Tory plans will hand control of local health services to Cardiff says AM

6.34.26am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 27th Apr 2007

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has claimed that Conservative plans to abolish Local Health Boards and replace them with a single all-Wales commissioning service will take control of hospitals out of local hands and give it to Cardiff.

Mr. Black was commenting on the proposal in the Tory Manifesto to set up an all-Wales commissioning body, which would develop secondary and tertiary health services. This body would replace local health boards in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend.

"These plans will put our local area at a major disadvantage," said Mr.

Black. "The Labour Assembly Government has already centralised services such as paediatric neurosurgery in Cardiff and is threatening to do the same with Adult neurosurgery, now the Tories want to take the service out of the hands of local health professionals and hand it to bureaucrats in Cardiff. These bureaucrats do not understand our area or our health needs. Local people are best placed to decide what we need in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend."

"The Tory's plans will create further organizational chaos in the health service. Many local people would see their job moved to Cardiff. After eight years of perpetual change, the service needs a period of stability, where the different branches can get used to working together, not being torn apart. We need greater collaboration, not further re-organisation in our health service."