Hospital Services (South Manchester)
Debate between Mike Kane and Andrew Bingham(9 years, 2 months ago)
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Andrew Bingham (High Peak) (Con)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing the debate. I apologise, but I cannot stay; I have a Select Committee to go to. I am concerned, as he is, about the initial consultation, which we debated in this Chamber in the previous Parliament. For the record, however, I should say that I am delighted that Stepping Hill was chosen; in High Peak, we are outside Greater Manchester and I was concerned that we had been forgotten. Choosing Stepping Hill means an awful lot to my constituents.
Mike Kane
The Healthier Together commissioners left us in a binary situation, so it became a competition between two hospitals. That should never have been the case.
The aim of Healthier Together—to give patients throughout the region the same standard of excellent service wherever they live—is the right one. The challenge is huge: Manchester has the highest premature death rate of any local authority in the country. There can be no doubt that healthcare services in Greater Manchester need to change.