There is no doubt that the victory over the U-turns of the Labour Secretary of State for Health is very largely the result of our non-party campaign to Defend and save the Accident and Emergency, Maternity, Trauma and Paediatric Services at the Whittington Hospital, and to oppose privatisation and cuts in any other NHS hospital.

Our role was crucial for the following reasons: it was a united non-party campaign of residents, hospital workers and other trade unionists – Our Hospital, Your Jobs – and representation from other local campaigns and political parties.

Almost everyone we spoke to supported our campaign. We got at least 16,000 signatures through leafleting and talking to thousands of local people. The popularity of this campaign made it a hot election issue, where all mainstream political parties wanted to be involved – some more directly involved with us than others. The local press supported the campaign and the Islington Tribune, in particular, played a huge role in helping us to build for our march.

We organised a stunning march on 27th February, where 5,000 people demonstrated their opposition. This was the biggest local march for decades, and probably the biggest ever march for a hospital. This was also the major turning point as it got massive media coverage. We organised a public meeting to launch our forthcoming day of action and rally, on Thursday 29th April, one week before the general election. Having asked several leaders of political parties and their spokespeople to speak, only Andrew Lansley, Tory Shadow Health Minister accepted the invitation.

At this point the Conservatives, Greens and Liberal Democrats had said that they wanted to scrap the review. Emily Thornberry is in a marginal seat. She has supported the campaign and been pressurising Andy Burnham, Labour Health Secretary, who had previously supported the PCT review. After Andrew Lansley accepted our invitation, Andy Burnham told Emily Thornberry on Tuesday 27th April that he had changed his mind, that he did not wish the A and E to close (Since then Shirley has received (on 29th April) an email from Mike O’Brien who claims that he too supports the A and E, and that the papers were only part of a discussion not proposals (a term used by Rachel Tyndall, chief Exec of the north Central London PCT).

We won because we established a mass campaign, one that was initiated by Jeremy Corbyn in Islington and later by Lynne Featherstone, in Hornsey and Wood Green, which also included hospital workers. We won because we timed it right during the election period. We won because we are cross-party, we got the right political and people. We won because we worked our guts out, we talked to loads and loads of people, had a great website, Facebook and email list and visual identity.

But this is not the end. We hope this victory isn’t an electoral gimmick. Will they stick to their promises? Who will win the election will determine what happens and what is cut next? In health terms, the cuts have already happened to the Cinderella of the Health Service, mental health.

We are considering spearheading a London-wide campaign. What’s next: On Monday 10th May we will be holding a public meeting to decide where we go, what we do next. We might be thinking about leading a London-wide campaign. Please join us at the Whittington Community Centre, Yerbury Road, N19 at 7.00 pm

Shirley Franklin
Chair of the Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition

Addendum from Dave Plummer:

With perfectly bad timing my PC was struck by a virus over the weekend, hence the lack of updates and emails etc. Sorry about that. I’ve sorted it out now and will be updating the site over the next few days with links to press articles, TV coverage etc.

We had a good couple of hours with the stall outside the Nag’s Head, Holloway on Saturday morning, collecting more signatures, distributing flyers and spreading the word about the Day of Action.  We’ve now got well over ten thousand petition signatures on paper and over 1500 online.

Day Of Action, 29th April

Things are coming along really well for the Day of Action with several different groups and individuals organising events for the day. Hopefully the campaign to save our A&E will be visible in offices, shops and on the streets right across north London. If you have, or need, any ideas for activities please contact us at defendwhittington@googlemail.com. Let us know if you’ve planned something so we can arrange some coverage.

There are more details about the day here and we’ve published a flyer for the day here.

Press Coverage

There’s been a lot of coverage of the meeting with Rachel Tyndall on Monday 29th.

I need to apologise to the Haringey Indepenedent. They have provided a lot of coverage but unfortunately slipped under my radar and haven’t appeared on the site. Sorry.

Hornsey Journal, 03/04/2010: Whittington Hospital: tough choices to be made, says health boss

Islington Tribune, 02/04/2010: Woman who has Whittington A&E fate in her hands

Haringey Independent, 29/03/2010: Senior doctors oppose Whittington Hospital A&E closure

Video

Another excellent video about the march and rally.

