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St. Bartholomew's Hospital

It was eight years ago that the people of the east end and Londoners generally fought a tremendous struggle to save Barts hospital. The proposals then came from a Conservative Government, and we were proud that a Labour Minister for health was able to announce that he would save Barts. It is therefore with deep sadness that I rise to contemplate yet another threat to the future and viability of Barts and the Royal London. To remind hon. Members who were not here eight years ago, the argument then, in the light of the Tomlinson review, was that there was too much medical provision in London: it was over-resourced with hospitals and health care, and that that was why Barts had to close. It is sad indeed to have to revisit those arguments. However, as colleagues will remind the Chamber, there are pockets of poverty in inner London as bad as anywhere in Britain. Taking a slide rule or a tape measure to the number of hospitals within the M25 and arguing that London is overprovided misses other factors, such as the high number of refugees with endemic health problems and the logistical problems in London. It is easy to take a ruler and stretch it across a map from Stoke Newington to the Royal London hospital and ask, ““Why do these people need Barts when they can go somewhere else in London?”” People should try joining a mother with a push chair and a couple of children on the three buses that it takes to get from parts of my constituency to the Royal London to understand how ludicrous that position is. Eight years ago we fought with Ministers about that slide-rule, accountants' approach to medical care. That approach did not consider the need and the endemic problems—including the understating of the population in London by the census and other statisticians, and the poor housing—yet, on the basis of accountancy rules, said that we had too much health care. However, we are now revisiting the issue. As I said, Barts is not the closest hospital to my constituency. However, although Homerton hospital has an excellent reputation and is one of the leading hospitals in London, Barts has a special place in the hearts of Londoners, not only because it has been there for so long but because of the high standard of care that Londoners, particularly in the east end, have grown accustomed to receiving there.