libdemnhswatch.com WILL PROVIDE TRUE PICTURE OF NHS - JOHN HEMMING MP

5.34.50pm GMT Mon 7th Nov 2005

John Hemming MP has helped to launch a new website to help paint a true picture of the National Health Service. The site is designed to help his/her party listen to the views and concerns of NHS staff, patients and members of the public.

The site, which can be found at www.LibDemNHSWatch.com, includes a letter from the party's health spokesman, Steve Webb MP, who writes about various Government reforms of the health service.

John Hemming MP said:

"In Birmingham Yardley we're lucky to have a dedicated team of healthcare professionals. But much of the high quality healthcare we have in this area is despite the Government and not because of it.

"To help improve the NHS, and to assist my fellow Liberal Democrats and I in holding the Government to account, we want to hear from patients who have difficulty accessing treatment, and from professionals prevented from providing services the community needs. We also want to hear from you if you have had good treatment and seen good things happening that should be happening everywhere.

"Currently, there are few outlets for people to tell their stories or expose issues that point to larger problems. The Government would rather that these stories do not see the light of day. We disagree".

"LibDemNHSWatch.com will allow us to identify which NHS reforms are working, which targets distort clinical priorities and which issues those inside the 'Westminster bubble' really need to know about."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. The Liberal Democrat campaigning website can be found at www.LibDemNHSWatch.com

Constituents of John Hemming MP should of course still contact John Hemming directly if they have a particular personal issue which needs taking up with the health authorities