Story in ‘The Times’ today

Some of you might have seen a story in The Times today, which suggested that hospitals would close as a result of the savings and efficiencies in spending in the Department of Health,  part of a wider programme of savings across government which I am driving as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

This is wrong. The Times accepted that they’d made a mistake and overnight they changed the way the story was written to more accurately reflect what I said in the interview.

In the interview, I specifically said that hospitals would NOT have to close as a result of these savings. What I DID say is that hospitals will do more of their work in community health centres and the like.  These centres – we’re going to get three in Hodge Hill – are more convenient, efficient and cheaper. And patients like them.

The Health Secretary Andy Burnham has said many times that he wants more care provided in the community, rather than in hospitals. Of course, if you start providing more care in the community, you might be able to stop using certain buildings on hospital sites – but ‘closing buildings’ is a world away from “hospital closures”!

For the record, here’s the relevant part of the interview transcript:

EXCERPT FROM INTERVIEW WITH LIAM BYRNE

INTERVIEWERS ARE RACHEL SYLVESTER AND ALICE THOMSON OF THE TIMES

FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2010

RACHEL SYLVESTER:
Is it going to mean hospitals are going to close?

LIAM BYRNE:
No, I don’t think it is, but I do think that some hospitals will have to start doing more of their care in the community rather than in, you know, big expensive buildings, so we’re getting three health centres,  big new health centres, in Hodge Hill, thanks to the fantastic constituency MP [sound of laughter from journalists] and a lot of hospitals will be able to do more of their work in centres like that which are in many ways more convenient

RACHEL SYLVESTER:
So you might be able to close some of the hospital buildings?

LIAM BYRNE:
Yes, well, a lot of hospitals I think are thinking about moving some of their business out  into the community because it’s better care, it’s better quality, it’s more convenient, it’s round the corner, you know. It’s also cheaper.

ENDS