‘We see through hospital trust’s ‘lies’

Mick Suter, Sheffield and South Yorkshire Save our NHS chair

We gathered outside Rotherham Hospital to demand that the eviction of 76 medical staff from the three onsite accommodation blocks is stopped. The hospital trust wants to see everyone out by the end of January.

The residents feel betrayed. Many are international students and workers who came to Rotherham because of the offer of accommodation.

The trust says that it cannot afford to do repairs after a fire safety report. This is a smokescreen.

It had the report on 29 July, and sent eviction letters out the next day. No consultation, no meeting of the board.

ITV Calendar News, Radio Sheffield, and the Rotherham Advertiser were all reporting on the lively well-attended protest on 7 October. Rotherham local government Unison, Royal College of Nursing South Yorkshire, the branch secretary of PCS union digital health, alongside Socialist Party members and Sheffield Save Our NHS, all sent people to demand an end to these evictions.

The report calls for new safety doors, and the clearance of the exit ways. It does not say anything about any major repairs. We say do the repairs, and keep the blocks open!

Don’t add to the homelessness in Rotherham. Don’t add to the 7,000-plus on the council waiting list.

The campaign will continue to build pressure on the board to stop the evictions.

Read what we’ve said before – ‘Rotherham NHS Trust plans over 80 evictions of health workers’