I was pleased to have an adjournment debate on 3 February on the subject of Worcestershire’s NHS Hospitals.

This allowed me to point out to the House that as an Independent I am in the unique position of being able to support the Government when it gets things right and criticising it when it is wrong.

I support the extra money for the NHS and agree that appropriate reforms are essential to make that money effective.

Having approached the subject from that angle I had hoped that my criticisms based on the Annual Audit Letter and reports from GPs in all parts of the County would be viewed as constructive comments.

My hopes were sadly dashed.

The junior Minister who responded spoke from a brief that trotted out all the reasons that we have heard so many times before, that the changes that have occurred in Worcestershire are good for the County and for Wyre Forest in particular.

He did not attempt to comment on any of my contribution except unbelievably to state the District Auditor’s conclusion about bed numbers was wrong!

Thus as an attempt to make the Government see sense, my four recommendations -

• changes in management,
• avoid further bed closures,
• accelerate the Diagnostic and Treatment Centre and
• look at the advantages of providing a local emergency centre at Kidderminster -

fell on stony ground.

I shall not leave it there as I have other plans and despite Michael Foster’s comments to the effect that criticisms are hurting staff, anonymous members have telephoned me since the debate with support and reports of further plans to obscure the difficulties with emergency admissions.

The proceedings in the House on 4 February following the debate on the Reforms of the House of Lords would have been funny if they weren’t sadly so inconclusive. For the first time I can remember we had a series of eight divisions free of party whips. In the lobbies, chatting to other Members of all parties it was so good to feel that here Members had the opportunity of voting exactly how they felt.

But did they really?

There was a conclusive vote against the abolition of the House of Lords but then to my utter amazement the House proceeded to vote against every suggested alternative. I think most people were baffled by this result and all Robin Cook could say in conclusion was that we must sleep on it. Frank Dobson was reported to have said we should keep the House of Lords and abolish the Commons!

R.T.