True blue Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly was left red faced this weekend after the Conservative Party put out a letter signed by him describing his constituency hospital Hinchingbrooke as Hitchingbrooke.
The slip-up was repeated, and a graphic highlighting ‘Hitchingbrooke Hospital’ was used prominently in his email.
The email was to announce the Government was releasing the cash to replace the Huntingdon hospital.
“One of our five priorities is to cut waiting lists in Cambridgeshire,” he wrote.
“The Department of Health’s announcement will help us deliver this pledge.
“Hitchingbrooke Hospital has long been in need of an upgrade, and after my conversations with ministers in the Department for Health, the government has pledged to rebuild the hospital!
“Hitchingbrooke Hospital rebuild is part of the Government’s wider New Hospital Programme, which is backed by over £20 billion in funding.”
“Upgrading Hitchingbrooke Hospital is part of our broader national plan to cut waiting lists and improve patient outcomes.”
He said the Conservatives were:
Delivering £14.1 billion in extra funding over the next two years
- Hiring 10,900 more nurses and 4,800 more doctors
- Putting 800 new ambulances on the road
- Letting you choose where you go for treatment – more choice via the NHS app.
“While the opposition play political games, we’re delivering action right here in Cambridgeshire,” he wrote.
“So why not forward this email to a friend and let them know that this government is committed to cutting waiting lists in Cambridgeshire.”
It was signed, “Yours sincerely, Jonathan Djanogly, Member of Parliament for Huntingdon.”
On his Facebook page, the MP did have it correct.
“Following a long and sustained campaign, I am thrilled that today the Health Secretary Steve Barclay has announced #HinchingbrookeHospital will be rebuilt,” he wrote.
“This will serve Huntingdonshire’s growing population, address the important issue of existing buildings being operated beyond their planned lifespan and construction is due to be completed by 2030 at the latest.
“This is going to dramatically improve the health and lives of local constituents and, whilst there is a long way to go until the new hospital building is open and supporting patients, I will continue to work closely with the Government and other stakeholders to help ensure it is delivered on time.
- Mr Djanogly has been unsuccessful in securing automatic re-adoption by his constituency’s selection committee. He has served as the MP for Huntingdon since John Major’s retirement in 2001.
