As you probably know, local Lib Dem MPs launched a campaign to ‘Save Kingston Hospital’ on Monday, claiming that Kingston’s A&E and maternity units are threatened by “secret Labour plans”.

First, I want to reassure you that if there is a threat to Kingston Hospital, local Conservatives will campaign with every ounce of our energy to protect it. And we will be backed up by the Conservative Party nationally.

It is accepted that nothing can happen to the hospital before the General Election, and if Conservatives form the next Government, David Cameron has repeatedly promised; “We will stop Labour’s forced closure of A&E and maternity units”.

I have also received assurances from Andrew Lansley, our Shadow Health Secretary, that if we win the election, he will impose an immediate moratorium on proposed closures of A&E and maternity units across the country, including those that may be in the pipeline at Kingston.

However, that said, I have been investigating the Lib Dem claims about ‘secret plans’, and have written to Susan Kramer asking her to share the information that has triggered her campaign.

My fear is that the Lib Dems have exaggerated a problem in order to create an election opportunity. If so, they will have needlessly frightened vulnerable members of the community into believing they will lose a valuable local service.

That is certainly the view of a very senior spokesman for Kingston hospital who has told Mike Penning, the Shadow Minister for Health that the Lib Dem campaign will demoralise staff and may compromise patient care.

Here are the facts: the hospital has been under an NHS London review for many months, along with a number of other hospitals, and since the launch of that review, nothing has changed.

At a Hospital Board meeting this morning, the Chief Executive and Chairman stated categorically that there are no secret plans to cut services at Kingston, and no site closures are under consideration. The chairman described the Lib Dem campaign as “irresponsible”, citing the damaging affects on staff morale and patients.

Sian Bates, Chair of NHS Richmond and sector chair of NHS South West London has also angrily dismissed the Lib Dem claims, saying: “Healthcare for South West London strongly refutes any claims that there are secret plans to close A&E or maternity units at Kingston Hospital or any hospital. This work is at an early stage and has not considered any specific sites for closure nor have we agreed any numbers of hospitals that will be required to deliver A&E, maternity, complex surgery, critical care or specialist children’s care.”

It has now emerged that the Lib Dem campaign site – www.savekingstonhospital.com – was registered by Susan Kramer on December 11th – more than a month ago. If the threat to the hospital was so urgent, why did the Susan Kramer wait so long?

And today the Daily Mirror Associate Editor Kevin Maguire has reported that he overheard someone boasting on a train about getting the Evening Standard to report that Labour has a secret plan to shut Kingston Hospital. In his twitter posting, Maguire adds “Train bloke now boasting the hospital scare story was cooked up at his kitchen table”. Maguire managed to take a photograph of the man, and surprise surprise, he has been identified as local Lib Dem activist Dan Falchikov.

We are all fed up with Labour. But when we criticise them, it must be based on facts. We’ve all had enough of fabricated threats from politicians. These sorts of campaigns have to be honest, or real peoples’ lives are affected. I will keep abreast of this issue and if anything changes, I will let you know.