Labour calls for cross-party campaign to save Croydon hospital services

Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North and Sarah Jones, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, this week called for local Conservatives to put aside party politics as Croydon’s senior health professionals declared Mayday closures are a real possibility.

So far, over 3000 people have signed the petition in support of Croydon’s health services, but local Tories have refused to support the campaign, with the current Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell simply sitting on his hands and ignoring the threat to local services.

Despite Croydon being the ‘least preferred’ option under the NHS “Better Services Better Value” review,  a senior Croydon GP last week urged residents to take part in the consultation to make sure their voices are heard, warning that service closures in Croydon “could happen”.

Steve Reed MP said:

“Labour is doing what we can to make sure Croydon residents are aware of the threat to local hospital services, but why aren’t our Conservative MPs using their influence and supporting the campaign for Croydon?  Epsom is part of the same NHS review, and their Tory MP is actively campaigning for his local hospital.  It increasingly seems Croydon’s Tories have taken a Trappist vow of silence because they have put party politics before the interests of local people.”

Sarah Jones said:

“We will not take our eyes off the ball when it comes to ensuring the voice of Croydon residents are heard by NHS decision makers.  I urge the Croydon Conservatives to join our campaign.

“Last time there was a consultation on services across London, the option of closing Mayday was well down the list of proposals. However, St Helier has a strong public campaign against closures and we cannot afford to be complacent.  Our focus is on protecting and improving the services we have here in Croydon and making sure the voice of Croydon’s residents is heard.  Now is not the time to stay silent.”