Socialist Party public meeting in defence of Chatsworth rehab ward, 3.8.17, photo Paul Tooley-Okonkwo

Socialist Party public meeting in defence of Chatsworth rehab ward, 3.8.17, photo Paul Tooley-Okonkwo   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Jon Dale, Mansfield Socialist Party

Campaigners fighting to save Chatsworth neuro-rehabilitation ward in Mansfield have been encouraged by two recent developments.

Firstly, Jeremy Corbyn, speaking at a Labour Party rally of 2,000 in Mansfield, saluted their brave campaign and said it needed to succeed.

The campaign has previously told Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust’s senior management they should not be making cuts but wait – a new government could soon be in power, with more money for the NHS. Jeremy Corbyn’s speech confirmed this.

Following his remarks, hopefully local Labour councillors and party officers will step forward and help build the fight to save this vital service. So far they have been noticeable by their complete absence.

Secondly, the #WeAreAllChatsworth campaign lobbied Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) annual general meeting. Five out of eight questions asked by the public concerned the threatened Chatsworth ward closure.

The CCG admitted they had not been given advance warning of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust board’s decision to close Chatsworth. The only reason the CCG put forward to support closure was difficulty in recruiting a specialist doctor.

This point doesn’t stand up. The trust only offered the previous consultant a six-month contract. They haven’t advertised the post – so how can they say they can’t recruit?

The campaign is building support against all NHS cuts in central Nottinghamshire, calling for local MPs and councillors to publicly support it.

Support from the public is growing all the time as the message gets across that if Chatsworth closed today, there will be somewhere else in the firing line tomorrow.