Liberal Democrats in Haringey have condemned the Labour Government’s decision to abolish Haringey’s local health watchdog.

The final meeting of the Haringey Community Health Council (CHC) will take place on Monday 25 November – even though local hospitals remain in crisis, with worries over funding, waiting times and the proposed PFI schemes for the North Middlesex and the Whittington.

Liberal Democrat representative on the Haringey Community Health Council, Cllr. Ron Aitken, paid tribute to the many years of work by its members and said that proposals for “Patient Councils” were not the solution as they would not have the independent element that CHCs had.

Ron Aitken comments:

“It is an act of political vandalism to abolish the local CHC, especially when Labour’s promises on the health service have not been met.”