New Hospital Trust: MP asks - who speaks for the silent majority?

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 20th May 2008

Commenting on the announcement that "Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust" will in future be known as the "Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust", Colchester MP Bob Russell said that while he welcomed the inclusion of "Colchester" in the title he expressed concern over the way it would function - suggesting that the overwhelming majority of people in North Essex would have no say in the decision-making process.

"The population served by the Trust is in excess of 300,000, yet its so-called 'public membership' totals little more than 2,500 people. What about the other 297,500 or so people who are not members? I thought the NHS belonged to all the people, and therefore all of us should have an equal say.

"What we should be having is not a self-appointed membership but rather an organisation, democratically accountable to all its residents. It could easily be done, using the same electoral roll as is used for local and national elections."

Liberal Democrat Mr Russell added: "While this is not semi-privatisation of the NHS as has been the case with other changes, it is a further example of this Government's quango mentality to the exclusion of proper democratic involvement and accountability."