Rugby MP calls for town's A&E services to be restored

Mark Pawsey said one of the biggest issues in Rugby was the call for an emergency department

An MP has called for the restoration of town's accident and emergency department, 25 years after it was downgraded.

Mark Pawsey, who represents Rugby in Warwickshire told a parliamentary debate it had become necessary because of a growing population.

The Hospital of St Cross currently only has an urgent care centre.

Mr Pawsey said a full emergency department would help reduce pressure on the NHS elsewhere.

"If we were to improve the offer that's available at the Hospital of St Cross, pressure on the University Hospital site in Coventry could be alleviated and waiting time reduced," he told the House of Commons in a speech.

Mr Pawsey said it had become "one of the most important issues" for people in Rugby for some time.

'Fastest growing places'

While he said the quality of care at the emergency department in Coventry was good, he said it was serving a population "nearly double the national average" a UK hospital handles and that had resulted in long delays for constituents.

He said in 1997 the size of the population had been a good reason for downgrading the hospital to deal with minor injuries only.

But he said Rugby is now one of the "fastest growing places in the UK", with the population forecast to increase by 30,000 in the next decade.

Roads and schools were being improved, to keep up, he said, and people would expect improvements to medical care too.