Four years ago the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust started a review of acute services in Worcestershire. As we know so well in Wyre Forest, health issues are a highly political arena. In Redditch, where there was a possibility that they may lose their A+E department, a Save The Alex campaign was set up. In Wyre Forest I encouraged a cross party approach - The Hospital Alliance.
I always find the New Year a slightly odd time of year. Having had fifty-two of them (although the first few were fairly meaningless, of course), they seem to follow a similar pattern - a glance over the shoulder at the year past; a look to the future to hope for a better year. The annual question: what will next year bring that is better than last year?
One of the real delights of being an MP is meeting extraordinary people. Over the years I have had the chance to meet many, from presidents to astronauts, and scientists to pop stars. But some of the most remarkable people are the quiet, unsung heroes of our community – the people who make things work through dogged diligence and and an unswerving sense of community spirit. The people who get on with things and ask nothing in return save the knowledge that they have done their best and made a difference.
The extraordinary pictures of flooding in Cumbria remind us all just how vulnerable we are to flooding. Bewdley, susceptible to flooding, received an investment of £11 million over a decade ago. It is now resilient to the worse floods that nature has thrown at it.
For the fourth time since I have been an MP, I will be voting on the issue of going to war. This week Parliament votes on committing our forces to bombing so call Islamic State in Syria.
Following today’s publication by the Care Quality Commission of its report into its inspection of hospital services provided by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Mark Garnier MP has stressed that improvements must be made quickly if the trust is to ensure that it delivers outstanding care across the breadth of its services.
HSBC recently announced it was closing its branch in Bewdley on the basis that it was simply not economical to keep the branch open. But this closure is a big deal for Bewdley - it marks the closure of the last bank branch in town.
