Cancel hospitals’ £80m debt call from Tory

Jan 16 2008 by Hazel Ettienne, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A WOULD-BE MP has called for massive debts at Dewsbury District Hospital to be written off.

Conservative Parliamentary candidate Kevin Hollinrake wants the £80m shortfall to disappear.

His call follows a meeting with Julia Squire, the chief executive of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Dewsbury hospital and Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Mr Hollinrake, who wants to represent the Dewsbury constituency – which also includes Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale – said: “The debt has resulted from successive mergers of hospitals in Wakefield and Pontefract and from financial mismangement by previous administrations.

“It is one of the principle obstacles to sustaining high-quality healthcare in Dewsbury and Wakefield.

“At current rates it will take over 100 years for the debt to be paid. Our campaign calls have been followed by similar recommendations from Wakefield Council and in an independent review on behalf of the Audit Commission.

A petition against the debt is at: www.gopetition.com/petitions/write-off-dewsbury-hospital-debt-burden.html