TONGE: NO STARS FOR GOVERNMENT

11.50.45am GMT Wed 16th Jul 2003

Dr Jenny Tonge, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, welcomed the award of two stars to Kingston Hospital NHS Trust but voiced her concern over the star system as a whole.

The MP said: "This system of putting hospitals into league tables according to how they perform under Government targets is utterly ridiculous. I am very pleased that Kingston has not slipped down the tables but I know perfectly well that whatever rating they are giving the health professionals in that hospital are working to maximum capacity all the time."

"Whether we like it or not we are all referred to our local hospital so it is difficult to understand what the Government means by giving patients 'an informed choice'."