“Once again Ipswich has been sold down the river by this Government. People are getting fed up with this – we have our vital cancer services cut and get nothing in return. The Government keeps on saying that Ipswich Hospital is not being downgraded, but the evidence is now there that this is precisely what is happening.”

Ben Gummer, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Ipswich, has today expressed his dismay at the latest decision to cut services from Ipswich Hospital.

It has been announced that there will be Primary Angioplasty Centres at Basildon, Papworth and Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals, but not at Ipswich.

Heartbeat, the charity for heart attack sufferers, has extreme concerns over this move as heart attack victims in the area will have to travel a considerable distance to reach a Primary Angioplasty Centre.

Ben said: "Once again Ipswich has been sold down the river by this Government. People are getting fed up with this – we have our vital cancer services cut and get nothing in return. The Government keeps on saying that Ipswich Hospital is not being downgraded, but the evidence is now there that this is precisely what is happening.

“Time is very much of the essence for heart attack victims and it seems ridiculous that people in Suffolk will have to be shipped off to Norfolk or Essex to receive treatment. Local people are opposed to this classification, I am opposed to it, the heart attack charity Heartbeat is opposed to it – when is this Government going to sit up and listen to Ipswich residents?”
 

18th February 2009