
The Socialist 18 November 2020
1110

Tory crisis cannot be 'reset' - workers need a new mass party
Tories in turmoil... 'Reset' the whole system! Fight for socialism
Croydon Council declares bankruptcy - no cuts in Croydon or any other council
System failing thousands of children in care
Race disparity gets worse - fight to improve living standards for all
Covid, vaccines, 'big pharma' - and the need for socialism
Tories student 'evacuation' plan will not work
Wales exams scrapped: What's behind the headline?
Campaign for school Covid safety must continue
Women workers need strong trade unions to defend their jobs, pay and services
Optare: Right to strike defended
Overcrowded Little Ilford School strikes against more expansion
Strike action ballot at UEL over job cuts
Hackney council parking services brought in-house
After Corbyn: TUSC and the fight for working-class political representation
Manchester student occupation - end rip-off rent, free education now
#SpyCops inquiry - Revealing police violence against Socialists
Stop Leicester hospital closure
Young Socialists organising for our future
PO Box 1398, Enfield EN1 9GT
020 8988 8777

Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/1110/31652
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Stop Leicester hospital closure
Steve Score, co-chair Save Our NHS Leicestershire
Leicester's NHS bosses seem scared about the 'Save Our NHS Leicestershire' campaign's attempts to put forward alternative views on their proposals to reorganise our hospitals, including the closure of the Leicester General Hospital.
Despite the huge amount of resources they have to put their case, including slick TV ads, glossy brochures with wonderful artists drawings of new buildings, and easy access to the media, they still appear defensive. Letters from local NHS bosses to the local paper and official social media posts have been issued directly attacking our campaign.
They were determined to push ahead with a consultation during lockdown, despite the fact that face-to-face meeting and debate is not possible, and many people will not be able to access their online events. Leicester has been continuously in some form of lockdown since March. Yet the glossy brochures do not answer key questions and obscure some of the reality.
When over 80 acute services are removed from a hospital site leaving a 'campus' with just four services, while most of the land is sold off for housing, it is effectively a hospital closure. But the official material doesn't say that. When there are a totally inadequate number of hospital beds being provided, despite future projected population growth, it is a real cut in the number of beds per head. When they say that services in the community will soak up the extra demand, while not elaborating how that is to be done - or how it will be financed - it is a flawed plan.
The proposals do not account for the lessons of Covid. Future planning has to allow for more space and capacity in our NHS to deal with potential pandemics to come, not less!
The campaign has been active on the streets, produced leaflets explaining our points and put our case to council health scrutiny committees. We have done our best to get media coverage, and have organised a series of online public meetings. Big banners and window posters are going up across the city, county and in Rutland.
The deadline for the end of consultation is 21 December. We are doing what we can in these lockdown conditions to get our message across to the community and into the trade union movement.
In this issue
What we think
Tory crisis cannot be 'reset' - workers need a new mass party
News
Tories in turmoil... 'Reset' the whole system! Fight for socialism
Croydon Council declares bankruptcy - no cuts in Croydon or any other council
System failing thousands of children in care
Race disparity gets worse - fight to improve living standards for all
Covid
Covid, vaccines, 'big pharma' - and the need for socialism
Students
Tories student 'evacuation' plan will not work
Wales exams scrapped: What's behind the headline?
Schools
Campaign for school Covid safety must continue
Workplace news
Women workers need strong trade unions to defend their jobs, pay and services
Optare: Right to strike defended
Overcrowded Little Ilford School strikes against more expansion
Strike action ballot at UEL over job cuts
Hackney council parking services brought in-house
TUSC
After Corbyn: TUSC and the fight for working-class political representation
Campaigns
Manchester student occupation - end rip-off rent, free education now
#SpyCops inquiry - Revealing police violence against Socialists
Stop Leicester hospital closure
Youth
Young Socialists organising for our future
Obituary
Letters
Home | The Socialist 18 November 2020 | Join the Socialist Party
Related links:
Leicester and Leicestershire TUSC: Fight the cuts!
SPS Technologies workers strike against potential pay loss of £3,000 a year
Leicester university workers ballot for action against redundancies
Garment workers and Covid: Dying for less than minimum wage
Leicester lockdown: disillusionment and anger
Cumberland hospital workers fight for stolen pay
Online workers' rally: Taking fight to the bosses
Low-paid hospital workers strike
Health worker cooperation in the face of the pandemic
Covid inquiry? Workers must decide
NHS pay: reject Tories' miserly 1% 'offer' - Fight for full 15% rise