Over 60 people protested outside St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, yesterday morning, against the ‘downgrading’ of its sister Epsom Hospital.
The protest was called to mark the first day at work of the new Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust Chief Executive.
In a lively demonstration at the St Helier Hospital gates, the protesters demanded that the decision to close Epsom maternity unit be reversed.
However, they stressed that their protest was in opposition to all the proposed changes/cuts to services at Epsom, including A&E and surgery, not just Maternity and Neonatal services.
One of the organisers, John Bland told News Line: ‘The new chief executive mustn’t just make decisions on a financial or political basis.
‘I’m asking for human factors to be taken into account.
‘Closing down Epsom maternity is risking lives.
‘My wife and I were expecting twins, when she had a scan there were problems.
‘We lost one baby but our daughter, Holly, was saved.
‘If we had had to travel to St Helier, Holly would not be here, today.
‘There must be people all over the country experiencing problems like that.
‘If the government closes 50 hospitals, which they plan to do nationally, they are risking thousands of lives.’
Fellow protester Martin Smith added: ‘What the government promised was better healthcare, closer to home.
‘Well it’s not better, and it’s not closer.’
The protesters plan a further demonstration this Saturday July 14th in Epsom, meeting at Roseberry Park at 10.30am.
Bland said they plan to get at least 2,000 people there and to encircle the hospital.
He called on everyone to bring a flower.
Protesters handed out copies of a letter to new Trust Chief Executive Samantha Jones.
The letter protests ‘in the strongest possible terms against the proposal to downgrade Epsom General Hospital, which is providing vital health services to the local community in mid-Surrey.’
The letter warns: ‘This decision will risk many lives, of new born babies and their mothers if maternity & neonatal services are moved to St Helier and of many emergency cases if A&E services are also moved.
‘There does not appear to be any consideration of the fact that if complications set in prior to birth or during a home birth that there may be insufficient time to reach St Helier, compared to the closer alternative of Epsom.
‘In addition, should emergency cases need transferring from Epsom to St Helier no consideration has been given to what happens should an ambulance not be immediately available.
‘You and the other Board members will be held accountable for the additional deaths should key services be transferred.’
