On 13 November 30 people demonstrated their opposition to NHS plans to close Bitterne Walk-In Centre (BWC). BWC is a well-used facility, allowing the public speedy access to medical expertise, taking pressure away from GPs, the general hospital and the A&E service.
David Rawlinson, Southampton Socialist Party
Since the campaign started in July over 2000 signatures have been collected.
The NHS Trust aims to save £2.2 million. Under pressure, the trust has said the BWC could stay open, but with drastically reduced opening times. This has been rejected by the campaign. The campaign will continue until we have a promise from the trust that the BWC can remain open without a reduction in opening hours.
Among the unsavoury acts this campaign has exposed was a Tory councillor emailing people to say the BWC had been saved, not mentioning the reduced hours. The local Labour MP was seen putting in a token hours worth of petitioning but has not been seen since.
The meeting that followed the demonstration was presented with a broad picture of NHS cuts. A consultation period has now started over the next two months where we will make sure that the fight to protect frontline NHS services continues. There was enthusiasm to take the campaign out to schools, parents and ensure local councillors were urged to stop the cut in hours.
