Apologies after health bosses daughter criticises Sutton and Cheam MP on Twitter

8:00am Thursday 24th May 2012 in Save St Helier By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

Jessica Freeman criticised Paul Burstow Jessica Freeman criticised Paul Burstow

A doctor leading the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review was left red faced after he needed to apologise to MP Paul Burstow for his daughter’s comments on Twitter last week.

Jessica Freeman, the daughter of Dr Howard Freeman, a local GP and Joint Medical Director for BSBV, accused MP Paul Burstow of "slating" her dad on the social networking site.

The comments came on Monday, May 14, after MP Paul Burstow appeared on BBC London News to talk about the future of St Helier Hospital.

A spokesperson for BSBV said: "The teenage daughter of one of the GPs leading BSBV got carried away on Twitter supporting her father, without him being aware.

"He has discussed this with her and she is very sorry for any upset or embarrassment she may have inadvertently caused and apologises to Paul Burstow.

"She has assured her father there will be no recurrence."

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Comments(3)

adrianshort says...
9:43am Thu 24 May 12

Oh gosh, is this a news story from the 1870s? Young ladies should be seen and not heard?

We spend huge sums of money educating young people, encouraging them to think for themselves and to get involved in society. Then when they do, we tell them to shut up and stop embarrassing the grown-ups.

I can't see how this is in any way a matter on which Dr Freeman and most definitely BSBV needs to comment. They're not responsible for Jessica's views. She is.

Jessica should get an apology from BSBV for treating her like her father's property.

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Danny Bhoy says...
10:51am Thu 24 May 12

Agree Adrian. What a pathetic non story. Might have been vaguely interesting if someone from BSBV had tweeted that, but the teenage daughter of a GP involved in the review?! Pathetic.

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Michael Pantlin says...
2:26pm Thu 24 May 12

To be able to have any opinion on this we should be told messages from Paul Burstow and Jessica. From what I have read on here over time the Director of Communications overseeing the dismemberment of our St. Helier Hospital threatened Sutton Guardian with a complaint to the Press Commission for pointing what has just happened. No one has extracted an apology from him for his attach on free speech. On the other hand a young lady has been muzzled, one of the favourite devices of the current NHS KGB Masters of the Black Arts of Management, for twittering her thoughts. Government Care Minister Paul Burstow I feel sure will have had some interesting conversations as he sits in his Giant Conflict of Interest Hole but we should not expect to hear any of that reported until the Memoires are published from a position of future retirement. Don't let the buzzards grind you down Jessica: never forget your opinion is as valid as anyone else's and your dad doesn't need to wear a red face either.

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