‘CHILDREN can get meningitis. If they have to take a child all the way to Northwick Park Hospital they could die on the way!’ 12-year-old Nick Roy said yesterday.
Nick Roy had brought his dad to the mass picket of Ealing Hospital yesterday morning where over fifty local residents, workers and campaigners shouted: ‘Save the Charlie Chaplin children’s ward! Don’t let it close!’
The Charlie Chaplin children’s ward is earmarked for closure on June 30. Not only is the children’s department threatened with closure, but after June 30th the A&E has been ordered to turn away anyone who is under 18-years-old.
The West London Council of Action organises a daily picket of the hospital from 7am to 9am every morning. The council of action is urging all trade unions, the airport and the industry around the airport, the bus and tube depots and fire service to organise strike action on June 29 and join a march to the hospital to support the occupation of the children’s ward and prevent it from closing.
Equity member David Girt came to the picket as Charlie Chaplin. He told News Line: ‘Time is short! We have to continue to unite together to save children’s services in Ealing and in lots of other places. We should be building up things for our children, not shutting them down.’
Audrey Hale, an Ealing nurse in the RCN union, said: ‘I cannot believe that they are trying to close the children’s department in a big area like this. What are children going to do? Where are they going to go?
‘By the time they reach the next hospital it could be too late, especially if the child is having an asthma attack. The doctors and the nurses in the children’s ward must continue to treat sick children. Everyone who has a child is not happy to see the children’s ward close.’
Regular picket Surjit Chohan said: ‘Save Ealing Hospital and the Charlie Chaplin children’s ward. Everyone must come out and support this struggle. Everyone feels for the hospital and feels angry that they are trying to close the services down.
‘I went into the children’s ward and the staff said that they are very upset. They said that all the equipment is new, it is a newly refurbished ward. Why do they want to close it down?
‘Staff are worried about their jobs. The staff have to keep treating sick children and occupy and refuse to leave and say, “We are going to stay here too; they are our children and they need treatment!” ’
Julian Bell, the Labour leader of Ealing Council said: ‘Lives will be put at risk if this closure goes ahead. If children have to be taken by ambulance from here to another A&E, time is against them and it puts lives at risk. The Charlie Chaplin children’s ward was re-furbished and re-opened in 2012. My daughter is a TV presenter and she re-opened it.’
