Save Buttercups nursery

NHS workers and parents are fighting the planned November closure of the Buttercups NHS Nursery at the North Staffordshire Hospital.

The staff are some of the hardest working and lowest paid in the NHS and many have worked at the nursery for many years, as opposed to the private sector where the staff are often less qualified and the turnover is high.

The nursery provides pre-school care for NHS staff and other members of the public.

Hospital officials say they can no longer afford £250,000 in annual subsidies to keep it open. However, staff and parents have questioned this figure since they pay very similar levels for the nursery places as in the private sector.

In 2009/10 the hospital made a surplus of £5.3 million. £1.7 billion is being paid to ‘rent’ the new ‘super hospital’ from private owners. This is almost five times what it cost the ‘owners’ to build it.

Please help parents and NHS staff fight this decision. Email [email protected] to ask hospital management to reconsider.

Andy Bentley Stoke Socialist Party