Calls for Government Minister to sort out the mess at the Alex caused by the Department of Health

Ahead of today's Save the Alex rally at the hospital, Rebecca Blake, Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson states "the Government have created a confused landscape within the NHS resulting in a stalemate that puts the future of services at the Alex in jeopardy.

While service providers and GP commissioners fail to bring forward a second option, patients are left to wait longer and longer on trolleys in A&E and hospital staff continue to leave due to the relentless pressure and uncertainty. If these unnecessary delays continue much longer we will have very little services left to save. I'm calling for the Government Minister, who is visiting the Alex today, to sort out the mess at the Alex caused by the Department of Health.

The government set up GP led Clinical Commissioning Groups to buy our hospital services, part of the £3.5 billion reorganisation. The Commissioners want to buy services for patients yet they are being prevented, the new system isn't working. In times of unprecedented demand on the NHS this stalemate is damaging our hospital services.

I'm very cynical about who benefits from the delay and it certainly isn't patients. Whoever provides the services at the Alex, we mustn't forget we're fighting for A&E and maternity to remain in Redditch or I fear lives will be lost".