National Health cuts illustrated by Health Campaigner!

6.35.24pm GMT Thu 1st Feb 2007

Stan Hardy takes his fight to the top - but is he too young for the Health Secretary!

Like Rochdale, huge areas in Britain are suffering from health cuts. Labour Ministers are standing on picket lines like Hazel Blears and Ivan Lewis and there are protests across Britain. One story that delighted Rochdale Liberal Democrats was the story of campaigner and President to the Party President - Mr Stan Hardy. Stan, 86 confronted the Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt in an demo against cuts in London. We'll let his local party tell the story.

Veteran campaigner Stan Hardy and other campaigners from the Save the Maudsley Clinic campaign were in Camberwell yesterday to interrupt a government press stunt to launch a report on the care of the elderly. Patrician Hewitt had tried to sneak into Southwark to generate headlines without addressing the one issue we all care about, the closure of the Maudsley Emergency clinic and danger it presents to the health of vulnerable people:

The gaff-prone Ms. Hewitt commented to 86-year old Stan "I'd be very pleased to meet you but I'm only here to talk to elderly people", and to the rest of the protesters "Please stop shouting and disturbing the elderly people".

Southwark Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Health Denise Capstick commented:

"(On Monday Patricia Hewitt) came to Southwark to visit another fine facility in the borough, and I welcome that. But people are rightly asking how she can find the time for this but not to visit the Maudsley when she has signed its death warrant. I took the chance to ask her to come to the Maudsley Clinic but she said that she would not be doing so. I think that her behaviour towards the Maudsley Clinic and its users is totally insensitive."