The Care Bill returned to the House of Commons two weeks ago and is in Committee stage now. We're asking for your help stopping its 'Hospital Closure Clause' - clause 118. It is expected there will be an opportunity for MPs to vote against Clause 118 at Report stage in February. So the next few weeks will be critical for lobbying MPs to oppose this clause.
Just to recap on why this is so important:
If clause 118 goes through then an administrator can recommend and the Secretary of State can enact the closure or downgrading of any other hospital that just happens to be anywhere near a 'failing' trust. There will be no real local consultation and the wishes of local clinicians can be ignored. As the case of Lewisham shows, this is a recipe for bad policy making - rushed, badly informed decisions that don't take proper account of local healthcare needs or clinical evidence and don't stack up financially.
What you can do:
1. Write to your MP asking them to strongly oppose the hospital closure clause (118) in parliament and get it removed from the Care Bill. Click here
http://bit.ly/1awmDm2for suggested letter but please personalise it to your local circumstances. This is especially important if you have a Lib Dem or Conservative MP.
You can find your MPs contact details here:
http://www.writetothem.com/
2. Can you spare another 5 minutes to write to your local newspaper? MPs worry a lot about what's in their local paper. Suggested letter here:
http://bit.ly/1doTeg1.
3. Join the protest against Clause 118 in central London on 5 February. Details on this website:
www.savelewishamhospital.com
4. Are you a healthcare professional? Please sign a letter co-ordinated by campaigner Dr David Wrigley here:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/Clause118.
5. Help boost the petition here on the 38 Degrees website. It already has over 140,000 signatures.
Please can you forward this to at least one friend and ask them to sign?
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/jeremy-hunt-should-resign-and-take-his-hospital-closure-clause-with-him
6. You can also submit evidence about why you think this clause is wrong directly to the committee examining the bill - see details here
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/care.html
For more information see this link
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/no-hospital-will-be-safe-from-clause-118 on OurNHS openDemocracy.
Thank you! Let's show the government that people won't take attacks on the NHS lying down.