Alston and Wigton Hospitals are at the heart of our communities. They deliver vital services to our rural populations. They take care of our sick and elderly. Entire communities rely upon them. For these reasons, I am a committed supporter of these community hospitals and have actively campaigned for them to have an enhanced, rather than diminished, role. I have visited Alston and Wigton Hospitals on multiple occasions, and I have called for them to expand into the social-care environment. I remain convinced of both the importance of these hospitals and the need for their preservation. I am vehemently opposed to the closure of in-patient beds and continue to argue against this.