The view on the Conquest - MP for Hastings and Rye Michael Foster

No one can doubt the strength of local feeling when it comes to our "Hands off the Conquest" campaign. Two weeks ago I had the chance of asking the first question at PMQs when I raised directly this number one local concern. On the following Friday I presented to Parliament a further 20,000 name petition (bringing the total to 40,000). Finally our local delegation including the Friends of the Conquest Margaret and John Baker told the Prime Minister in a private meeting last week

His response was courteous. Not a "yes" or a "no" but an assurance that he would "keep in touch" and ensure that the Strategic Health Authority who he said would make the decision were aware of our strong feelings.

I also had a recent meeting with Patricia Hewitt who explained a little further as to why the Government were encouraging Health Authorities to think how best extra investment could be spent. In the past ten years medicine has changed out of all recognition. Daily we hear of new drugs that cost thousands of pounds and some are simply not affordable. New techniques come on board and in particular the expertise of consultants is now more specialist, the generalist surgeon no longer exists.

The Government's intention therefore is to do two things:-

a) Make available at a very local level health centres such as that at Marlborough House and the one planned on the Hastings Station Plaza for the delivery of most general health needs not just GP Surgeries but many of the tests and procedures that are now carried out in hospital. And that's what people want. Such centres may also include minor injury treatment units to save the travel and wait at the A&E.

b) At the other end creating regional centres of excellence where the very best of medicine and surgery is practised. Apparently the centre with angioplasty following a heart attack will apparently improve a patient's long term survival by more than 50%.

In principle these policies must be right. The NHS does have to adapt to new conditions (and that's what the clinicians are telling us) but the fact remains that as we told the Prime Minister there is no point in a "bells and whistles" service at a distance it cannot be accessed safely. Even Eastbourne have the possibility of a shorter travel distance to Brighton an option that we do not have.