Pinocchio reigns.

A senior representative of Thurrock Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has shown her support for the closure of Orsett Hospital, saying she wants to bring healthcare to the "whole of Thurrock."

The Accountable Officer for Thurrock CCG, Mandy Ansell, told the Thurrock Gazette that there is going to be "a lot of new medical buildings” coming to the borough, all with integrated services.

Hip Hip Hooray one might cry; but hold on what the senior representative of Thurrock CCG along with all who wish to close Orsett hospital fail to mention is these new buildings will in all probability be built under some type of PFI, and services within them will be run by private corporations which will push the price tag up for the taxpayer.

What we are witnessing today is private companies increasingly making money out of our misery when we're ill, where is the morality, what does this tell you about those who govern the nation we live in?

Closure of Orsett hospital
Mandy Ansell, and the Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Partnership have major questions they need to answer, as do local councillors, for  make no mistake despite their bullshite and bluster of late, in the long term almost all of them support the closure of Orsett hospital.

Perhaps they could even tell the people of Thurrock the truth, what actual services will be transferred from our local hospital to these new local health hubs, and as importantly name those which will not?

Without that information the current consultation is a shameful charade.

Which makes one believe closing Orsett hospital is a done deal, the consultation is a deceitful smokescreen to kid us we have some control over our lives and community. 

Pinocchio reigns; Thurrock councillors have already voted to support these health hubs, local councils both Tory led and some Labour have become little more than dumb waiters for evermore cuts and privatisation of local services.

A petition and the odd letter or article in the local paper will not stop the closure of Orsett hospital, only a mass campaign opposing closure would be capable of doing that and even that might now fail given the late hour.

Where is the leadership, where is the fight, you cannot stop the bulldozers of today's greedy elites by using the normal channels.

Why? Because they own them.

Mick Hall.