Shadow Health Secretary backs independence for West Cornwall Hospitals

I recently had lunch with Andrew Lansley MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and senior health professionals I have got to know. Andrew Lansley expressed his concern following the very public unrest regarding the shift of cancer services from Cornwall and changes to the senior management team at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT).

I invited Dr Francis Old and Bob Boyce, (both members of the West Cornwall Commissioning Group) to have lunch with Andrew Lansley because they have been influential in promoting much better methods for commissioning and delivering health services close to home. Dr. Old and Bob Boyce spoke of the frustrations caused by a top-down approach to commissioning healthcare in West Cornwall. Dr Old used this unique opportunity to stress that an incoming government must listen to local GPs if they want to deliver healthcare as ‘close to home as possible’. It was agreed that real budgets must be devolved to the local level so that health professionals who are in constant contact with their patients can decide for themselves what and how healthcare is commissioned. Resource allocation in Cornwall can then take into account local needs,particularly meeting the healthcare needs of an increasingly ageing population.

Our priority is to provide people with the right treatment in the right place and at the right time. This will only be achieved if we maintain a dialogue with our GPs. They are the experts on the ground and I want to see Cornish GPs given power to shape local services. This is far more effective than the current top-down approach

Andrew and I then went on to meet with Martin Watts, Chairman and Peter Colclough, the Acting Chief Executive of RCHT. They told us that for the first time ever, the RCHT has begun to prepare a 5-10 year strategy for the Hospitals Trust which should be completed by 31st October 2009. The publication of the plan should provide much needed clarity following years of disruption and unrest within the Trust. This strategy includes the plan to carry out a further 500 operations at West Cornwall Hospital along with increasing other services. Mr Watts and Mr Colclough confirmed their determination to put RCHT on a sound footing so that it could apply for Foundation status. Andrew Lansley is committed to seucring Foundation Hospital Status for Trusts such as RCHT, saying that this is the only way to give local people an effective voice regarding local health care delivery.

There is a significant need to restore confidence in the Hospitals Trust. Good work is being done to improve services however the senior managers said it would take 24 months before the public would experience the true benefit of many of the plans in place. The greatest opportunity facing us in West Cornwall is the proposal to achieve Foundation Status. This will give you and I a real say in how healthcare is delivered. Every effort must be made to this end.

Andrew Lansley has made a number of visits to Cornwall since being made Shadow Secretary of State for Health. Cornwall presents unique challenges to modern health provision due to its rural nature and thinly-spread population.

European Union to scrap current fishing quota rules

It’s great news that European fisheries ministers in Brussels have finally agreed that the new Common Fisheries Policy must be radically decentralised.
This would give more power to member states and to the fishing industry. It is quite clear to me that the existing system has failed the industry.

Hopefully the new Common Fisheries Policy will mean that less fish are needlessly discarded and more people can be attracted into the industry.

As a Conservative I am committed to a profitable and sustainable fish industry in Newlyn. It is clear that fishermen must have more power if this is to be achieved.
The current Common Fisheries Policy has been criticised both by scientists concerned with dwindling fish stocks, and by fishermen, who say it is threatening their livelihoods.

Targeting 'discards'

The European Commission itself admits the situation created by overfishing is "serious" - and yet in the last decade thousands of trawlermen across Europe have been forced to give up, many blame European regulations for driving them out of business.

EU member states are now being asked for their input on a new fisheries policy - one which officials promise will be radically different from the existing one.
A central aim is to minimise so-called "discarding" - throwing fish back to sea, dead or alive, because quotas have already been reached. For every kilogram of cod that was taken back to port from the North Sea in 2007 another kilogram was thrown back - mostly dead, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. It is essential that the fishing industry has a far greater input into creating the new policy and making it work in the long-term. Whatever is eventually agreed, the new Common Fisheries Policy must end the "discards" procedure; it must encourage fishermen to only target the fish they want and provide scientists with precise data on which to base their advice on stock numbers.

In the past year the Fishing Industry in Newlyn has been visited by some high profile Conservative MPs. David Cameron, Conservative Party Leader, met with representatives of the industry last summer to discuss the problem of discard and high fuel costs. In April this year Richard Benyon MP, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, joined Derek Thomas to discuss with the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, possible solutions to the problem of the discard problem. During his visit Richard Benyon assured Paul Trebilcock, Chief Executive, that the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation would be included in drawing up a new agreement, should the Conservatives form the next government.

The new European Common Fisheries Policy is due to be completed by 2012 and whilst Fishermen broadly welcome the review many fear it could be too late. Let’s hope this time it takes into account the views of the fishermen and conservation in a mature way.

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport visits Penzance

I was very pleased to welcome a visit to West Cornwall by Theresa Villiers MP, the Shadow Transport Secretary, last week. She joined me on a very productive fact-finding visit to hear more about proposals to improve the vital sea link between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.

Theresa, George Eustice (Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Camborne, Redruth & Hayle) and I met with Matt Barton, the Localism Manager for West Cornwall, to hear about various options put forward for developing the harbour area.

We were also told about the latest developments over the scheme, which will see its main proposer agreeing to re-examine alternative plans.

Speaking after the visit Theresa said: “After receiving an extensive briefing on the proposals for regenerating Penzance Harbour, I was impressed with the project and the impact it could have on improving transport links for the town and for the Isles of Scilly. Clearly improving transport connections can provide a vital lifeline for the local tourist trade both on the islands and in Penzance."

The £43 million project has outlined proposals to extend the harbour to the south and build a new freight depot and passenger terminal. The application, which has prompted strong local debate, will be considered by planners on in the next few weeks.

It is essential that we improve the sea-link to the Isles of Scilly, both in handling freight and improving passenger experience. There are many well-publicised concerns regarding the proposals and many challenges ahead for the Route Partnership Team. My prime concern is that in declining economic climate securing adequate finance becomes increasingly difficult.

The Department of Transport has earmarked nearly £24 million for the development. We must keep pressure on the Government to ensure that this investment is secure despite the demands on the public purse during the recession

Theresa Villiers also met with members of the A30 Action Group, in Crowlas, during her visit. A number of representatives of the group and the local parish council explained how the plan for a by-pass had made significant progress before it was scrapped by the Labour Government.

Campaigners stressed the importance of a good main road into Penzance and said that the economic growth of West Penwith was being held back due to a poor transport network system.

Theresa said that it had been very valuable to come to Crowlas, to talk directly to local residents about their concerns on the A30. She said it had made her well- aware of the strength of local feeling about congestion problems in Crowlas and elsewhere on this key route for Cornwall.

So much in West Penwith and the Isles of Scilly depends on good transport links whether it is by rail, road, sea or air. The visit by Theresa clearly demonstrates that we are committed to making this constituency an attractive place to both visit and conduct business.

A healthy transport system is an essential part of the equation if we want to improve wage levels, reduce poverty and increase household income.