HEALTH
unions and other campaigners have welcomed the ruling that the Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt had acted unlawfully by ordering the closure of the Accident and
Emergency and maternity wards at Lewisham Hospital in south London.
It
follows an eight-month campaign which also saw the biggest public protest of
its kind in that part of the capital.
The
judge ruled that Jeremy Hunt had exceeded his powers in trying to reduce
services at the hospital.
Unite
said that in failing to gain the support of local GP commissioners – one of the
Government’s own essential criteria for hospital department closures – the
Secretary of State had failed his own test and must now accept defeat.
Steve
Turner, Unite executive director of policy, said: “The decision to cut services
at Lewisham hospital was idiotic from the outset.
“But
Jeremy Hunt chose his ideology over medical and community sense which is why he
has been slapped down by the court.
“The
judge has exposed the Government as NHS vandals, with a Health Secretary
prepared to flout its own rules to destroy a successful hospital.
“Jeremy
Hunt has been told loudly and clearly – you acted unlawfully and outside your
powers. He was told this long ago but would not listen.
“If
there are concerns in the south London cluster of hospitals, then these need to
be addressed by tackling the appalling PFI debts crippling these services.
Downgrading Lewisham hospital is not the answer.
“The
answer is to address the handcuff contracts choking the life out of the NHS.”
Lawyers
for the campaign successfully argued that the Secretary of State had exceeded
his powers by attempting to impose ward closures on Lewisham Hospital using
cost-saving measures – and the appointment of a special administrator – for a
neighbouring NHS trust.
The
RMT also joined those congratulating the Save Lewisham Hospital campaigners and
the Borough of Lewisham for bringing their legal challenge.
RMT
general secretary Bob Crow said: “Their success will send out the message to
communities and workplaces the length and breadth of the land that through
determination and solidarity we can turn back the tide of cuts and austerity.
“RMT’s
own former Assistant General Secretary Pat Sikorski is heavily involved in the
Lewisham campaign as are our members and branches in South East London.
“We
know full well that an attack on our NHS is an attack on the most important
gains that have been secured by working people since the end of the Second World
War.
“We
also pay tribute to the work of Millwall Football Club and its players who have
worn the “Save Lewisham” campaign shirts and flown the flag all the way from
Wolverhampton to Wembley.
“The
message from today is clear – if you stand up and fight you can win, if you
don’t they will trample all over you.”
