Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
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East Sussex County Council Slammed in Commons over "deliberate policy" to keep bed-blockers at Eastbourne DGH
Local MP Norman Baker today accused Conservative-controlled East Sussex County Council on the floor of the Commons of following a deliberate policy of blocking hospital beds at the Eastbourne DGH with people ready for discharge, rather than placing them in residential and nursing homes at county council expense, as they are required by law to do.
His criticisms were backed by Health Minister Rosie Winterton, who slammed the council for its behaviour. Other MPs from East Sussex, Des Turner (Brighton Kemptown) and Michael Foster (Hastings and Rye) backed up Norman Baker and also accused the council of having a deliberate policy of blocking hospital beds.
Norman Baker told the Minister that the crisis had led to a warning that A&E facilities might have to be temporarily suspended - something he described as totally unacceptable for his constituents in Seaford and Polegate - and that the County Council was not only causing major problems for the hospital, but wasting thousands of pounds of council taxpayers' money each week on fines.
Norman says: "The Tory county council is behaving in a disgraceful manner. By not doing its duty and finding places for people ready for discharge, the council has ratcheted bed occupancy at the hospital up to nearly 100%, causing large numbers of cancelled operations, tremendous strain on the DGH staff, and even the possibility that the A&E department will face temporary closures.
"What's more, they are incurring fines of £100 per person per day for each bed blocked, actually costing them more than the appropriate home place would. With up to 70 bed-blockers at the DGH, the council is effectively pouring thousands of pounds of council taxpayers' money down the drain every week.
"The council's behaviour is so deplorable that I think we may have to look to a drastic option, whereby the Regional Health Authority discharges and places the patients itself, and sends the county council the bill."