Care Workers In East Kent

EDM number 705 in 1999-00, proposed by Stephen Ladyman on 09/05/2000.

That this House notes with dismay that Kent County Council is to make redundant 17 front-line social service care workers in East Kent and that this will include 75 per cent. of the care workers at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Thanet and will inevitably lead to people remaining too long in hospital with consequential bed blocking and rising waiting lists for elective treatment throughout East Kent; believes that this move will jeopardise the plans of the East Kent Health Authority and the East Kent National Health Service Hospital Trust to improve patient services in East Kent; rejects completely the suggestion that the existing team of community care workers will be able to step in and replace these services; is deeply concerned that this step was taken without consultation with trades unions or the staff affected; believes that this action has come about entirely because of the mismanagement of the County's budget and observes that it was arranged in secret and announced on the day following the local elections; and calls upon the Government to investigate urgently the action of the County Council.

This motion has been signed by a total of 27 MPs.