PM accused of breaking promise

Sharron Storer confronts Tony Blair

The Birmingham woman who publicly confronted Tony Blair outside a hospital during the election campaign says the prime minister has not met his promises on health.

Sharron Storer said Mr Blair had still not fulfilled his commitment to tackle bed shortages.

Her public humbling of the prime minister outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham over her partner's cancer treatment, was a pivotal point in the election.

Five months after the confrontation she says the government is still not doing enough to improve conditions on hospital wards.

What are you going to do about it, when are you going to do it, why can't you do something now?

Sharron Storer

Ms Storer was so enraged about Keith Sedgwick's treatment that she tackled Mr Blair as he visited the hospital.

She told him: "All you do is walk around and make yourself known, you don't do anything to help anybody."

Mr Sedgwick is now recovering after a bone marrow transplant but he said conditions at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital had remained the same.

"They haven't improved one bit," he said.

"The staff still have to work in terrible conditions.

'It's appalling'

"Where I was, in the transplant unit, there was one male toilet for 20 males and one shower.

"The doctors are working out of a broom cupboard, it's appalling."

Ms Storer said the prime minister had to do more.

Sharron Storer: "Nothing has changed"

"You promised, you said that everything's going to be delivered, you are going to make things better and everything is going to be improved for the national health," she said.

"I'd just like to say to you: 'What are you going to do about it, when are you going to do it, why can't you do something now?'"

Hospitals in Birmingham have 186 patients occupying beds who could move out into social services care immediately if there were funds available.

Ms Storer and her partner said the government should provide the money immediately to solve the problem.

New hospital

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "We will move to a new hospital in 2008 and in the meantime we have to operate in a 1938 building.

"The facilities in the new hospital will be fantastic but to go through the process to get it takes time.

"If we spent millions on the current hospital we would be criticised for wasting money."