The NHS in the constituency
As someone who has lived in the constituency for some 20 years, our local NHS services are important to me. I and my family and friends rely on them as we all do.
At both ends of the constituency retaining and developing the services at our community hospitals requires constant vigilance. There's nothing new in this, sadly. As long ago as 2004 I was a member of the Oxfordshire Joint Health Scrutiny and Overview Committee - the body which holds the local NHS to account. Even then we were concerned about the county's community hospitals and that they would be picked off one by one.
HENLEY - TOWNLANDS
I am really glad that plans by the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to take forward the re-development of the town's Townlands Hospital were approved and I pay tribute to the Townlands Steering Group (TSG) for the success they have had.
I and the TSG chairman attended a meeting with the Oxfordshire PCT to try to get reassurances that the recession and the state of the public finances would not affect the project.
The subsequent delays in the timetable for the project and the delay caused by the PCT's handling of the procurement process are unwelcome and causing great concern. We need to review urgently whether we are adequately holding the PCT to account on this project.
One of the reasons this is even more necessary is because I have been prevented from scutinising this project from Westminster. When I raised questions on the future of the hospital in Parliament the Department for Health claimed that it had had no correspondence with the PCT in the past year on the hospital and that it was entirely a local matter. I am, therefore, very concerned at the delays which are occurring on this project.
In addition, we must keep a careful eye on any re-tendering of the contracts to provide medical cover at Townlands. It is right that the PCT operates in a cost effective way to deliver value for money. But, from my experience of the re-tendering of such contracts elsewhere in the constituency we need to be very careful that (a) it does not discriminate against our local GPs providing the service, (b) it does not cut the number of hours of medical cover to a level which we feel would be unacceptable and unsafe, and, (3) that there is proper consultation on any reduction in medical cover.
THAME COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
In Thame, as a result of a parliamentary question I was able to get confirmation that the £4 million promised for the redevelopment of the hospital would be forthcoming and to get 
a rough idea of what the initial timetable would be. I have used another question to confirm that the money is still available and to find out when and how it will be spent.
We've also been battling against the new contract for medical provision at the hospital which in its initial form allowed for only 4 hours of medical cover and the removal of the contract from the town's local GPs. Some 5,000 local people have signed the petition to support this campaign.
