Kramer Slams Government Refusal To Publish Kingston Hospital Plans

11.22.19am GMT Mon 8th Mar 2010

• The Government is desperately trying to mask its plans to shut Kingston Hospital services, says Susan Kramer.

Mrs Kramer asked the Department of Health (DoH), under the Freedom of Information act, for all correspondence from August 31, 2009 onwards, discussing, analysing or referring to the future of vital maternity, A&E and any other services threatened with closure at Kingston Hospital. Department officials denied the request blaming the sheer volume of material relating to the matter and the time required to retrieve all the information.

Susan Kramer commented: "This answer just reveals the sheer volume of discussions that have been had about the future of our local NHS services, and further strengthens our case to get everything into the public domain. We have had a huge response to the campaign from local residents who want our local health services to be protected. They are outraged that the plans have been kept secret from them for so long. I will keep on putting pressure on the Government and the NHS to release the full details of their plans. If the Government thinks it can continue to work on these proposals without having to answer to the local community then they are very much mistaken."