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Hospital Trusts (Essex)

I am very sorry to tell the Secretary of State that the situation with Monitor is not quite as he described in his statement. Monitor has had concerns about the level of mortality in Basildon for more than a year, but its intervention was slowed down because, in its words, it is complicated and difficult to intervene. My constituents deserve something better than to be held back by a process that has become complicated and difficult. After Mid Staffordshire, "complicated and difficult" is not a reason for non-intervention.