NHS: Stop the Connaught closure

Health workers, patients and anti-cuts campaigners took part in a protest on 28 April against the threatened closure of the Connaught day centre at Whipps Cross hospital in north east London.

The day hospital provides specialist health care for the elderly. One of the speakers at the demo was 87-year old Connaught patient Ena Abrahams who spoke of the importance of the NHS. Ena said closure was part of plans to merge Whipps Cross with two other hospital trusts.

Linda Taaffe from Waltham Forest Anti-Cuts Union (WFACU) said how saving NHS services was part of fighting all Con-Dem government and local Labour council cuts.

Whipps Cross Unison joint branch secretary Len Hockey (personal capacity) spoke of the need to fight all cuts and privatisation in the NHS. Cuts are going ahead despite the Con-Dems' three month pause to the health bill, which will hand over the NHS to private consortiums. Organising strike action by health workers should be an important part of the fightback.

While the hospital trust and GPs have said they want to keep the hospital open, this needs the agreement of commissioners. It was the same commissioners who notified the trust of withdrawing funding for the day hospital. The campaign continues.

The next WFACU meeting is on 12 May, 7.30pm at the William Morris Community Centre, Greenleaf Road, London E17 6QQ.

Bob Severn

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