WE'VE WON

Today in parliament (26/03/2019) the Secretary of Health Matt Hancock announced that the closure plans for both Charing Cross and Ealing hospitals contained in the cuts & closures plan known as Shaping A Healthier Future have been withdrawn  We've won. Its not been easy taking on a well funded posse of spin doctors, management consultants and political ideologues but many thousands of people have done just that and after a 7 year fight we've stopped a closure plan that was downright dangerous. Everyone has done their bit whether that's signing petitions, challenging bureaucrats in meetings, running street stalls , demonstrating, fundraising or delivering & displaying posters. Tonight we should feel really proud of ourselves and celebrate our collective achievement.

Of course there are still huge problems: The £30m primary & community cuts planned for H&F, the state of disrepair in our hospitals, on going understaffing & under resourcing coupled with the threat of privatisation by the likes of Babylon and Virgin. Some may have seen the laughable attempts of local conservative MPs and councillors to claim responsibility for a victory they have consistently done their best to sabotage  It's also true that the government could change it's mind and come back with new closure plans in the future.

So we'll have to keep campaigning - we've proven today that campaigning works. But for tonight let's just celebrate a victory won by lots of different people (including you) working together to Save Charing Cross Hospital.

Kind Regards AD(SOH chair)

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/08822533-8e7f-4b91-bbee-21407e5445e0.

Ealing and Charing Cross A&E closure plans scrapped - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47708750