Fine words, little action

Published: 1 October, 2010

• TONY Hoolaghan has made a poor start to his claim that NHS Islington is “working extremely hard to ensure the best future” for Berthold Lubetkin’s Finsbury Health Centre (Repairs or better care? September 17). 

Mr Hoolaghan shouldn’t be surprised at the sceptical response his fine words have received – an offence compounded by his failure to acknowledge the pivotal role of the tireless residents campaigning to save the building. It is they, not the council or NHS Islington, who have proposed the alternative funding options.

As for his claim of “money being better spent on improving patient care”, Mr Hoolaghan might like to explain the 64 per cent increase in the primary care trust’s management costs per head between 2008-09 and 2009-10, a time when the borough’s population decreased (by more than 5,000). Total management costs rose by 50 per cent over the same period, to more than £10.6m. Two-thirds of the £10.6m was spent on commissioning outside contracts, only one-third on managing actual services. 

NHS Islington has been grossly negligent in its custodianship of the health centre. If senior managers had spent some of the monies at their disposal on maintaining the fabric of the building rather than on obscene salaries and inflated management costs, Lubetkin’s design would not have fallen into its present state of disrepair requiring major refurbishment. 

MEG HOWARTH
Ellington Street, N7