This is the new updated Save Calderdale Royal Hospital campaign statement that came out of a recent meeting of people who are still actively working on the campaign:
“SAVE CALDERDALE ROYAL HOSPITAL
Save Calderdale Royal Hospital campaign focusses on the “Right Care Right Place Right Time” shake up of the NHS and social care in Calderdale and Huddersfield, which is driven by NHS England’s response to the Coalition government policy of NHS cuts and privatisation, resulting from the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. This Act also abolished the NHS as a comprehensive, universal health service which the government has a duty to provide. So we can no longer be sure that our hospitals and NHS commissioners will provide health care for all of us.
Save Calderdale Royal Hospital campaign intends to:
- prevent damage to Calderdale and Huddersfield’s health services by the “Right Care” NHS shake up
- prevent A&E and ward closures
- make sure decisions about the NHS shake up are taken democratically, on the basis of clear, full and honest information, with Calderdale Councillors fulfilling their duties to the public
- bring about a renegotiation of the Calderdale Royal Hospital PFI contract for Calderdale Royal Hospital, in order to reduce its burden on Calderdale NHS finances – currently it consumes 10% of the yearly NHS budget for Calderdale.
The campaign will achieve these goals through bringing public pressure to bear on the Calderdale & Kirklees Joint Health Scrutiny Committee, and Calderdale Adults Health and Social Care Scrutiny Panel, by demanding that they use their powers effectively on behalf of the public, as it is their duty and responsibility to do so. They have the power – and the duty to use this power – to ask the Secretary of State to stop the implementation of the Right Care/Care Closer to Home proposals if they think that the plans will damage the NHS in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield; and they also have the power – and the duty – to tell the Clinical Commissioning Groups to consult the public now – in order to avoid predetermining the outcome of the postponed consultation on hospital services.
The campaign is also investigating grounds for a possible legal challenge to the Right Care proposals.
And it urges all members of the public to only vote for Parliamentary Candidates who commit to voting for the 2015 NHS Reinstatement Bill in the new Parliament. http://www.nhsbill2015.org ”