by COLIN O'TOOLE
A hundred thousand pounds would buy you a nice two-bedroom flat in Stanmore -- or an entire general hospital if you are Barnet Health Authority.
A report released last week reveals that is exactly what the authority saved this year from the closure of Edgware General Hospital, despite a promise that it would release £4.2 million for other health services.
"The politics surrounding Edgware undoubtedly encouraged plans to be approved before sufficient detailed analysis had been undertaken to establish that the targets were realistic and achievable," said a joint statement by health authorioty chairman Antony Jacobson and David Phillips, his opposite number at the Wellhouse NHS Trust.
Hendon MP Andrew Dismore said the report showed it was wrong to close the hospital.
"I was as critical as the next man of the Wellhouse Trust blackhole," he said. "We always said the closure was not going to save the money it was supposed to save. But I think progress is now being made and we have an open partnership approach in the NHS."
Stan Davison, chairman of the Hands Off Our Hospitals campaign, said he too stood by his convictions.
But there was little contrition from Nigel Beverley, the departing chief executive of the Wellhouse Trust, which said it had cut its costs by £6.3 million this year.
"The decision to close Edgware General would still be taken today," he said. "But we would probably have gone to greater lengths than we did to try to get a local consensus rather than imposing change."
Dr Andy Nicol, the trust's clinical director, said patients had got better services as a result of the closure.
"I come with no apolgies. I think the clinical aspects of the merger have by and large been achieved," he said.
Barnet Community Health Council is writing to Health Secretary Frank Dobson about the report and wants to know the public's views. To have your say, write to the CHC, Freepost HA1893, 159 Ballards Lane, N3 1BR.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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