The filmmakers who volunteered their time to make the film were:

• Justine Gordon-Smith
• Chris Hall
• Grave Livingstone
• Maggie Pallat.

The BBC have footage of Lynne Featherstone’s Westminster Hall debate, ‘London Hospitals’, from 17th March 2010 (a transcription from TheyWorkForYou was posted here the other day.). It includes contributions from Jeremy Corbyn, Health Minister Mike O’Brien and MPs from around London. At 1hr 30mins there’s quite a lot to get through but it’s well worth a watch if you have the time.

It’s available on the BBC site here.

Please remember to get along to tomorrow’s meeting if you can, 19.00 at the Whittington Park Community Centre. There are more details here.

We have a new poster available for download and popping in your window, on your car’s back shelf, printing on vinyl and using to cover an umbrella… Whittington Poster

Jeremy Corbyn’s Early Day Motion (EDM 87) has so far been signed by only 19 MPs. If your MP hasn’t signed it yet please ask them to! You can get find you MP and send them an email directly from  Theyworkforyou.com.

Early Day Motion

EDM 87 WHITTINGTON HOSPITAL 18.11.2009 Corbyn, Jeremy 19 signatures

Abbott, Diane         Clark, Katy         Cohen, Harry
Cryer, Ann         Dobson, Frank         Featherstone, Lynne
Gerrard, Neil         Hoey, Kate         Hopkins, Kelvin
Illsley, Eric         Jackson, Glenda         Jenkins, Brian
McDonnell, John         Meale, Alan         Simpson, Alan
Thornberry, Emily         Wareing, Robert N         Wyatt, Derek

That this House recognises the Whittington Hospital is a valuable asset to healthcare in North London and has recently undergone a major rebuilding programme; notes that the Whittington receives into its accident and emergency department alone approximately 80,000 patients annually and offers accessible services including maternity, neo-natal, cancer, day surgery and more; is very concerned to hear ongoing talk of a threat to or merger of any of the Whittington’s major services with the Royal Free Hospital, thereby reducing the viability of the Whittington’s continued existence as a separate institution, and of its services to local people in Islington, Haringey and Camden; and calls upon NHS London to ensure the continued existence of the Whittington Hospital inclusive of its major services.

The Early Day Motion itself is online here: EDM 87.

We have the advantage that there is an election coming. Unfortunately all the major parties have threatened to slash public sector spending. We have to remind them who pays who’s wages and convince them that healthcare, along with other public services, is more important than the Trident replacement.

Islington NHS Statistics

We have received a copy of Islngton NHS’s 2009 report ‘Health Facts For Islington’ which makes for interesting reading. It’s on site here: Health in Islington – The Facts.

Remember to come along to the meeting on Monday where we will be discussing the next steps of the campaign and, if it’s your sort of thing, to join our Facebook group and follow us on Twitter (links are on the right of this page.)

The full debate can be read at They Work For You.

I’m sorry this site hasn’t been updated for a while. I’ve been quite spectacularly busy but will try to get more content up over the next few days.

Please remember to come along to the campaign meeting on Monday.

Congratulations to the Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition for the superb organization of a brilliant demonstration; thanks also to the local police for their cooperation and efficiency in making sure that the march passed off safely and effectively.

The 5,000 of us who marched on Saturday represented people from Hetty Bower, aged 104, down to parents with new born babies. We represented every age, outlook and ethnic community that our borough has to offer.

We did so, because we are passionate in defending a National Health Service free at the point of use, and our local hospital at the Whittington. The A&E alone deals with over 80,000 emergencies per year and the hospital as a whole of course handles many other consultations and elective surgery. Any closure of the A&E department would, literally, cut off the lifeblood of the hospital.

The regional NHS planning group (London North Central) appear to be unaccountable and unconcerned, as they try to centralise services on two major hospitals, thus leaving Haringey and Islington with no major A&E departments of their own.

I have raised the issue several times in parliament, and I will continue to pressurize ministers and the House to understand that health officials have no business making plans for reducing expenditure, and absolutely no business taking away crucial local services that are so obviously loved and valued by everybody.

As the MP for North Islington, I am very clear where my priorities lie, keep the Whittington A&E!

