Jeremy hunt: Axe the hospital closure clause

[charitynjw]

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...lause-with-him

JEREMY HUNT: AXE THE HOSPITAL CLOSURE CLAUSE


TO: JEREMY HUNT, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH







15,675
of 20,000 signatures

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Campaign created by Louise Irvine

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Dear Secretary of State for Health,

We call upon you to withdraw Chapter 4 and clause 118 of the Care Bill (the ‘hospital closure clause”) that will make it possible to close viable hospitals without proper consultation.Why is this important?

Recently, Jeremy Hunt lost his appeal against closing Lewisham Accident and Emergency. The law that protected it would be removed if Clause 118 passes.

The Clause will allow the government to close or downgrade any hospital in the country, with barely any consultation of local people, if there is a Trust in financial difficulties anywhere nearby. They will be able to appoint an administrator to one Trust who will be able to take decisions to fast-track the closure of hospitals in another area - no matter how successful or popular those hospitals are - using the 'unsustainable provider' legislation that was designed only for insolvent Trusts. If it becomes law, this Clause means that *no* hospital will be safe, no matter how successful.
Check out this link
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/...closure-clause
for more information.

We will update you on further campaign actions you can get involved in. Please share on Twitter and Facebook.Category: Health

[bluebottle]

Re: Jeremy hunt: Axe the hospital closure clause

I've just signed the 38 degrees petition, being a 38 degrees member like yourself, Charity.

You would have thought Hunt would have learned his lesson that you do not try and find a way around law-breaking by changing the law to make it fit your law-breaking.

The Tories did this during the Thatcher era with the TUPE directive, thinking they could legislate it out of existence. How wrong they were. When they realised TUPE was a law they could not change and had to obey, it came as an awful shock to them and the rabid right-wing supporters who were behind the campaign to ignore TUPE, many of whom were rogue employers.

It caused major damage to the Tories' credibility as "safe hands" and bankrupted a number of employers who were forced to pay eye-watering damages and legal costs to workers who had been sacked or had their pay cut illegally.

With a High Court judgement against him and an appeal against that judgement dismissed by the Court of Appeal, you would have thought Hunt would have got the message. Clearly, he hasn't and, perhaps, needs a reminder that when a court says you are wrong, you do not ignore what the court tells you. Will history repeat itself? We can only but wait and see.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Jeremy hunt: Axe the hospital closure clause

Some say he was right the first time. :grin: