Picket Line for Fair Pay: Queen Elizabeth Hospital Strike 4/5 Sept 2024

Yesterday I went to the London CIV (Collective pension investment vehicle for London Council Pension funds) Annual Conference in Woolwich Works, Greenwich. During lunch time I made my way to near by Queen Elizabeth Hospital to join low paid health assistants on their second day of strike action for Fair Pay. 

There was a very lively and noisy rally by the picket line, at the main entrance of the hospital. I spoke to the strikers and offered support and solidarity on behalf of my branch, London region and also in my role as a Member of the UNISON NEC. 

It was great to talk to activists and strikers about the dispute and also to Regional Staff supporting the strikers. Including my former lay union colleague, Joy Pearce. 

As the Chair of UNISON London Labour Link committee and a Labour Councillor, I will be also contacting various people to push for an urgent settlement of this dispute. 

I will post further on the London CIV conference. 

A Bridge Over You - Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir

Following an email from Heidi Alexander MP, Labour Member of Parliament for Lewisham East, I went to the website NHS Choir, listened to the music on Youtube then downloaded the track here. An astonishingly good production. Recommended.

VICTORY FOR LEWISHAM HOSPITAL CAMPAIGNERS!

Great news! Press release from today "UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, today welcomed the High Court decision that Jeremy Hunt acted unlawfully in deciding that casualty and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital should be downgraded.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: “Today’s decision is a victory for all the local people who turned out time and time again to protect services at Lewisham Hospital. The High Court rightly ruled that the health secretary acted unlawfully in riding roughshod over the wishes of the community and that is a lesson that the Government ignores at its peril

“This decision will give heart to health campaigners across the country where other hospitals may be threatened by Government plans to close or downgrade much valued health services.”

The BBC reports that the challenge had been brought about by Save Lewisham Hospital and the London Borough of Lewisham and quotes Labour Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, that "justice had been delivered to a hospital well-managed, highly-respected and financially solvent".

Hat tip Nicole Minet

Save Lewisham Hospital A&E...Saved???

"Confusion' over Lewisham A&E future" (Steve Ford - Nursing times 31.1.13)

Accident and emergency services will remain at Lewisham Hospital but on a “smaller” scale than at present, the health secretary has announced. However, the neighbouring South London Healthcare Trust is to be broken up. The financially challenged trust is to be dissolved by October 2013 to address the risk it carries for ongoing patient care and the pressure it is placing on other parts of the NHS, Jeremy Hunt said today.

Meanwhile, following advice from NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh, Mr Hunt said he had decided that Lewisham Healthcare Trust would retain its A&E – though on a smaller scale than at present. South London was the first trust to be subject to the new NHS failure regime for organisations viewed as financially unsustainable.

Currently, the trust is losing more than £1m every week and by the end of this year, is expected to have an accumulated debt of more than £200m. Matthew Kershaw, former Department of Health head of provider delivery, was appointed as a special administrator last July to look into the future of the trust and its surrounding health economy. He published his final recommendations earlier this month, advising the government that South London should be broken up, but also that Lewisham’s A&E should be downgraded to an urgent care centre.

The threat to Lewisham’s A&E services sparked widespread protests from the public and NHS staff, culminating in a rally on Saturday. Mr Hunt announced today he had chosen to broadly accept the majority of Mr Kershaw’s recommendations. South London Healthcare Trust will be dissolved, with each of its hospitals – Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, Queen Mary’s in Sidcup and the Princess Royal in Bromley – taken over by a neighbouring hospital trust.

Mr Hunt said he understood the financial rationale for downgrading Lewisham A&E, but “in the interests of local patients” had imposed some additional clinical safeguards proposed by Sir Bruce Keogh. As a result, Lewisham Hospital will retain its ability to admit patients with less serious conditions, and will continue to have 24/7 senior medical emergency cover – allowing it to remain open as a working A&E department treating up to 75% of the patients who currently use it.

Patients with much more serious conditions or higher risk pregnancies will be taken to Kings, Queen Elizabeth, Bromley or St Thomas’ because they are more likely to have a better result. Mr Hunt said: “The longstanding problems at South London Healthcare NHS Trust must not be allowed to compromise patient care in the future. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent on paying for debt rather than improving patient care for the local community in South East London. “What is in the clinical interests of patients in South East London has been at the heart of my decision making process, and as a result I have followed clinical advice to keep open the A&E in Lewisham.”

Sir Bruce added: “Healthcare in South East London is at a turning point. We need to strike the right balance between ensuring that all patients have access to the best possible specialist treatment whilst providing safe, effective and convenient services close to home . “I expect that balance to result in about three quarters of patients currently seen in Lewisham A&E continuing to receive complete care at Lewisham Hospital and about a quarter being transferred for more specialist treatment elsewhere.”

But Mike Davey, a nurse and Lewisham Unison branch secretary, said: “The [health] secretary needs to urgently clarify what is meant by a smaller A&E, as the London Ambulance Service will be reluctant to bring patients to an A&E that does not offer a full range of A&E services. “Is this proposal just an urgent care centre or a fully fledged and supported A&E Department,” he said. “The secretary of state has caused more confusion and the whole process is a shambles.” NHS

Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar said: “We need to learn the lessons from this case and others. The answer is to start discussions earlier, with doctors and leaders clearly explaining the case for change. “Otherwise we will find ourselves perpetually in a situation of trench warfare, with staff, politicians and patients all coming out in opposition on the streets.”

Save Lewisham A&E March (26 Jan 13)

Conroy Lawrence, Lewisham Hospital UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary (and Hospital electrician) seen in picture top left with UNISON Assistant General Secretary Bronwyn McKenna. Conroy said.

