I WRITE to express my support for staff at Colchester General Hospital, and to say that the latest criticism from the Care Quality Commission should be directed at the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, not those who work at the hospital.

In February last year Mr Hunt visited the hospital and praised the then leadership of the Hospital Trust.

That leadership, however, was later replaced with new people at the top, and then a couple of months’ ago this new team was removed and the third leadership in about a year put in place. Therefore, if everything was going well 17 months ago – that was the verdict of Mr Hunt – why are things seemingly worse now than then? All this has happened on his watch.

The blame culture by the Care Quality Commission should be directed at Mr Hunt for his woeful stewardship. Questions also need to be asked of the Commission! Let me quote what Mr Hunt said to the Gazette when he visited the Hospital in February last year: “There is a terrific new leadership in place and they are doing everything they possibly can to turn the hospital around and get out of special measures. I am encouraged by the work being done by the leadership here in Colchester.”

The Trust’s then chairman, Mr Peter Wilson, was delighted at the support he had been given by Mr Hunt – and was quoted as saying: “The message we got was we are doing the right things and we’re on the right track.”

So what has gone wrong? If the Secretary of State for Health, 17 months ago, said Colchester Hospital was on the right track and he had confidence in the Trust’s leadership, why were they removed? Mr Hunt needs to explain himself. And so do the people from the Care Quality Commission, who presumably in February last year would have briefed Mr Hunt ahead of his visit to Colchester.

Mr Hunt made a second visit to Colchester Hospital in April last year, during the General Election, and promised to support Colchester’s hospitals if he remained as Secretary of State for Health.

He promised that extra funding would be given to Colchester.

Of the new leadership in Colchester – the chief executive and chairman of Ipswich Hospital Trust taking over – let me repeat what I said during the public question time session at a meeting of the Colchester Hospital Trust in May this year. I consider that this is more of a “takeover” by Ipswich than “a merger, collaboration or partnership.”

I also told the meeting that the Trust’s leadership had not been vocal in supporting staff, both medical and those in support roles, who have been let down. The Trust’s leadership has continued to fail to speak in support of their loyal and hardworking staff who have been let down both by Mr Hunt and the Trust.

Sir Bob Russell Former MP for Colchester Magdalen Hall Colchester