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St. Bartholomew's Hospital

: It is a pleasure to be debating this subject. I congratulate the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Field) on securing the debate about the future of Barts. I accept that it is a subject of worry not only to his constituents but, as demonstrated by the presence here of his hon. Friends and my hon. Friends, clearly one of great interest to them. I have been following the debate in the local media, too. I acknowledge up front the role played by Barts and the Royal London in the emergency that faced London last year. No one who watched those events without the great sadness and horror that we all shared could have anything other than admiration for the way in which the staff responded in the circumstances. I also say up front that there are no plans to close St. Bartholomew's hospital. Barts is renowned internationally for its medical and nursing excellence. It was founded in 1123, well before the creation of the NHS. Today, it provides a range of specialities from a 388-bed facility.