Nigel Evans, Member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, has today pledged his support to Slaidburn Country Practice which has launched a campaign to save the practice in the face of proposals of a phased withdrawal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) over seven years from 2014. The Practice states that it will be left with a shortfall of £90,141.36.
Speaking from Westminster Mr Evans said:
"Clearly I want the Slaidburn Country Practice to remain and continue serving the community. Rurality must be a consideration when such calculations are made otherwise practices that serve large geographic areas with less patients will always suffer.
"I will be taking the matter up with the Health Secretary, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, and I hope that the Friends of Slaidburn Country Practice can achieve a fair deal which will ensure that the people of the surrounding area continue to receive the benefits of having such a practice in their locality.
"Were it to be forced to close the ramifications for the local community would be immense as there is no hospital nearby and the nature of the fells make the area even more isolated."