Picture puzzle over election leaflet

The party has sent out a pamphlet promoting its "Common Sense" pledges about protecting the health service.

The literature featured a photograph of a woman lying in a hospital bed at Ronkswood, being greeted by the Conservatives' front-bench spokesman for health, Dr Liam Fox.

Also in the frame were the Conservatives' Parliamentary candidate, Richard Adams, and the medical director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Charles Ashton.

The NHS Trust has issued a statement after learning the picture was being distributed to homes in the city this month.

"The Trust has not supplied any photograph to any political party and has not been approached to give consent for the use of any photograph taken on its premises," said a spokeswoman.

"The Trust is a non-political organisation and would have refused permission if it had been approached."

But Mr Adams insisted permission had been sought

Picture puzzle over election leaflet

A ROW has blown up after hospital bosses in Worcester criticised a picture in a Conservative election leaflet.

The party has sent out a pamphlet promoting its "Common Sense" pledges about protecting the health service.

The literature featured a photograph of a woman lying in a hospital bed at Ronkswood, being greeted by the Conservatives' front-bench spokesman for health, Dr Liam Fox.

Also in the frame were the Conservatives' Parliamentary candidate, Richard Adams, and the medical director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Charles Ashton.

The NHS Trust has issued a statement after learning the picture was being distributed to homes in the city this month.

"The Trust has not supplied any photograph to any political party and has not been approached to give consent for the use of any photograph taken on its premises," said a spokeswoman.

"The Trust is a non-political organisation and would have refused permission if it had been approached."

But Mr Adams insisted permission had been sought

before the picture was taken last summer.

"The Trust's chairman, Harold Musgrove, was standing there with us, although he's out of shot," he said.

"We marched in with the cameras and the woman in the picture was quite happy for us to take it.

"In fact, someone suggested she was a good person to approach, because she worked for the hospital."

Mr Adams said no one had complained when the photograph was published in a Conservative newspaper last year, or after it was posted on his election website.

He said he hoped the dispute would not be used as part of a "negative campaign" among the parties as the General Election approached.