Lynn Featherstone (Liberal Democrat MP and instrumental in North Central London NHS’s plan leaving their smokeless smokey back rooms and reaching the Whittington’s public) organised a public meeting tonight with Rachel Tyndall in attendance. This is the Islington Tribune report of the meeting:

SAVE OUR WHITTINGTON: Health chiefs face fresh grilling but give no guarantee consultation will save A & E

By RICHARD OSLEY

PATIENTS celebrating the success of the Save The Whittington Hospital march were brought down to earth last night when key administrators warned that widespread opposition might not be enough to stop accident and emergency services being axed.

At a meeting organised by Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone in Hornsey, neither Rachel Tyndall, Chairwoman of the North Central London (NCL) review panel or Richard Sumray, chairman of the Haringey Primary Care Trusy, could offer any assurance that the facility would be protected should a negative public response be confirmed in official consultation survey.
Mr Sumray would not go stronger than saying the views gathered in the upcoming survey would be “hugely important”.
Members of the 300 strong audience in the Greig Academy school hall had wanted a pledge that if there was no support for an overhaul of hospitals in north London, the plans would be abandoned.
An annoyed grimace fell across Mr Sumray’s face on the main stage when it was suggested by a heckler that he did not understand the question. “In health, people are always very resistant to change, generally they like what they’ve got,” he said. “So any change we have to make needs to have a compelling case. I am not going to say – and noone would say – what will happen as a consequence of consultation. All of the comments will be taken into account but I can’t tell you what the final decision will be now.”
The accident and emergency department and the maternity unit face the act in a wave of £500 million cuts and a re-organisation which will see patients treated in new, smaller GP surgeries. The Defend Whittington Hospital coalition organised one of the biggest marches in recent memory in north London on Saturday afternoon, with help from unions and the New Journal. We have run a Save Our Whittington campaign since November.
Ms Tyndall, who has so far born much of the brunt of the anger surrounding the campaign against the cuts, told the meeting she was proud “to be a public servant” working for the NHS, but said it was her job to test the private market over health services.
“We have all read in the newspapers about the public sector deficit,” she said. “We have to get the best value for tax-payers money. It’s all of ours money and we have to make sure its spent in the wisest possible way.”
Back on the subject of the future of the Whittington specifically, she admitted there was a chance that ambulances in the future could drive “past the front door of the hospital and go to an alternative hospital instead”, if one set of suggested changes were introduced.
When the audience murmured that the Royal Free in Hampstead was already too busy and unable to cope with thousands more patients, Ms Tyndall said that if hospitals worked in a more “efficient and productive way, there would be greater capacity”.
She added: “I don’t know what will happen because we haven’t yet made a decision about the Whittington Hospital.”
Ms Featherstone, the Hornsey and Wood Green MP who was in the front line of marchers on Saturday when 5,000 protetsters stopped traffic in Holloway Road on their way to the hospital forecourt, said: “I don’t think my guests see things in the same way – and that’s putting things mildly. Nobody I have spoken to either in this room or out there, thinks these proposals are a good idea. Given that, why don’t they refocus on keeping it open and making it work.”

Please visit the Islington Tribune site to read more about their support for the campaign and comment on the story.

http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2010/mar/save-our-whittington-health-chiefs-face-fresh-grilling-give-no-guarantee-consultation-

Many thanks for everything you have all done to contribute towards Saturday’s march, which was a fantastic success. We estimate there were about five thousand people walking along Holloway Road to the Hospital, including many nurses and doctors who work there but are unable to show their support publicly. Many of those walking had never been on a march before, and we are delighted that Saturday has successfully launched the Coalition’s public campaign and made us a real force in this debate. NHS officials can be in no doubt that the entire population of Islington and surrounding boroughs will not accept cuts that would tear the heart out of the Whittington Hospital and reduce services to those who need them most.

We are really grateful to all of you for your help, it just shows what we can all achieve by working together!

We also had excellent press coverage, not only local papers but TV as well. If you missed any of the TV coverage, you will be pleased to know we were the lead story on both BBC and ITV regional news, and Shirley was interviewed live on the BBC at 12.00.

