Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Stand up and fight Hope-less decision

14/12/2006

A UNION leader is calling on Salfordians to turn out to a demonstration against the closure of Hope Hospital maternity services.

Unison branch secretary Denise Bradshaw is planning the protest at the Eccles Old Road entrance to Hope on Tuesday, December 19.

She wants residents from across the city to turn up between 11am and 3pm to show their support for the hospital's maternity services.

The city was delivered a fatal blow in a controversial decision to close all of Hope Hospital's baby units.

The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts met on Friday and decided to shut Hope's maternity and neonatal intensive care units as part of a review of services across Greater Manchester.

The £60 million move, which will be brought in over the next five years, would effectively mark the end of the Salfordian as, apart from those mothers who opt for home births, no babies would be born in the city again.

Thousands of people objected to the Making It Better proposals but the opposition appeared to carry no weight with the decision-makers who went with the 'preferred option'.

Denise said: "I'm sure all residents and patients are upset about the decision and we want them to demonstrate to protest against it to try to get it overturned.

"The more people we can get the better. I can concentrate on getting staff together but we also need residents to come along, even if it's only for an hour or two, just to show their support."