EXCLUSIVE Taylor-made candidate

Dr Richard Taylor is the Health Concern candidate for the General Election.

The man who has led the fight to save and now return services to Kidderminster Hospital is gunning for Westminster.

And the former consultant physician at Kidderminster Hospital believes sending a Health Concern MP to London is the last throw of the dice for the campaign.

The gutting of the hospital for the £9 million ambulatory care centre is set for August but he believes services can be still be restored if the hospital retains its infrastructure.

Dr Taylor, 66, stressed Kidderminster was the only hospital in England with a population concentration of 80,000 to 100,000 without an accident and emergency department within 18 miles.

He maintains the downgrading of the hospital was made for financial not medical reasons.

He said: "The severity of our hospital's downgrading is unique and unfair. Other smaller communities in England are keeping far more services than we are.

"Most of our GPs have been manoeuvred into reluctant acceptance of the situation.

"We must continue to fight for fairness. We have little time left and so it is very urgent to have a voice free from party whip to speak for people in Parliament."

He added: "We cannot say we will restore services because it is not in our gift but we can kick up such a big fuss on the national stage about the complete injustice of our hospital's downgrading."

Award-winning Kidderminster Hospital lost its blue-light A&E department, intensive care unit, elective surgery, inpatient medicine and beds as part of Worcestershire Health Authority's plan Investing in Excellence.

Last week the Government rubber-stamped plans for the £9 million ambulatory care centre which will include a minor injuries unit, primary care centre, diagnostic facilities, outpatient and medical day care facilities.

However, Health Concern officials claimed their argument received a massive boost this week with news of the services being retained at Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal.

The hospital, which serves a population of 80,000 - less than Kidderminster's - has retained 232 beds, elective surgery, inpatient medicine including heart attacks, and an emergency and minor accidents unit - staffed by intermediate grade doctors.

Dr Taylor, who lives in Kidderminster, pointed out this echoed the campaign's demands for the past three years and was more than the independent King's Fund report recommendations.

He said: "We know of no other reason why at least those same services could not be restored here except for Government obstinacy and inability to lose face."

Dr Taylor, who was a consultant physician at Kidderminster from 1972 to 1995, has led the campaign against the downgrading since its launch three years ago.

Some 66,000 people signed a petition, launched by the Shuttle/Times & News, against the plan.

And 12,000 marched through the streets in protest.

After the Government rubber-stamped the decision to downgrade Kidderminster Hospital's A&E department and axe in-patient services, Health Concern was launched.

It shook up the local government scene with a string of stunning victories and gained 19 seats in two years on Wyre Forest District Council.

It will also contest seats in this year's Worcestershire County Council election which will be held on May 3 - the favoured date for a General Election.

Dr Taylor will stand against sitting Labour MP David Lock and Conservative candidate Mark Simpson.

The Liberal Democrats are still interviewing candidates.

Liberal candidate Fran Oborski has said she will step down before the election to back Health Concern.

And Dr Taylor pulled no punches in his election prediction.

He said: "I think we are going to win. The public support has been utterly amazing and the fact that after three-and-half-years it is still there, speaks volumes.

"The seething anger and resentment is something nobody on the other side bargained for and it keeps being fuelled by what is happening elsewhere in the country - and it won't die."