Suffolk: Liberal Democrats demand answer from Secretary of State

3.10.12pm GMT Fri 10th Nov 2006

Liberal Democrats on Suffolk County Council today called for the county council to write to the Secretary of State for Health in protest at the deeply unfair funding formula for the Health Service. The funding formula is currently under investigation by a House of Commons select committee and has played a major role in leaving the region badly in debt.

Liberal Democrat leader and member of the Health Scrutiny panel which looked at NHS debt, Councillor Kathy Pollard, said, "I am greatly concerned about the governments moves to create ever more stringent targets for the time taken between referral and treatment at a hospital. It is going to be extremely difficult for Ipswich hospital to reduce waiting times whilst trying to pay off the enormous £25 million debt which they inherited. The current funding formula is weighted in favour of urban areas and does not take into account the rural nature of counties like Suffolk and the large numbers of older people."