Non-party political Save Our A&Es campaigners, including Calderdale NHS 38 Degrees, will have a stand and a float at Halifax Gala on 14th June. The aim is to call for everyone to protect our A&Es and NHS against the proposed shakeup to Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield NHS. This includes the proposed downgrade of Calderdale A&E to a minor injuries unit and sending all acute and emergency services to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

The campaigners need face painters – no experience required, we might just stick with the clown theme for that – musicians and other volunteers. Please get in touch with Gary Scott on facebook or email him at garyscotthx1@gmx.co.uk

If you want to take part on or following the float, basically you need to be in Eureka car-park for 10am on 14th June, with seating for the kids who are going on the float. (Kids under 16 have to be sitting down on float.)

The theme of the float is children who need A&E. Blood, bandages etc… Should be fun, whilst making a serious point.

You in???

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Collecting money to pay a barrister to identify if the shake up proposals break the NHS constitution and/or laws about NHS reconfigurations

The Calderdale NHS 38 Degrees group plus other members of the public who are campaigning to Save Our A&Es will provide info about the campaign and collect cash to help continue campaigning and to contribute to the fee for a barrister to review evidence and information Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker is collecting about whether the Clinical Commissioning Groups and/or the Trusts have breached the NHS Constitution and/or laws about NHS “reconfigurations”.

In the meantime, if anyone feels like donating money to pay for the barrister, please contact the campaign event organiser Gary Scott (garyscotthx1@gmx.co.uk).

The proposed NHS and social care shake up involves:

• the proposed downgrade of Calderdale A&E to a minor injuries unit, and turning Calderdale Royal Hospital into a small planned care clinic using only around 1/4 of its current beds – raising the question of what happens to the rest of the Hospital
• the centralisation of acute and emergency services in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, at the same time reducing the number of acute care beds and A&E admissions
• replacing hospital acute care with “care in the community”, based on a  “local market” where patients with chronic illnesses and social care needs can buy various healthcare and social care services, using their personal budgets from the Councils and the Clinical Commissioning Groups
• the introduction of so-called “virtual wards”, which use computerised patient records to assess the health of the 2% of patients who are identified as most at risk of acute and emergency admissions, and to coordinate health care that will be delivered in these patients’ homes.

There seems to be no reliable evidence that this kind of integrated health and social care in the community cuts costs or improves patients’ health, so what is this all about?

NHS reconfigurations are supposed to put patient needs first. That doesn’t seem to be the case with this proposed shake up.