PRESS RELEASE - 26 MAY 2000 Worcestershire Health Authority's extraordinary and intemperate personal attack.

Campaigners and Councillors are amazed at the intemperate and defamatory attack made by the Worcestershire Health Authority and the Chairman of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust on Professor Allyson Pollock, the author of the first published report on the health authority's plans for hospital reconfiguration in Worcestershire - a report they had not even seen.

It is clear that these "health service chiefs" have resorted to personal attack because they know that they cannot answer the careful case made in Professor Pollock's report. This is standard behaviour for arrogant bullies but in this instance they have gone too far.

Professor Pollock, described by them as an "anti-PFI campaigner", is in fact Britain's leading authority on the PFI. Far from not having attempted to get up to date information from the health authority, as they allege, Professor Pollock asked for just such information through District Councillors on 14 April and was told in a letter from the Chief Executive on 10 May that most of it did not yet exist.

It is understood that Professor Pollock is taking legal advice in view of the sweeping and groundless attack on her reputation made by the health authority.

Dr Richard Taylor, Chairman of the Campaign said, "It will be clear to people in Worcestershire that a vicious pre-emptive personal attack on a leading academic authority is not the response of public servants with nothing to hide, but a desperate attempt to prevent the facts being honestly scrutinised and debated."

26 May 2000

Ends

Further details from Dr Richard Taylor