Lewisham A&E under threat + campaign

[smokedout]

Boris in Catford tomorrow, could be lively if enough people turn out, its busy round there at the best of times: http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/boris-in-catford-7-march/

6pm Broadway Theatre 7 March

 

[andy84]

There's a fundraising gig being organised at Goldsmiths on the 21st with some great acts on show.. main event here:

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...gig-trip-hop-hip-hop-spoken-word-more.307362/

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Lewisham pensioners' demonstration today

(Mum-Tat seems to have kept out of the photographs)

 

[Puddy_Tat]

a public information film...

 

[nagapie]

The Lewisham campaign makes me really depressed. A well-organised and vociferous fight with all the facts in the world supporting the need to save it and yet it's winning nothing

 

[ska invita]

HUNDREDS of patients arriving at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) are waiting more than 12 hours in A&E every month.

A News Shopper Freedom Of Information request shows waiting times at the Woolwich hospital are already rocketing, and this is before an extra 30,000 patients from Lewisham’s A&E are sent to QEH and nearby hospitals.

Jos Bell, who has been campaigning to stop Lewisham's A&E from being downgraded, says the hospital’s facilities are “full to popping”.

She said: “The whole of healthcare in south-east London will go boom. It’s very scary.

“Ambulances are kept queuing outside hospitals because the A&Es are full to popping.

“Hospital staff at Woolwich are tearing their hair out at the prospect of getting even more patients, they’re stretched beyond capacity.”

Figures released exclusively to News Shopper show waiting times have been rising since last summer, with a peak of 342 patients waiting more than 12 hours in January.

MORE http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1...ng_times_worry_Lewisham_Hospital_campaigners/

 

[Maggot]

There's a London-wide demonstration to save the NHS on Saturday. Meet at Lewisham Station at 11.30 or by Jubilee Gardens/London Eye at 12.00.

http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/all-london-nhs-demonstration-18-may/

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Socialist Health Association are planning a "hunt for hunt" in jeremy *unt's constituency (Farnham, Surrey) on 15 June. Coaches being arranged from London. More here

I'm normally against hunting with dogs, but....

 

[ska invita]

i know an NHS nurse and campaigner who has reservations about this event. enjoyable a stunt though it is, she makes the good point that this does nothing to engage with people in Surrey (mainly tory voters), but rather paints the NHS-campaigners as a bunch of scallywags. The vast majority of people in Surrey can easily be brought onside in such campaigns and this event might well alienate many. i think she has a point

 

[butchersapron]

How can they easily be brought onside?

 

[ska invita]

How can they easily be brought onside?

its easy because no one anywhere wants hospital cut backs... it was a few weeks back when i talked with her, but IIRC she was saying that there are cuts going in that area too and that all it takes is people being presented with the facts in a more formal way and they naturally react to want to protect their local services. Surrey being what it is it might well be a better strategy to engage with people on their own more conservative (small c) level. I cant fight her position too strongly here as i'm not her (and my sieve brain is sketchy of remembering all she said), but she made a convincing argument at the time.

 

[nagapie]

Got an email today that they've raised the money for legal representation to challenge Jeremy Cunt. So there's still some hope I guess.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

i know an NHS nurse and campaigner who has reservations about this event. enjoyable a stunt though it is, she makes the good point that this does nothing to engage with people in Surrey (mainly tory voters), but rather paints the NHS-campaigners as a bunch of scallywags. The vast majority of people in Surrey can easily be brought onside in such campaigns and this event might well alienate many. i think she has a point

from friend who lives in farnham, apparently much muttering about "yobs" "defacing" the town.



suggestion that local labour activists have been undertaking some tidying up today.

 

[Dan U]

Should be an open goal in Surrey for campaigners. Chris Grayling and Tom Brake opposing closures at Epsom and St Helier , beyond parody really.

Pointed this out on local facebook pages. Didn't last long on the lib dems one

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Should be an open goal in Surrey for campaigners. Chris Grayling and Tom Brake opposing closures at Epsom and St Helier , beyond parody really.

Pointed this out on local facebook pages. Didn't last long on the lib dems one

in theory, although Surrey is pretty damn big - county types in Farnham might have a vague idea where St Helier is, and probably only know Epsom in respect of the racecourse.

 

[ddraig]

yay
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23518732

A High Court judge has quashed a government decision to cut services at Lewisham Hospital in south-east London.

Mr Justice Silber ruled on two legal challenges brought by the London Borough of Lewisham and the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign.

In January, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told MPs accident and emergency and maternity services at the hospital would be downgraded.

Campaigners argued the move was unlawful.

 

[devit]

AMAZING NEWS. Fuck you Hunt!

News Shopper ‏@NewsShopper

1m​

A High Court judge has ruled in favour of campaigners battling to save Lewisham Hospital's maternity and A&E services. More to follow.

 

[Badgers]

Excellent news, a rare win

 

[cesare]

They've been given leave to appeal though

 

[Crispy]

Wow Congratulations to that campaign. What a result!

 

[ddraig]

more details now on News Shopper
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/1..._Court_quashes_Secretary_of_State_s_decision/

LEWISHAM Hospital campaigners are celebrating after the High Court quashed Jeremy Hunt’s decision to substantially cut services and close departments, saying he had been acting outside his powers.
In today’s judgment (July 31) Mr Justice Silber said the Secretary of State for Health was in breach of the National Health Service Act 2006, when he announced to Parliament that services at Lewisham Hospital would be downgraded and closed.

got to love it, my bold

 

[butchersapron]

Fantastic, need to see a breakdown of what this means and how they can get around it, bearing in mind past legal victories.

 

[agricola]

Fantastic, need to see a breakdown of what this means and how they can get around it, bearing in mind past legal victories.

That will indeed be interesting - lets face it they cant just do what they would usually do and run the place down, given how much money the two PFI schemes are losing.

 

[ddraig]

taxi driver vid and interview with campaigner Barbara outside hospital earlier

 

[Puddy_Tat]

although since this shower of twunts have already set a precedent (to which millipede / new labour rolled over and abstained on) for retrospective law changes when their twuntishness has been ruled illegal, i'll not be getting too hopeful yet...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Let's hope it produces a flood of similar judicial appeal requests across the UK.

 

[shaman75]

Pictures from the celebration gathering

http://entoptika.co.uk/victory-for-lewisham-hospital/

 

[ska invita]

Fantastic, need to see a breakdown of what this means and how they can get around it, bearing in mind past legal victories.

whats the precedent here from the past BA? Appeal and overturn?

 

[ska invita]

meantime wonderful news

 

[butchersapron]

whats the precedent here from the past BA? Appeal and overturn?

No idea mate, totally in the dark.