Sally Bercow speaks out about St Helier Hospital

10:50am Friday 29th June 2012 in Sutton By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

Sally Bercow speaks out about St Helier Hospital Sally Bercow speaks out about St Helier Hospital

The outspoken wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sally Bercow, has expressed her concerns for St Helier Hospital’s future.

Mrs Bercow’s father, Ronald Illman, died when she was 16 years old in 1986 after he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

However thanks to the staff at St Helier Hospital, Mr Illman, a builder’s merchant from Sutton, was given three extra years to spend time with his family.

Mrs Bercow, 42, said: “I hate the idea the services of St Helier being decimated. You need a local A&E and maternity.

“It was more than 25 years ago my father was diagnosed with kidney failure.

“The amazing renal unit decided to give him kidney dialysis.

“We are incredibly grateful for that. He was fast approaching 70. They were amazing.

“He was an old candidate but because he had a young family they prolonged his life.

“I have many childhood memories of going to that hospital.

“It gave him a few extra years of life and as far as I’m concerned that hospital’s absolutely amazing.”

The mother-of-three expressed how wrong she felt the recommendations to close St Helier’s vital services were and said local people were lucky they had people like Siobhain McDonagh, MP for Mitcham and Morden campaigning to stop the cuts.

Early in May a scoring panel on behalf of the Better Service, Better Value healthcare review, recommended that St Helier Hospital lose its Accident and Emergency and maternity departments.

The programme board has also accepted the recommendation that children's wards at three SW London hospitals close and a specialist inpatient childrens’ ward should be at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.

Sign our petition to save St Helier’s vital services: suttonguardian.co.uk/savesthelier/petition/

Send your thoughts and experiences of St Helier Hospital to ssleigh@london.newsquest.co.uk

Comments(9)

Jerrywr says...
1:57pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Sally Bercow and her parliamentary colleagues in the Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties need to come clean about their priorities. They all support the UK being in the EU which the Tax Payers Alliance has estimated costs the UK economy £130.6 billion a year. This works out at the same cost of the annual salaries of 10 nurses every minute we are in the EU. This is money totally wasted as there are no advantages to staying in the EU. And how hypocritical is Tom Brake to campaign against the closures. He, like Paul Burstow voted to double the UK's contribution to the IMF to support the failing euro from £10 to £20 billion. The £20 billion thrown away on the euro is 526 times the budget cut imposed upon St Heliers by the coalition government they are part of.
Further more I emailed the BSBV panel weeks ago and asked them how much the cuts at St Helier would save. It appears they have no idea as I am still waiting for a reply!

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Michael Pantlin says...
4:54pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Well said Sally in support of St. Helier Hospital. If only Mr. Photo Opportunity Burstow MP were as vociferous in its defence. In the current state of Coalition Government he would not have to walk across the floor of the House to join the Tories. I think he'd make a good Tory politician though I have to vote UKIP these days.

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Smudger says...
11:35am Sat 30 Jun 12

Jerry - you are aware that Sally Bercow isn't an MP aren't you? So she has no 'parliamentary colleagues'.
The rest of your anti-EU rant really misses the point as well...

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Jerry71 says...
2:46pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Hi Smudger
Thanks for pointing that out! I omitted to add her "husbands" colleagues.
Sorry if you thought I was "ranting" but wasting the annual salaries of 10 nurses on the cost of the EU every minute is surely something that is worth pointing out. Presumably you consider it well worth while.
Perhaps you can explain what your point is?

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Car99 says...
8:50pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Can't anyone make this woman shut up? Who cares what this over-privileged parasite thinks?

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Michael Pantlin says...
11:51pm Sat 30 Jun 12

Car99 wrote:
Can't anyone make this woman shut up? Who cares what this over-privileged parasite thinks?
She is speaking up as wife of the Speaker in support of our St. Helier District General Hospital because she has local roots and knowledge. I don't want her to shut up I'd just like Paul Burstow, Minister of Care to break his silence and collusion with the Tory NHS Wreckers and so some real fighting for the hospital - eg threaten to resign from the Cabinet if these plans are not dropped. That would take real bawls. Or alternative "come out" and admit he is wearing the Tory mantle and supports the run down of our highly regarded and vital hospital in full District General Hospital format.

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tjames says...
4:26am Sun 1 Jul 12

a libdim resign? never--the gravy is too nice

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Danny Bhoy says...
11:16am Sun 1 Jul 12

These naive campaigns attract rentaquotes like moths to a flame, don't they?

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Michael Pantlin says...
4:41am Mon 2 Jul 12

And pompous know it all prigs, don't they?

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