‘WE’RE having a good picket today,’ said Bill Rogers, secretary of the North-East London Council of Action, outside Chase Farm Hospital yesterday.
The Council of Action is leading the fight to stop the planned closure of the north London hospital’s Accident and Emergency, Maternity and Paediatrics departments.
Rogers added: ‘We are recruiting people to our campaign.
‘Student nurses and doctors are joining – they are angry at
the closure plan and want to see something done about it.
‘We are calling on the local trade unions to step into this fight.
‘It’s coming close to the crunch time now and we have to be ready to occupy.
‘We are not going to let this hospital close.’
An ambulance service worker, who could not give his name, told News Line: ‘They shouldn’t shut Chase Farm A&E, because North Middlesex and Barnet can’t cope with the patients they’ve got now.
‘We have to fight the closure.’
Maternity nurse Julia Graser declared: ‘Please keep Chase Farm open. It’s a good hospital.
‘The Maternity is great, with nice people.
‘We have to keep it open.’
Nurse Carol Horne added: ‘It’s wrong to take the services away from the local area, especially for people without transport. We should keep Chase Farm open.’
A medical student, Melinda Joan, said: ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to close the A&E and Maternity, they are vital parts of the hospital.
‘It would be more difficult for patients to go to Barnet.
‘It would be dangerous for critical patients and selfish.
‘We should fight the closure. I would support a sit-in to stop the closure.’
Care worker Omar Legister said: ‘Keep it open, don’t close it. Chase Farm is a valid service, we need it.
‘I would support an occupation to keep the A&E and Maternity open.’
Student nurse Diana Paul said: ‘Closing the A&E, Maternity and Paediatrics is ridiculous and stupid.
‘It seems people’s health doesn’t matter any more, that it counts for nothing.
‘I’ll support a sit-in to keep the hospital open.
‘I agree the unions should get behind it 100 per cent.’