Vince Cable

In a major new development in the battle over St. John's Hospital, the government has urged local health bosses to think again.

In a debate this morning in Parliament introduced by Vincent Cable MP, the Health Minister Ivan Lewis agreed with Vincent Cable that it would not be right for the local NHS to push ahead with the closure of Marble Ward at St. John's until the Government has completed its review of strategy for elderly mental illness in the autumn.

Vincent Cable MP said he was "delighted that the Minister had briefed himself on the situation in Twickenham and agreed with my basic argument that it was perverse of local health officials to close a highly regarded, specialist, unit for 'challenging' elderly mentally ill patients when the Government is still finalising its national strategy.

"I am therefore approaching the Primary Care Trust not to act precipitately on its proposed privatisation of the service and to keep Marble Ward as a functioning unit with new placements pending a review of the strategy.

"This whole exercise has been very badly conducted with minimal public consultation, hasty discussions based on dubious cost figures and a complete failure to appreciate the value to patients, carers and the community of this high quality facility. The Minister's intervention should make the health officials think again"