New phase of campaign against Dewsbury NHS cuts

Saturday 20 April will see the march against NHS cuts in Dewsbury (previously postponed because of snow) take place at 12pm outside the Town Hall.

The Mid Yorkshire Trust has now embarked on a so-called consultation on plans to slash services at Dewsbury Hospital which will see the disappearance of critical children’s, adult and maternity services reducing the hospital to a virtual drop-in centre.

The inadequacy of the consultation has enraged the local community. Public meetings happened before the adverts went out; meetings have failed to address any of the serious questions brought up by concerned members of the public; there has been no detailed evidence to support the Trust’s obvious plans. Not a single member of the public at consultation forums has supported the plans but there is a widespread view that the Trust has already made up its mind and that the consultation is a rubber stamp. This has just made campaigners more angry and determined.

Over the past few weeks, different campaigns set up in opposition to the Trust have come together. Local Labour councillors have started attending our committee meetings and the local Labour MP, Mike Wood is now working alongside our campaign group. The admin workers’ dispute at the hospital has also now reached a critical stage with another strike ballot of the entire workforce about to commence.

Support is growing in all sections of the community. For example all the mosques are now promoting the campaign.

Our demo will mark the next stage in the campaign. Counter proposals to the Trust’s plans have been prepared by both clinicians and academics who will publicly unveil their proposals at a public meeting on 29 April. A legal case is also being planned to challenge the disgraceful consultation through a judicial review.

The long cold winter which has been spent organising and mobilising opposition to the Trust is about to turn into a very hot spring!

Mike Forster, Chair, Save our Local Hospital Services