Labour supports criticism of hospital review processThe Labour Group on Broxbourne Council has supported moves by the council's Scrutiny Committee to criticise the consultation process for the closure of Chase Farm Hospital's accident and emergency department. The committee resolved to make a formal statement criticising the conduct of the consultation, saying that local GPs had not been consulted, and that the Secretary of State for Health's four tests for closure had not been met. The Labour Group has long campaigned to save the A&E, with opposition leader Councillor Michael Watson (Labour, Waltham Cross) writing to a previous Secretary of State for Health to ask him to personally step in and keep it open. In the run up to the general election, the Conservative Party promised that there would be no forced closures at Chase Farm, but have subsequently reversed that position. Instead any closures have to meet four tests set out by the government. Speaking about the Scrutiny Committee's move, Councillor Watson said: "Before the election, the Tories talked a great deal about a broken Britain, but it turns out that what is being broken is election promise after election promise. Their own councillors in Broxbourne have made it clear that the A&E department should not close. Local residents have said the same. "David Cameron should stick to his pre-election pledge and allow the people to decide whether it should remain open. If the Tories go ahead and close it anyway it is just another illustration of how they cannot be trusted."
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