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Intense meeting over health care issues
I'M DELIGHTED that lots of people have got in touch to say how pleased they are that our three councils and two healthcare providers have got together to try to create a new local hospital for NHS patients.
It is an exciting project and thank you to everyone who has got in touch to express their support.
The feasibility study that's taking place is just that – analysis to determine if a new hospital is actually feasible.
Until then, local people will continue to receive much of their care at East Surrey Hospital and that's why I visited last Friday.
I wanted to meet the new chairman of the hospital trust. He's been in post since the beginning of 2010 and I was keen to explain the kind of letters I still receive from local people –people who, despite the hard work of the hospital staff, too often still suffer from a lack of basic care.
Yes, I get fewer complaints than a couple of years ago (although that might be because people have given up complaining) but the letters I do receive are overwhelmingly from the families of elderly patients. They are often very distressing.
We shouldn't have a single complaint of that nature and I'll continue to press the trust on any I receive.
After that rather intense meeting it was lovely to be invited to the grand reopening of Brock Taylor, an independent estate agency based in the centre of Horsham.
Estate agents are never popular, and as a member of another generally unpopular profession I sympathise! But it's good to see a local agency doing well.It's been a tough time lately but their success is good for the local economy and good for the local people they employ.
Completely unexpectedly, I also found myself getting involved with PMW Communications' (the Billinghsurst-based company that organised the relaunch) and Tanbridge House School's Ambassadors Programme.
Students are able to do their 'dream job' for a day and I'm pleased to be able to welcome one to the Houses of Parliament for a day in March. It will be interesting to know if being an MP is still their ideal job when they've spent some time here!
Friday afternoon also saw South Downs MP Nick Herbert and me handing over the No Laybrook Landfill petition to county councillor Frank Wilkinson.
The petition was signed by 5,000 people which is indicative not only of the strength of local opposition but also the fantastic organisation of the campaign.
Now we'll just have to wait and see if common sense prevails and the application is thrown out once and for all.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
