Hinckley County Councillor calls for increased not reduced NHS services locally.

Leicestershire Better care together have published draft plans which could see the Mount Road Hospital in Hinckley close and a reduction in the number of hospital beds in Hinckley.

Responding to the report Hinckley Lib Dem County Councillor Michael Mullaney said "There's a huge demand in the Hinckley area for increased, not reduced NHS services. Over 11,000 people signed the petitions for saving Mount Road Hospital which shows the passion there is in the area for protecting and expanding our NHS services.

Now we face proposals that will not only see the closure of Mount Road Hospital but the reduction in the number of beds in Hinckley from 39 to 21 a cut in almost half. The Clinical Commissioning Group may argue that there will be reduced demand in future, however with a large and growing population locally can we be sure that such a huge reduction would be wise?

"The Hinckley urban area including Burbage, Barwell and Earl Shilton is the 2nd biggest population concentration in the county, and it's growing. The report takes us up to 2021, Many thousands more houses are due to be built here in that period, increasing the number of people who will need health services locally and we have an ageing population locally.

"The NHS future plans for our area should be about increasing NHS facilities locally. An area our size needs an updated health facility. Our area needs a Walk in Centre or Minor Injuries Unit and I will continue to lobby the NHS for this"