisation, something Labour has opposed, but this shows the widespread support across the Conservative Party for accelerating this damaging agenda.
“The result would be private profit being put before patient care and those with the ability to pay going to the front of the queue. This is not the NHS as we know it. By contrast, Labour has a better plan for the NHS. We will invest in and improve our NHS with 8,000 more doctors and 20,000 more nurses.
“As a matter of urgency I urge you to confirm whether you agree with the comments by Councillor Huxtable and, if not, will you disown them and publicly condemn Councillor Huxtable for making them.
Yours sincerely,
Mick Lerry
Labour candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset “
Cllr Huxtable replied accepting that this was his view saying “The views expressed in my very short email to a round robin email on the NHS are my personal views. The next government will no doubt have its own solution to the funding problems in the NHS.”
WOW! 8,000 more doctors and 20,000 more nurses. How are we going to pay them?
Given Huxtable’s role in the WSR freehold fiasco I am not at all surprised at this revelation. The tories are no friends of the NHS and never have been.