MP HITS OUT AGAINST TORY SCAREMONGERING

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 24th Feb 2003

Sue Doughty, Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, who's constituency covers the Royal Surrey Hospital has hit out against a letter in the Surrey Ad from the Chair of South West Surrey Conservative Association which invited readers to provide information.

She said "It is not so long ago that the Tories raised the issue of poor Rose Addis in the House of Commons. However they had got many of their facts wrong, and forced the government to release personal information about Ms Addis which was damaging to her and to her family. People have enough to cope with in hospital without being made a media victim"

She said: " The suggestion that we make cleaners personally responsible for outbreaks of MRSA is not the way forward. We all want to see efficient running of the hospital, but when we already have to bus in cleaners from across the South East making them personally responsible is not going to help improve the situation. What will help is good training and attention to detail. All staff in the Royal Surrey are working under exceptionally difficult conditions "

As the town's MP Sue already meets many constituents who have concerns arising from their treatment by the Health Service. She added:

"I am always happy to talk not only to my constituents, but also to staff about the problems which they experience. This letter from the Conservatives worries me deeply. They plan to make many cuts to the NHS, but have no answers about how they would run it better. When they were last in charge it was a disaster, as indeed it was when the current government stuck to Tory spending plans"