The possible merger of Warrington and Halton Hospitals with Whiston is a result of Labour’s profligate and wasteful Private Finance Initiative scheme.

A row is brewing because of a statement by a government minister that such a merger is one of the options being considered to ease funding problems in the NHS.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Warrington Council, Cllr Ian Marks said, “Patients from Warrington are fortunate to have a choice of hospitals they can be referred to for treatment.  As well as the hospitals in the borough and at Halton, new facilities at Whiston and Wythenshawe are easily accessible.  Some patients choose to be referred to teaching hospitals in Manchester and Liverpool.

Unfortunately the way in which the rebuilding of Whiston and Wythenshawe was financed is now placing that choice at risk and is causing great uncertainty.  Both were funded using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which involves the private sector raising money for the re-build.  This is then recouped by leasing facilities and charging for services over a long period, like 30 years.  At Whiston alone the £250 million project completed last year is generating an annual bill of £20 million which is proving difficult to meet.

Both Helen Jones MP and Nick Bent, the Labour Parliamentary Spokesman for Warrington South denied at the time of the last election that such a problem would arise. They must have been well aware of the coming problem but are now pretending to be surprised by the mess their government left our Health Service in and the impact it will have on the patients in Warrington.

The last Labour government’s profligate use of a funding mechanism to hide public spending involving the private sector in the provision of public services, is coming home to roost.  It will be patients in Warrington who suffer uncertainty while this mess is sorted out.  Labour increased Health Service spending massively and the Coalition Government has promised to protect the Health Service budget.  But even that amount of spending is unlikely to prove adequate to keep up payments on the glossy new facilities at Whiston and Wythenshawe, while protecting other health provision in the town.  Local Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting to protect the best interests of Warrington residents.”