I've contributed - best £25 I've spent all month in my opinion.

According to a friend who works at Lewisham Hospital, the hospital in Woolwich was overwhelmed several times last week, with dozens of patients being rerouted to Lewisham because they couldn't cope. Depressingly ironic...

Transpontine round up: Lewisham Hospital Next Steps

Links includes links to things mentioned in article

http://transpont.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/...steps.html



After the determination of the mass demonstrations against the threat to services at Lewisham Hospital, and the bitterness following the Government's decision to proceed with the plans, campaigners face a long fight between now and the planned implementation of closures a couple of years down the line.

But the movement definitely isn't going away. While the Council prepares a legal challenge, meetings and protests continue. On Valentines Day there was a protest outside the Department of Health, with 150 people with heart-shaped balloons (similar balloons were also tied to the railings outside the hospital).











Born in Lewisham, 16th March



The Save Lewisham Hospital campaign is holding a 'Born in Lewisham' event on the afternoon of Saturday 16th March (time TBC). They say: 'If you, your children, your sister of brother, your partner or anyone you know was born in Lewisham Hospital – OR if you're just passionate about saving our hospital – come along and join hands around the hospital! Other activities will be available for families and everyone!' (facebook event)



Direct Action Discussion s



As discussions continue about the best way forward, South London Solidarity Federation have arranged 'a screening of "Running Out of Patience" - a documentary on the 1986 Victoria Nurses' Strike [in Australia], part of a series of research and events looking at struggles for healthcare throughout history and asking what we can learn from them. The film will be followed by a discussion session aiming to asses how we can put these ideas of direct action into practice to save Lewisham A&E and end this disgraceful attack on the NHS'. They say: 'As government pushes through the cut to Lewisham hospital, we need to meet them with a campaign of effective collective resistanc. The campaign to save the hospital has done a fantastic job at showing the government how unpopular Kershaw's plans are, but the whole campaign depends upon the government being reasonable and listening to people's concerns. How likely is that? Hunt has proved that he will not listen to reasoned argument, his department have made a mockery of their own 'consultation' process. The only thing left to do is take action - to prove that cuts at the hospital are simply not an option we will accept. How can we make this happen?'.



The meeting will take place on Monday 4th March at UTROPHIA in Deptford High Street (across the road from the train station), 7 to 10 pm. Facebook event details



Also arguing for collective action, particularly by hospital workers, is the socialist group Alliance for Workers Liberty. Their regular Lewisham Hospital Worker bulletins are worth reading because they are not just a collection of the usual predictable leftist slogans. They include some detailed thoughtful pieces written by, among others, a nurse at Lewisham Hospital, which highlight the difficult position facing staff. For instance the latest issue discusses the conflict between implementing cuts and health professionals' duty of care to patients:



'within the next few months frontline staff are likely to receive orders to start implementing the cuts. Those orders will be in conflict with our duty of care tp patients. When this happens we will be put in a difficult situati We can either follow management orders and risk losing our PIN, or make a judgement based on the best interests of our patients, defy management and risk disciplinary action. Each of us will have to make a decision. But saying“my manager told me to do it” is no justification in the eyes of the NMC or GMC.... There is no clinical justification for their closure programme; as trusted health professionals we should take no part in it. When you get home tonight we suggest you brush off your old copy of the NMC Code of Conduct or Good Medical Practice and let’s get a conversation going about how we, the staff at Lewisham Hospital, can collectively commit to the highest possible professional standards - regardless of what plans they are cooking up for us in the corridors of power'.



Lewisham Hospital is Still Open!



In the mean time, everyone needs to spread the word that Lewisham Hospital remains fully open! It seems some people locally might have misunderstood that services were already being closed down. They are not.

Over in West London things are very different: http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/20...ent-panel/

Why is Lewisham not being referred to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel? No doubt he is still pretending that this was not a 'reconfiguration' but Special Administration (or a different hospital trust).

Disgraceful the way we are being treated (or not treated if he gets his way) in Lewisham.

Received from Lewisham Council:

There was an interesting FOI request which resulted in the following response from the Department of Health:

So according to the Department of Health this figure of 100 lives is about admitting patients at weekends. It has absolutely nothing to do with the closure or downgrading of A&E departments. To conclude that South London residents will be safer or that 100 lives will be saved as a result of these changes is clearly a distortion of the analysis to attempt to justify the downgrading of Lewisham A&E and the closure of maternity services at this well performing hospital.

Extraordinary. And worrying. The second thought to occur to me, though, is, is there any difference in the types of admissions between weekdays and weeknds? eg, weekdays: accidents involving stepladders and bicycles; weekends: admissions involving beer bottles and weapons? Or is it all on a comparable basis, eg, mortality rates for heart attack victims weekdays vs weekends?

Try not to read too much into it. It is after all, "not an exact science":

Keogh response

From a statistical perspective, this makes it likely any allowance for error will swamp 100 when you take into account the total admissions in SE London. So even if the study is relevant, which as michael points out is questionable, its result is not.

Save Lewisham Hospital will be spearheading a national demonstration and lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 26th March 13 at Noon. Join the lobby of Parliament to reject the regulations and defend the NHS as a public service
Act NOW to stop the regulations!
For more information visit http://www.savelewishamhospital.com or call 07904944771
All are welcome

HUNDREDS of patients arriving at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) are waiting more than 12 hours in A&E every month.

A News Shopper Freedom Of Information request shows waiting times at the Woolwich hospital are already rocketing, and this is before an extra 30,000 patients from Lewisham’s A&E are sent to QEH and nearby hospitals.

Jos Bell, who has been campaigning to stop Lewisham's A&E from being downgraded, says the hospital’s facilities are “full to popping”.

She said: “The whole of healthcare in south-east London will go boom. It’s very scary.

“Ambulances are kept queuing outside hospitals because the A&Es are full to popping.

“Hospital staff at Woolwich are tearing their hair out at the prospect of getting even more patients, they’re stretched beyond capacity.”

Figures released exclusively to News Shopper show waiting times have been rising since last summer, with a peak of 342 patients waiting more than 12 hours in January.

MORE http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/103429...mpaigners/

hi
I've received a mail that says there will be a rally outside Lewisham Hospital at 5pm today in anticipation of a result from the Judicial review:

''Many people will be planning to join the rally outside Lewisham Hospital tonight from 1700, which will follow today's announcement of the result of the Judicial Review into the decision to downgrade the hospital. See http://www.savelewishamhospital.com''.

The High Court Judicial Review is due to report at 11:30. Am hoping announcement today re mid-Staffs isn't a smoke screen for this. Fingers crossed.

Word on Twitter is that the judgement is in and the government acted unlawfully.

BBC says

Lewisham hospital cuts plan quashed
Breaking news

Judge quashes UK government decision to cut services at Lewisham Hospital in south-east London

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23518732

Amazing!

There might be some legal devil in the detail, though. Keep watching that space!

Great news but indeed there is - DoH have been granted leave to appeal according to @benclover:
https://twitter.com/BenClover

Lewisham A&E downgrade ruled unlawful

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23518732

If anyone gets a copy of the judgment perhaps it could be circulated here or posted on the Save Lewisham Hospital website.

Could be very interesting reading to see how emphatic the judgment was or if it rested on an easily-remedied technicality.

Judgement here:
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JC...310713.pdf

Brilliant! Very many thanks!

sorry, saw that the bbc link had already been posted. Very good news indeed!

This post was last modified: 31-07-2013 01:29 PM by Tinkerbell.

fab news!