Hundreds Expected to Attend Meetings about NHS Plans
As campaign builds to save local A&E departments
Hundreds of local residents are expected to attend two meetings taking place tonight, September 18 at Hammersmith Town Hall and tomorrow, September 19 at Fulham Broadway Methodist Church.
Tonight's meeting in the town hall's Assembly Hall from 7pm is described by Hammersmith and Fulham Council as a Save Our Hospitals public scrutiny meeting where hospital bosses will take questions from residents and a panel of experts.
It is followed by a consultation roadshow held by the NHS being held tomorrow from 2pm till 8pm at Fulham Broadway Methodist Church, 452 Fulham Road, next to Fulham Broadway shopping centre.
The meetings follow a scathing report from former NHS chief Timothy Rideout, who found proposals to downgrade local hospitals, including the closure of A&E units at Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals were "fatally flawed" and would compromise local health services.
You can read the full report here.
H&F Council has also been running a campaign against the proposals – joined by a broad coalition of politicians, businesses and residents from a range of backgrounds – and has warned that local people will be left dangerously far away from emergency care out of borough, if the NHS plans go ahead.
You can add your signature to the council's petitions at Save Charing Cross and Save Hammersmith.
A group which includes residents and Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter has launched a separate campaign, Save Hammersmith and Fulham Hospitals, with a website , its own twitter hashtag #SaveHFNHS and an independent petition which aims to get 10,000 signatures.
The NHS Consultation, Shaping a Healthier Future lasts until October 8 and you can respond to the consultation online or request a full copy of the consultation document by emailing consultation@nw.london.nhs.uk, calling freephone number 0800 881 5209 or writing to FREEPOST SHAPING A HEALTHIER FUTURE CONSULTATION (This must be written in capital letters and on one line. You will not need a stamp.)
August 30, 2012
