‘We must be ready to occupy Chase Farm Hospital,’ North East London Council of Action Secretary Bill Rogers told trade unionists, local residents and youth at the monthly picket of the Enfield hospital on Tuesday.
Throughout the day people stopped to give their support to the monthly mass picket of the Enfield hospital and heard that Secretary of State Alan Johnson is expected to make his cuts and closures announcement next week.
Bill Rogers told News Line: ‘This is our post-march picket. We had about 1,000 people turn up at our march on 26th July. Firefighters supported the march, they waited for us and drove behind us through Enfield on a busy Saturday.
‘We had other trade unionists supporting us. The Maternity Dept, the midwives came with their banner. One of them actually postponed her holiday to come on the march.
‘Local residents and lots of young people.
‘The latest news is that the Independent Reconfiguration Panel sent its report on cuts and closures at Chase Farm to Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health.
‘He is now sitting on that report and we are expecting to hear his final decision any time now.
‘That’s why we are here today picketing because we’ve got to be on our guard and alert to what might happen.
‘At the end of the march we had a really good rally, the midwives and the leader of the anti-Academy Tent City occupation of the Wembley Sports Ground spoke and we had a unanimous vote in favour of an occupation of Chase Farm Hospital if that should become necessary.
‘If Alan Johnson declares any of these departments are to close we will have to occupy, we have no choice.
‘That’s why I call on everyone to come to our monthly Council of Action meeting at the Hollybush Pub, Lavender Hill, on Wednesday 17th September at 7.30pm.
‘We want to see the local trade unionists especially come to the meeting – teachers, firemen, postmen, local government, transport workers and youth.
‘My union branch officially supported the demonstration to defend Chase Farm Hospital and we want other unions to do the same.’
Michelle Pile, attending the hospital with her daughter and son Shannon and Frankie, said: ‘This is my family’s local hospital. My husband is receiving exceptional treatment here. It’s a marvellous hospital. We have to save it.’
Susan Coleman, with her husband Mark and son James said: ‘We have to save the maternity unit. They are shutting departments because they want to put money into other things.
‘But there is nothing more important than hospitals. We would all support an occupation. We live in Edmonton and think this is a great hospital.’
Ellen Driscoll said: ‘I had my hip replacement here and I’m very pleased. I had one cataract done on 2nd August and I’m having another one done on 29th, that’s this Friday, they are fantastic here.
‘I couldn’t live without this hospital. It’s life and death for all of us. I had my two sons here and this hospital is part of my life.’
School welfare administrator Denise Mitchell said: ‘They’re doing up North Middlesex Hospital and I think they are planning to sell this to pay for that.
‘My son’s life was saved twice at this hospital by the A&E. He had cancer and he had an allergic reaction to a drug he was given at another hospital, and they literally saved him here.
‘I totally agree with what the Council of Action is doing. I would support an occupation. The ends justify the means. This hospital must be saved.’
Alice Succoni and her 16-year-old daughter Francesca said: ‘It’s a nightmare what they are planning. There should be more casualty departments, not less.
‘There are enough private clinics for people with money if that’s what they want, we want and we need our hospital.’
Grahame Fowler, a patient who joined the picket for a while, said: ‘I’m here to show we won’t accept the closure of this excellent hospital.
‘In America the first thing they do when you’ve had an accident or fall ill is search for your credit card. When you lose your job in America you also lose your health insurance. That’s what we’re heading for here.
‘We have to protest, but we also have to do more, I would support an occupation.’
Retired postman Peter Rogan said: ‘My niece is a midwife in this hospital and I believe in the NHS. I’m a very emotional man and I really believe in this.
‘Thatcher started what’s going on today by privatising everything in sight – British Steel, gone, British Gas, gone, there is barely an industry left in this country.
‘Now they want these private clinics run by the likes of Richard Branson. We can’t put up with this, we’ll have to stop it. The trade unions are strong but the leaders are weak.’
North London consultant surgeon Anna Athow said: ‘The government is pressing ahead with contracting out 150 new polyclinics to private companies. As the Grimsby GP said on Breakfast TV this morning “this means putting money for the company first and patients second”.
‘The government are closing district general hospitals to pay for them.
‘The money they intend to save by sacking staff at Chase Farm will be pumped into the private polyclinics and the PFI consortia at North Mid and Barnet.
‘The march through Enfield on 26th July shows that local people are determined to keep their hospital open and occupy if necessary. We’ve had an excellent response to our picket today and we’re not going away.’
Alan Woodward, from Haringey Trades Council and the Stop Haringey Health Cuts Coalition came with members of the Save St Ann’s Hospital Campaign.
Woodward said: ‘St Ann’s is a mental hospital and also the location of the HQ of Haringey PCT.
‘They’ve said 45 out of the 60 doctor surgeries are to be closed and replaced by three polyclinics. It’s absolutely ridiculous and totally counter-productive.
‘The polyclinics are put out to contract and all funders have to bid for them and these are companies that will be wanting a return on their investment. They are not going to be doing this for the good of their health, that’s for sure.’
School worker Sarah Field, who came with her daughters Bonnie and Ellie, said: ‘We can’t let them close this hospital, there has to be action. We need the casualty, we can’t be secure without it, I’m worried for the older generation especially.’
Members of the Save St Ann’s Hospital Campaign Group came to the Chase Farm picket straight from their own regular weekly Tuesday picket.
Gwen Cole and Eileen West said: ‘We are very happy to be here today to join up with the Chase Farm campaign, it strengthens both campaigns.
‘St Ann’s is a general hospital at the moment run by the mental health trust. We want to save all the services in the hospital for the local people and weBILL want to save the local GPs.
‘What Alan Johnson said initially on the Andrew Marr Show was that polyclinics would be in addition to the present provision, but we don’t believe that one bit.’
Rita Fernandes from Save St Ann’s, said: ‘It’s a hospital that was given to the people of the St Ann’s ward during the war. Our campaign is strong, but it needs to get stronger.
‘The worst part is that the Trust don’t inform people of what is going on, they don’t even notify people of their meetings. Why don’t they leave our hospital and our GPs alone?’
At the end of Tuesday’s picket, Bill Rogers said: ‘It’s been great to see the St Ann’s campaigners here today. We really appreciate the fact that they helped us give out Council of Action leaflets and didn’t just give support.
‘We will reciprocate for sure and join their picket line. All these cuts are connected, part of the national policy of the government.
‘It was a really good picket today, one of the best. Youth came down early, then the St Ann’s campaigners, they were all very active on the picket line.
‘We have to be ready to occupy Chase Farm to keep it open.’
