Hospital campaigners on march to save A&E
THOUSANDS of people are set to take part in a massive protest rally next month to save The Whittington Hospital's accident and emergency department from being axed.
Islington residents, patients, community campaigners and politicians from all parties are to unite to march along Holloway Road to Whittington Park, Upper Holloway, on Saturday, February 27.
They will demand that north London health chiefs abandon moves to potentially close the Archway hospital's 24-hour emergency department as part of plans to downgrade it to "local" hospital status.
The protest, which will gather at 12noon in Highbury Fields, has been organised by newly-founded campaign umbrella group Defend The Whittington Hospital Coalition.
Joint chairwoman Shirley Franklin, speaking at a 350-strong public meeting on Monday, said: "People are horrified and terrified - the bottom line is keep the A&E open as it is. We need you not just to bring yourselves but bring your whole street. We really need to make this as big as possible."
Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP for Islington North, who will present a series of petitions to the Health Minister days after the rally, said: "People are very worried about the future of the NHS in this borough. We need a very big turnout to convince the people in charge that we are absolutely determined to defend, protect and save our local A&E department. That's why we're going to win."
Earlier Rachel Tyndall, chief executive of North Central London NHS, told a packed Archway Methodist Hall that cuts to her budget from central Government were inevitable - regardless of the outcome of the looming General Election. She said: "If we have The Whittington running as it is at a cost of £180million a year we'll have to choose not to have other health services running elsewhere in north London because the amount of money is finite."
A public consultation will be launched in September with three future options for The Whittington - but only one will see the A&E stay open.
Ms Tyndall argued 70 per cent of The Whittington's A&E patients could be treated in new urgent care centres and polyclinics, the first of which is set to open in Islington in April. She pledged to talk to Whittington staff over allegations they had become increasingly demoralised in recent months and promised a survey would be carried out into ambulance and car journey times to neighbouring hospitals such as UCH, in Euston.
But many campaigners see it as inevitable that the loss of maternity, neo-natal and intensive care services will follow if The Whittington's A&E is forced to close - and fear standards and quality of care will plummet in the aftermath.
On Tuesday, Islington Council's Liberal Democrat leader Terry Stacey pledged his support to next month's protest march, saying: "We've been knocking on doors and we've already gathered thousands of signatures for our petition. We've had contact with the Coalition and we'll be there in Highbury Fields.
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