UP to sixty trade unionists, patients, local residents and youth demonstrated outside the Maudsley Hospital, south London yesterday, against planned cuts including the closure of the mental health hospital’s emergency clinic.
Also under threat is the Felix Post Unit day hospital for elderly patients.
The protesters carried placards saying ‘Emergency clinic – save NHS lifeline’, ‘Don’t sound the last (Felix) Post’ and ‘Save the Maudsley!’
The Maudsley is the sister hospital of King’s College NHS Foundation Trust.
Frank Woods, chair of King’s College trade union committee and Amicus branch secretary, expressed his concerns to News Line at the lunchtime picket.
He said: ‘At King’s College Hospital, we think that the proposals to move the emergency clinic to King’s will leave a significant shortfall in services.
‘Inevitably, high risk patients are likely to suffer.
‘I’m meeting with the trade union representatives from the Maudsley today.
‘We are lobbying and holding public meetings but at some point action will have to be taken, unless the plans for cuts – including the closure of the Maudsley emergency clinic and Felix Post Unit – are dropped.’
George Wright, Southwark UNISON assistant branch secretary added: ‘Until the end of January, I was working as a social worker at Maudsley.
‘For nearly forty years, I’ve been a mental health worker and this is the most vicious attack on services and patients I’ve seen.
‘In all these cuts the patients are just an afterthought.
‘We’ve had tremendous support today, people have shown they care about their NHS.
‘If this government doesn’t take it on board then they are on their way out.
‘I understand people might be driven to organise a sit-in but we could try other things first.
‘If it came to it, I personally would support a sit-in to stop the closure.
‘Our next move is a judicial review of the decision to close the Felix Post Unit and another one of the decision to close the emergency clinic.’