Here’s a link to her interview (we don’t know how long this will stay up):  Protesters in rally ‘to save A&E’

This is the coverage from  ITV’s London Tonight (sorry about the advertising at the start!): Hospital cuts

There’s more BBC coverage here on YouTube:

And some press coverage by the local newspapers:

Islington Gazette: Thousands of people march to save The Whittington Hospital A&E

Camden New Journal: Thousands march for the Whittington Hospital

Ham & High: March to save Whittington A&E draws 5,000 protesters

The Camden New Journal made this video about the day:

There is a long way to go still though, and we are now thinking about what else we need to do in the run up to the consultation, which is due in September. To that end we are organising a big campaigning meeting which will take place on Monday 22 March at 7.00pm at the Whittington Community Centre, Yerbury Road, N19. If you can come and join in with ideas for how to keep this issue alive in people’s minds and in the press over the next few months, and also ideas for challenging the thinking behind the proposed cuts, please come to this one-off meeting. If you can’t please email us with your ideas – we are a Coalition and value everyone’s contribution.

If you want to get more involved in general planning the next meeting will take place at the Whittington Community Centre next Monday 8 March at 7.00pm.

We look forward to seeing you at our meetings. Onwards and upwards!

Shirley Franklin and Zozi Goodman

Joint Chairs, Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition

www.dwhc.org.uk

Come and join us at Highbury Corner, mid-day, for the march to the Whittington and the rally. We have a great line up of speakers for the rally and the indications are that this is going to be a very big event. Come and help us make our voices heard.

Here’s an item about the day from the Islington Gazette:

Thousands march to save The Whittington Hospital

UP to 5,000 people are to descending on Islington on Saturday in a valiant bid to save The Whittington Hospital.

The march from Highbury Corner to The Whittington in Magdala Avenue, Archway, will be the biggest that north London has seen in recent years.

The Whittington Hospital could lose its accident and emergency department under a mass shake-up being planned by health chiefs.

The plans being drawn up by the North Central London NHS could also see The Whittington’s maternity unit, intensive care unit and children’s beds axed.

The march has been organised by the Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition.

Campaigners are assembling at Highbury Corner at midday in order to walk the length of Holloway Road.

The march is expected to reach The Whittington by about 1.30pm where a rally will take place.

Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry, Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone, Green Party candidate Emma Dixon and leader of Islington Council Terry Stacy are among the politicians that will address the massive crowd.

Keep Our NHS Public campaigners Wendy Savage and Candy Udwin will also be rallying support for the hospital.

Zozi Goodman, joint chairwoman of the Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition, is trying to get as many people as possible down to the march.

She said: “We are encouraging everybody to come and show the NHS that this is something we are not going to take lying down.

“We think it’s probably going to be the biggest protest in north London for many years. This is the one way in which we can really make our voices heard.”

People arriving at the march may need to arrive by bus or train because of problems with the Tube over the weekend. Archway station is closed for engineering works and Finsbury Park and Highbury and Islington stations will not be served by the Victoria line.

The Archway-bound carriageway of Holloway Road will also be closed to traffic between 12pm and 4pm.

And up to 20 bus routes will be affected, with some being diverted and others forced to terminate early.

We”ll see you there!

Ham & High:

With the future of the Whittington Hospital at stake medics have contacted the Ham&High this week to speak out against the plans to close the A&E department.

Staff at the Archway hospital have been reluctant to speak out fearing their jobs may be on the line but have contacted the Ham&High this week on condition of anonymity.

The Ham&High also understands the staff are mobilising into a unified force and will soon appoint a spokesman who speak out on their behalf.

Read more here:  Whittington staff speak out about A&E closure

And there’s another great piece by Tom Foot in the Camden New Journal:

YOUR hospital needs you!

Patients who owe their lives to the Whittington have urged New Journal readers to stand up and be counted at a day of protest against plans to axe the Highgate ­hospital’s accident and emergency department.
Police are expecting a massive turnout on Saturday and have already ordered the ­closure of Holloway Road northbound from Highbury Corner up to the Whittington.

Tens of thousands of families will be affected by the proposals and the threat has outraged potential patients, many who have not campaigned before but know their lives may one day depend on the A&E remaining open.

