Fighting to Save Ipswich Hospital Services

Ben Gummer is well known around Ipswich for his fight to save services at Ipswich Hospital.

So far, Ben has:

• Fought for emergency heart services at Ipswich Hospital, securing through his campaign a new heart unit at Heath Road.
• Battled against the closure of cancer services at Ipswich Hospital.
• Attacked the shambles of out of hours GP care.
• Exposed the terrible waste of money and resources by NHS bureaucrats which could be better spent on the healthcare of Ipswich people.

Ben says: “Ipswich Hospital is very important to me: I have been treated there, as have members of my family and many of my friends. It used to be the largest district general hospital in Europe, offering treatment respected around the country. But recently it has been downgraded by the government, which has tried to move specialist services out of the county to Norwich, Cambridge and south Essex. I don’t think that’s fair – especially on the most vulnerable: the elderly and those on low incomes.

That is why I have made it my priority to fight for the hospital – and why I am so proud of the results achieved so far. We have gained a new heart unit and the government has been forced to stop the secret strip-out of services. But there is still much more to do. The hospital needs to achieve true independence, so it can answer to the community, not to ministers. And we need to start building up areas of expertise again, so that Ipswich people can have the first-class healthcare we deserve.”