Page 18 - link magazine

18
LETTER FROM WESTMINSTER

Safety competition Health goes top of the list

relaunched Julia Drown, MP for South Swindon, welcomes extra spending on the National Health Service
Carillion, the builders of Swin- The NHS comes at the top of the Sixty new intermediate care beds provide for the same overall total
don's new hospital, are relaunch- list of many people's priorities. So are proposed for Swindon, and I of beds and day-care places. Up to
ing a Health & Safety Poster Com- it is great news that alongside the am pushing strongly for that plan now Swindon has had too few in-
petition for schools. significant increase in funds over to be implemented. termediate care beds which has
Organised the next three years - a real terms Some people have been con- meant that acute beds are not al-
in conjunction growth of 6.3 %, which is twice the cerned about bed numbers at ways used most effectively. If we
with Duffy historic rate - the Government has Commonhead. In fact the new can secure these 60 new interme-
Construction, announced major plans to mod- hospital will be able to treat more diate beds, it will mean even more
which is _____________ ernise the health service. patients than currently at Princess and better quality care for Swin-
putting up the The new plan for the NHS di- Margaret Hospital. The plans now don patients.
concrete rectly addresses the two main con-
frame for the cerns I see in my postbag: waiting
hospital, the times for operations and appoint- G8 Governments could have done better for world's poor
aim is to high- `r , ments, and the number of beds in I wrote in the July Link of wrangling, a firm
light the dan- the NHS. of my hopes for the timetable was
gers of build- The plans involve employing world leaders G8 achieved for ending
ing sites and thousands more doctors, nurses Summit in Okinawa tied aid from Janu-
the need for safe practice. and other NHS staff, so that by the and I share the disap- ary 2002. That was
Letters have been sent to all end of 2005 the maximum waiting pointment that more backed up by such
schools in the town inviting poster times will be three months for out- was not achieved to moves as a doubling
entries in three categories: infants, patients and six months for in-pa- reduce Third World of our support to
juniors and secondary. The sub- tients. By 2004, people who con- Debt. But progress tackle AIDS, malaria
ject is 'Think Safe, Work Safe and tact their doctor's surgery will be was made in some ar- and tuberculosis.
Stay Safe.' The prize is a mountain able to see their GP within 48 hours, eas, including an I will continue to
bike plus safety helmet for a win- and a health professional, such as agreement to reform push these issues in
ner with a £50 voucher for the run- a practice nurse, within 24 hours. the multi-lateral de- Parliament, and I
ner up in each category. The NHS will get 7,000 new gen- velopment banks and know that many in
The overall winner will also re- eral and acute beds by 2004 - the strengthen their focus Swindon will be
ceive £500 for safety equipment first increase in 30 years. It is par- on poverty. I am working with me to
for his/her school. ticularly important that 5,000 of pleased that the UK Government ensure there is further progress on
The closing date is 20 October. these will be intermediate care was leading the calls for change. tackling world poverty.
Details are available in schools, or beds, for people who do not need The summit also agreed to try to Julia Drown can be contacted at
call Lorna Slack or Tara Macken- acute medical care but who are not extend debt relief to countries cur- 13 Bath Road, Swindon. Tel:
zie on 716100. yet ready to be cared for at home. rently in conflict. And after years 615444. [email protected]

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