Just ask identical twins Luke and Josh Ames Blackaby, from Highgate, who were diagnosed with chronic infantile asthma at birth. Over three years, they were repeatedly rushed through the doors of the Whittington’s casualty – often in the middle of night. Now 15, they have overcome their respiratory illness and developed into a pair of “top end” athletes – one plays county-level rugby and the other is a cross-country runner for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Athletics Club.

Read more here: Former patients back Whittington Hospital campaign as thousands get ready for protest march

Preparations for Saturday are rocking along. We’ve a great collection of speakers lined up and Joint-Secretary Shirley Franklin’s home is currently being used as a placard making factory.

We could still do with more stewards so, if you fancy helping out on the day please drop us a line at defendwhittington@googlemail.com. Stewards will be assembling at Highbury Fields at 11.15. on Saturday morning.

Whether or not you’re stewarding  please do your best to get along to the march and rally: it promises to be a  memorable day.

Transport disruption on Saturday

There are disruptions to public transport on Saturday which, while a pain, serve to highlight one of the many reasons we need to keep an A&E at the Whittington.

This is from Zozi Goodman, DWHC Joint-chair:

Hi everyone, As the big day of the march is dawning thoughts are now turning to how to get to Highbury Corner, especially as the police are closing off half of Holloway Road for us to walk down. So here’s some info to help you plan your journey: Holloway Road is only closed going north ie from Highbury Corner to Archway.

Traffic will still be allowed on the other side of the road, but there are arrangements to close the road at some of the junctions with other roads. Archway Station is closed, as is the whole of the Victoria line, which is all planned engineering work. The Piccadilly line is however open as normal.

There are a lot of planned closures or part closures on the tube network generally, for more information here is the link to the TfL website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/by-date.aspx?offset=weekend

Buses are still running but some are being diverted. For a complete picture of each bus route, and for more information about which roads are closing when please click on this link: Traffic info for Coalition March on 27 Feb 2010 (.pdf)

Fingers crossed for the weather, see you on the march.

Zozi Joint Chair, Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition

Press Coverage

There’s an excellent piece about Saturday’s march in the  Tottenham & Woodgreen Advertiser.

CONCERNED residents are urged to turn out in force on Saturday to protest against plans to strip The Whittington Hospital of its accident and emergency department.

Thousands are expected to converge on Highbury Corner at noon to join health campaigners, political leaders and hospital staff in a mass march up Holloway Road towards the hospital in Highgate Hill.

One carriageway of the busy road will be closed for the marchers who will then gather for a rally outside The Whittington with speeches by campaigners including Wendy Savage of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign group.

Proposals for a rejig of services of hospitals and health services across Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, Islington and Camden have sparked fear and uncertainty, particularly that The Whittington’s treasured A&E department may be downgraded.

Services could be lost under four out of seven options as part of an NHS cost-cutting shake-up and plans are also afoot for a cost-cutting merger between The Whittington and the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. This is of particular concern to Haringey residents, who have no major hospital within their borders.

Shirley Franklin, joint chairwoman of the Defend The Whittington Hospital Coalition, urged everyone to take part in the demonstration. She said: “Nobody wants to lose the A&E and if you want to have your say, come on the march on Saturday. People are going to be there who have never been on a demonstration before – it has such a resonance for everybody.

“We’ve collected at least 10,000 signatures and they’re still coming in fast and furious. I’ve been gobsmacked with the level of support, which is just fantastic. I think people feel this is their chance to have their voices heard.”

You can read the rest of the article here: Walk the Walk for the Whittington

Political Support

It looks like we’re going to have  loads of political support on Saturday. There have been blog posts popping up throughout the day. Some are a tad too clearly electioneering, but that’s understandable with an election looming and all raise the profile of the campaign. Apologies to anyone I’ve missed: I’m getting these from the Twitter topic Whittington A&E so if you’re an MP/councillor/candidate and would like your blog to be mentioned in these updates make sure you tweet it too!

Karen Jennings (Labour): Whittington A&E protests shift up a gear.

Lynne Featherstone (Liberal Democrat): Whittington A&E: LibDems would give Power to the People.

David Lammy (Labour): Join us on a march to save the Whittington Hospital.

Jeremy Corbyn spoke about the Whittington in Parliament yesterday and has released this press release: PressWhittingtonFeb2010 (.pdf, originally received as .doc)