David Ruffley MP has today launched an online petition, on his website www.tellDavidRuffley.com, to save the West Suffolk Hospital Accident and Emergency department.

The petition reads:

To the House of Commons. The Petition of the undersigned residents of Suffolk. Declares that the Accident and Emergency Department at the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust in Bury St Edmunds should not be closed as a result of the current review by the East of England Strategic Health Authority. The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons show its support for Suffolk's hard working NHS staff by ruling out any such cutbacks. And the Petitioners remain, etc.

The petition is the next stage in David's high profile campaign in support of the West Suffolk Hospital and follows his highly successful Health Action Day petition on 14 October 2006, which received over 1,500 signatures of support. This was followed up by David who invited David Cameron, leader of Her Majesty's opposition, to the hospital on 9 November 2006 in order to highlight the threat to the Accident and Emergency department.

In addition, David has launched an online survey asking local people about some key issues facing our NHS.

David said:

'The people of Suffolk hold their NHS in the highest regard.

'When I invited David Cameron to join me on a visit to the West Suffolk Hospital Accident and Emergency Department one thing was abundantly clear: the hard working nurses, doctors and support staff in our NHS care so passionately about what they do and they deserve our unstinting support.

'I hope that by launching this petition to save the West Suffolk Hospital Accident and Emergency department from closure I will take my campaign in support of our Suffolk NHS even further forward.

'Once the petition is complete I intend to present it to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street and in the House of Commons to demonstrate the depth of feeling in the Bury St Edmunds area about their Accident and Emergency department.

'Along with the petition I have also launched an online survey so that Suffolk's residents can give me their views on the key issues facing our NHS.

'The NHS in Suffolk is in crisis and the next few months will be crucial to securing its future.

'The Health Secretary recently stated that areas such as Suffolk deserve less money for their health service.

'To make matters worse not only is Suffolk getting short changed but the way the funding is decided is convoluted, obscure, secretive and dreamt up in the corridors of the Department of Health for political expediency.

'We in Suffolk are currently talking about the very future of Accident and Emergency care at the West Suffolk Hospital and this Government is responsible.

'I will continue to do all I can to support our hard working nurses, doctors and support staff and will continue to battle for a fair deal for the West Suffolk Hospital.'