"This has been a historic demonstration with of over 25,000, representing a total cross section of our community, surely this cannot be ignored by this Government, a Government who stated in their manifesto they would ensure "no forced closure of A&E Departments"

 "On behalf of Lewisham Hospital staff we would like to thank those that turnout to support us from the bottom of our hearts and we pledge ourselves to continue to fight this undemocratic and dangerous attempt to close Lewisham A&E Department for as long as it should take"

UNISON Lewisham Hospital nurse and branch secretary Mike Davy stated "If they can get away with closing Lewisham Hospital A&E, not because it is "failing", not on "clinical grounds" but to bail out a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal in another hospital, they can effectively close any A&E department in the country"

 "David Cameron once threatened a bare knuckle fight over Hospital A&E closures, but where is he now ?".

Save Lewisham Hospital Protest March! Today 12 noon start!

BIG MARCH EXPECTED IN PROTEST AT LEWISHAM A&E CLOSURE
 
"UNISON the UK’s largest union, is calling on the public to join a march this Saturday (26 Jan), to show their support for Lewisham Hospital’s A & E Department.

Lewisham’s A & E facility is pencilled in for closure as a result of a massive over spend in nearby South London Healthcare Trust's hospitals.

The closure plan is in spite of pre-election pledges by the Conservatives to “stop all forced hospital A&E departments”.

The union is expecting a massive turn-out, with local team Millwall FC postponing a match kick-off to accommodate expected attendance.

The march will take place on:
Saturday 26 January From Lewisham Train station
Starting at 12.00pm

UNISON Nursing Officer, Michael Walker said:

“We are urging local people to come out on Saturday and show their support for this much-valued A & E Department. Everyone has a stake in this protest and we’re expecting a massive attendance with placards from every section of Lewisham including churches, pensioner groups, schools, nurseries and workplaces”.

Conroy Lawrence, UNISON representative at the hospital:

“We would urge the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to watch the events on Saturday in Lewisham closely, to listen to what the people of Lewisham are saying, and to study the detailed opposition to the closure proposals put forward by all sections of the medical and nursing profession”.

Mike Davey, UNISON Branch Secretary states:

“It is a credit to hospital staff that they are working as normal providing a professional service despite the threat to this hospital. NHS Administrator Mr Kershaw has ignored the 90% of respondents to the consultation on the hospitals future but Jeremy Hunt should not ignore the deep concerns of the medical and nursing professions and from the public”.

Michael Walker, UNISON Nursing Officer:

“Lewisham hospital is currently taking on extra patients from hospitals including Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Woolwich) and Princess Royal University Hospital (Farnborough) such is the pressure on acute services in South London. There is no way that this closure will not have a devastating impact on local people.”

UNISON has received reports that patients from nearby A&E departments are already experiencing long delays and patients are being diverted to Lewisham Hospital.

These closures are driven not on clinical grounds but on massive reductions in NHS funding, exacerbated by the disastrous Private Finance Initiative which has bankrupted so many hospitals".

Save Lewisham A&E March this Saturday 26 January

"UNISON expresses bitter disappointment that TSA Matthew Kershaw has chosen to ignore the unprecedented response to the recent consultation exercise in respect of his health proposals across Lewisham and the South London Healthcare Trust.

In doing so he disregards a number of compelling clinical arguments in favour of the retention of emergency and maternity services on the Lewisham site.

Whilst the political arguments are taken to the heart of government by our local Labour Party MPs, and the Secretary of State deliberates on the final decision, UNISON is urging all of its members to join in the march and rally on Saturday 26th January.

Come and march with your local UNISON branch and join with UNISON colleagues from across South London in demonstrating against the proposed down grading of our local emergency and maternity services.

The march will pass by the hospital and terminate in Mountsfield Park around 14.00, with live music and various speakers, including UNISON Greater London Deputy Regional Convenor (and Lewisham's very own) Conroy Lawrence.

Assemble under the UNISON Greater London Regional banner on the roundabout by Lewisham Station from 12.00 on Saturday 26th January.

In the meanwhile UNISON will be making a further submission to the Secretary of State drawing attention to the powerful arguments made in our consultation response previously submitted to Matthew Kershaw.

As others have already commented, we need to maximise turnout at this march and rally in order deliver a resounding statement to the Secretary of State before he makes his final decision.

Please make every effort to support this event and I look forward to joining with you all on the 26th".

Mike Davey
Lewisham Hospital Branch Secretary

Save Lewisham A&E demonstation

Picture Collage is from the demonstration on Saturday.

Conroy Lawrence, UNISON Branch Secretary:

"We are overwhelmed by the response of the local community, that in incessant rain over 10,000 people from all parts of the community would attend is truly inspiring to the staff at the hospital.

UNISON along with other unions at the hospital will be redoubling our efforts to defend Lewisham's vital A&E  from closure

This campaign has the full support of the medical, nursing and professional staff and their unions and with the support of the local community we are unstoppable

The people have spoken and the politicians and bureaucrats would do well to listen"

UPDATE: sign petition here. 

Save Lewisham A&E Rally: Sat 24 Nov 2pm

Meet Saturday 24th November 2pm at Lewisham Station then march to Ladywell Field.  3pm hands around the hospital

Mike Davey Lewisham Hospital UNISON Nursing Representative

"The staff in the hospital are looking forward to a huge turnout for the Rally on Saturday from the local community, we urge them to attend the rally in their thousands. We also urge them to complete the response to the A&E closure plans on line and before the 13th December deadline"

"UNISON is confident that if the community can make it's voice heard now, then significant changes can be secured"

UPDATE: BBC report