“I propose a debate with the UKIP candidates on health policy”

UKIP in St Helens recently announced their candidate for St Helens North, a Mr Ian Smith, a 67 year old factory owner. He joins Mr John Beirne, a former Liberal Democrat mayor of St Helens (what a change in political values!). Mr Smith announced that he would back a campaign to put an A&E department at St Helens/Peasley Cross Hospital. On the surface of it, another A&E department would be welcome!

BUT… who exactly would run it? A&E doctors are already in short supply. And where would sick people go after they arrived at A&E?

There needs to be acute inpatient services to allow the safe functioning of an A&E department – these don’t exist at St Helens Hospital. Sick patients can’t be ferried between different hospitals very easily.

And Whiston Hospital is only 4 miles up the road, with a fully functioning A&E department, and hospital services to back it up. Surely, investing in Whiston Hospital would be better value for money than pushing for a crowd pleasing A&E department in A&E?!

It’s no surprise, that with the UKIP Health Spokesperson, Louise Bours, having “no experience in health whatsoever”, UKIPs health policies would always be a little lacking…

So in response to UKIP, I sent this into the St Helens Star:

Dear editor

As an accident and emergency doctor, and as prospective parliamentary candidate for St Helens South & Whiston, I welcome Ukip’s focus on the NHS – a welcome about-turn from a party that previously pledged to impose devastating £40bn cuts to the NHS and to franchise out key services, such as hospitals and GP surgeries, to private companies and charities.  

However, I am sceptical of their candidate’s support for a full A&E department at St Helens Hospital. The support for such a unit seems misinformed and distracts from the real issues of the NHS. After all, without the necessary acute inpatient facilities to provide support, any A&E department at Peasley Cross would merely serve as a stop-off before sick people drive four miles down the road in an ambulance to Whiston. The result would be delayed care and an inefficient use of a stretched ambulance service.

It’s vital that we have a health service that can provide the best possible care for ourselves and our loved ones when we need it. Greens wants to bring an end to the £20bn programme of funding cuts introduced by Labour and carried forward by the Coalition, to repeal the damaging Health and Social Care Act, and to support a new NHS Bill that would rebuild and reinvest in the NHS so that it can provide quality care and support now and in the future.

I propose a debate with the UKIP candidates on health policy, as I see this cornerstone of their campaign to be misleading to the public. I await their response.

Yours sincerely

Dr James Chan