On Saturday 21st October, my wife was heading into Guildford town centre to join a rally of support against the proposed closure of The Royal Surrey County Hospital in the town. Planning to call in on her mother on her way home, she phoned to let her know when she would be arriving. Her mum, who had been feeling unwell for the previous few days, said that the symptoms were persisting and getting worse. Concerned, my wife went straight to the flat, letting herself in with a spare key. There she found that since the phone call, the eighty-eight year old had fallen and was unable to get herself up. With some difficulty, after checking for broken bones, my wife managed to haul her mother to her feet and get her onto the sofa. When I arrived fifteen minutes later, she was already showing the first signs of having suffered a stroke. Without delay we phoned for an ambulance. Within ten minutes the crew were at the door and after a brief examination, confirmed that she had indeed most likely had a stroke.
At the hospital less than twenty minutes after dialling 999, there began a series of events which sadly ended with my mother-in-law's death at midday the following Wednesday. Throughout, she received the highest standard of treatment, which was administered with great care and sensitivity. Once the prognosis became clear it was explained to her anxious family with clarity and compassion and she was able to end her life with dignity and at peace, surrounded by those she loved.
This was possible due to the skill and dedication of the staff in a hospital that, unless the massed raised voices of local opinion can bring the walls of central government policy crashing down, will probably be forced to close. By denying communities the close support of comprehensive local health care, you attack their soft core, spreading uncertainty and fear, particularly among the growing percentage of the elderly and therefore the most vulnerable amongst us. Increasingly, hospital patients will be condemned to end their days amongst strangers, miles from the comfort of friends and family. This is a spiralling cycle of decline that, if the present method of funding is pursued, is set to be repeated over and over again, the hollow pledges and slick platitudes of government echoing along the deserted corridors and through the empty wards of abandoned local hospitals all over this land.
When the time comes for Mr Blair to exit this life, the stonemason can carve three more letters into his tombstone. After Iraq and Afghanistan, he can add NHS to his list of triumphs.