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Islington Tribune - by TOM FOOT
Published: 16 January 2009

From left: Patients Anne Hewitson, Andrew daSilva, Emily Thornberry MP, Barb Jacobson, Bob O’Dell, Helen Cagnoni and Barbara Heinzen before handing in a petition to the Department of Health in Whitehall on Tuesday

‘National asset’ must be saved says MP

EMILY Thornberry has made a personal plea to the health secretary to save the historic Finsbury Health Centre.
In a letter to health minister Alan Johnson, the Labour MP for Islington South described the Grade-I listed building as a “national asset” and warned there had been “no proper public consultation” over its future.
Ms Thornberry’s intervention comes as patients delivered a petition with 1,850 signatures to Mr Johnson at the Department of Health on Tuesday.
If the decision to abandon Finsbury Health Centre is approved later this month the patients will seek a judicial review hearing in the High Court.
Ms Thornberry said: “It seems to me that an injection of cash at this stage would enable Islington PCT to change their view on the future of this unique building, and enable my constituents to have the best possible modern healthcare.
“How do we make Finsbury Health Centre a special case? What can be done to save this precious part of our health heritage from being sold off to a rich architect or solicitor for peanuts?”
The plan to sell the health centre, which is likely to be approved at a board meeting later this month, comes at a time when Mr Johnson is forcing PCTs to set up polyclinics.
Polyclinics are super-sized surgeries where doctors work alongside other health professionals in an integrated service – just like Finsbury Health Centre.
Ms Thornberry added: “It is almost impossible to find space in south Islington and Finsbury to co-locate this range of health services, and the plan at present seems to be to re-provide GP premises only – all the other services will be dispersed to other venues.
“Surely this is a step in the wrong direction. Lord Darzi’s report showed the way forward for integrated healthcare which better meets the needs of Londoners – instead my constituents face losing an excellent example of integrated healthcare in a fantastic, unique building which is part of our Labour heritage.”
Ms Thornberry is awaiting a reply from the minister.

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