NW London's Shaping a Healthier Future programme was an early blueprint for the current Sustainability & Transformation Plan which is itself a blueprint for STPs across England - including spinning the cuts as improvements, pinning hopes on community services without adequate resources or evidence, no genuine consultation, an irresponsible speed and a lack of detail. Fortunately there's a growing understanding that the government's STPs are effectively closure programmes. This week British Medical Association leader Dr Mark Porter warned that they risk being used as cover for cuts. Growing number of people across England are cottoning on and getting together to defend their NHS. Campaigners have forced secret plans to be published and an increasing number of local authorities and clinicians are condemning them including medical students at Imperial College:
NW London is still at the forefront of this opposition crucially in the refusal of 2 councils Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham to sign up to the STPs because of the plans to close Charing Cross and Ealing Hospitals. H&F Council has organised a public meeting on 29th November to let local people know what's going on and discuss what can be done - from window posters to leafleting to a possible legal challenge:
This meeting is important - so important that NHS bureaucrats have tried to rubbish it putting out a statement that CX hospital is safe - but only for 5 years. What they don't say is that it is only still open because campaigners have fought for it, that they have neither the money or staff to provide a safe alternative and that despite their huge deficit they are still hoping to redevelop St Mary's and need CX open in the short term as a place to decant patients. Their long term plan is still to knock it down and sell it off getting rid of 300 plus beds and all acute services including an A&E. What will be left sounds like a glorified outpatient centre with a few beds and an urgent care centre.
Save Charing Cross and Ealing Hospitals Public Meeting called by H&F Council on Tuesday, Nov 29 at 7pm Hammersmith Town Hall
SOH Leafleting
To publicise this important meeting Save Our Hospitals is giving out leaflets do join us if you can:
SOH Leafleting Thurs Nov 24th 11 - 1 Hammersmith Hospital
SOH Leafleting Thurs Nov 24th 5.30 - 6.30 Barons Court tube
SOH Leafleting Thurs Nov 24th 5.30 - 6.30 Ravenscourt Park tube
SOH Stall Fri Nov 25th 5.30 - 6.30 Ravenscourt Park tube
SOH Leafleting Mon Nov 28th 11 - 1 CX Hospital
SOH Stall Mon Nov 28th 5.30 - 6.30pm Ravenscourt Park tube
SOH Stall Mon Nov 28th 5.30 - 6.30 Hammersmith tube (Fulham Palace Rd entrance)
Saturday Stall
SOH Sat Stall Nov 26th 2 - 4 Shepherds Bush Market entrance Uxbridge Rd
Regards AD (SOH secretary)
No comments:
Post a Comment