We can still halt Whittington deal
Friday, 23rd March 2018
Whittington Hospital
• HEALTH secretary Jeremy Hunt’s policies are leading to a possible land and property grab worth tens of millions at the Whittington Hospital and its community health venues.
Management’s choice of Ryhurst, a subsidiary of Rydon, of cladding “fame”, as its development partner is unethical and could be disastrous if the contract is finalised.
NHS Improvement, which is the regulator, has supposedly not yet approved the 10-year Whittington/Ryhurst contract and should not for many reasons, including ethical and financial ones, and a lack of genuine public consultation.
There is still time to call a halt to the deal and put in its place a NHS-run, transparent and publicly accountable Whittington estates strategy – in which all the benefits would go to our hospital and community health. No NHS resources or assets need go to property investors, banks and private “partners”.
There is a better way for those who rely on our still-great Whittington Hospital. Politicians and NHS leaders need to realise the greater good and wider benefits of publicly funding essential hospital refurbishments and upgrades.
Stop putting hundreds of millions into the marketing of health services and use the funds for medical staff, maintenance and development needs instead. The choice is to create a virtuous circle of social and economic wellbeing, not a vicious circle of commercial exploitation.
SHARON LYTTON
N6
