The former vice chairman of Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust has called Truro MP's criticism of an unpopular decision to increase staff car parking 'hypocrisy'.

Saying Sarah Newton should stop criticising the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust over the plans and instead do something about it, Rik Evans, who is also the newly selected prospective parliamentary candidate for the National Health Action party in Truro and Falmouth, said, “I am appalled by the hypocrisy of Mrs Newton’s criticism.”

“The Coalition Lib Dem/Tory Government, of which she is a supporter, has done nothing to support the on-going problems of underfunding and overcapacity, which the trust has to endure each and every day.”

"The trust is having to balance ever diminishing income, partly due to the Government’s idealogical commitment to privatising the NHS, giving the profitable health procedures to their friends in the private health market.

"This has to be balanced with an increase in A & E attendances, which are costly to run and unattractive to the private sector as they are unprofitable.

“Since governments of Tory, Lib Dem and Labour have been privatising the NHS, bureaucracy costs have increased from four per cent of budget to sixteen per cent, all money which could have gone into front line patient care.”

“I have huge sympathy with the hardworking staff at Treliske who are having to bear this extra car parking cost burden at a time when their living standards are falling, thanks to Sarah Newton’s government.”

Mr Evans added, ”Staff anger should be directed squarely at the Lib Dem /Conservative government who, rather than supporting staff, are doing all they can to undermine the NHS and the staff who work in it.”