news, events, calendar, churches, schools


MP will write to thank staff at Hammersmith Hospital

Despite funding crisis, hospital gives "excellent" care to Tony Blair.


Comment on this story on the Forum

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter
Related links

Despite the funding crisis, Hammersmith Hospital was able to give an "excellent" care to Tony Blair. The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said in a press briefing this morning that the MP would be writing to the two hospitals he had attended on Sunday, Stoke Mandeville and Hammersmith, to thank the staff for their care. "It had been excellent", said the PMOS.

But the MP didn't use Hammersmith's Hospital Accident and Emergency department, under risk of closure due widespread deficits affecting Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust. After feeling "unwell enough yesterday morning to see a doctor", the Prime Minister first went to Stoke Mandeville, where he had undergone some tests. The consultant cardiologist who was based at Stoke Mandeville also worked at Hammersmith Hospital. The nature of the problem had become clear while he had attended Stoke Mandeville and it had been decided that he should be treated at Hammersmith. Mr. Blair had arrived at Hammersmith Hospital at about 2.20pm and had left at around 6.45pm.

The Prime Minister is now "fit, fine, in good spirits and one hundred percent recovered", said the PMOS, although he was "taking it a little easy for today". According to doctors, what happened on Sunday was a relatively minor condition, which, as consultant cardiologist Duncan Dymond from Bart's hospital had said, was "high in nuisance value but low in gravity". It was not a long-term serious cardiac condition, confirmed the PMOS.

10 Downing Street Web site