"Government must wipe away the health debt"

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 28th Jan 2005

Cllr Greg Mulholland, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson has called upon the Government to step and wipe away the huge debt faced by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

The mounting health crisis has already led to ward closures, cancelled operations and today it has been announce that another 300 posts are set to be axed from Leeds Hospitals in an attempt to balance the books following 120 earlier positions already axed.

With the Trust believed to be at least ?17 million in debt, the cuts are set to deepen and Cllr Mulholland says that the only way for this crisis to be resolved now, without devastating effects on services in Leeds, is for the Government to pay off the debt as it has done in other areas of the country.

Says Cllr Mulholland, "The people of Leeds are extremely concerned about what is going on in Leeds with wards closed, nurses laid off and operations cancelled. The only way to resolve this is for the Government to step in and pay off the debt, or the effects on hospital services could be devastating."

Cllr Mulholland has already written to Neil McKay, the Chief Executive of Leeds Hospital Trust to get some answers as to the future of hospital provision in Leeds.

Cllr Mulholland said "It is clear that at the moment, the public do not know what the future holds for our hospitals and the Trust must come clean about this. I am demanding answers so we can restore public confidence in the heath service in Leeds."