Welcome to the SOS: Save Our St Helier website. You can use this site to stay up to date with the progress of the campaign to safeguard our local health services which is being run by Tom Brake MP and Paul Burstow MP. You can read more about the progress of the campaign below - we will continue to update the site when we have more information.
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ON Saturday 25th November, Tom Brake MP and Paul Burstow MP led thousands of concerned staff and local residents in a march to protest against job cuts and bed closures at St Helier hospital.
The organisers estimate that around two and a half thousand people joined the MPs as they marched from Rosehill recreation ground to St Helier open space. The large crowd battled heavy rain, wind and cold, waved placards with slogans such as ‘Hands off our Hospital Hewitt’ and ‘No Cuts, No Closures’ as they made their way up the hill to St Helier. The protest brought traffic on Rosehill to a standstill as police closed the road.
The two MPs, together with local and national union representatives and Sean Brennan, leader of Sutton Council, called on the crowd to make their voices heard to hospital managers and promised to continue their fight to keep the Hospital open.
Speaking after the march, Paul Burstow MP said:
“The fact that so many people turned out in today’s foul weather is testament to the strength of feeling among local people.”
“Our presence here in such large numbers has sent a message to Patricia Hewitt and London NHS bosses – that local people will not stand by while they close hospital beds and cut jobs.”
Tom Brake MP added:
“This march is not the end of our campaign – it is simply the beginning.”
“Local people have made it very clear that they will fight any cuts or closures at our local hospital. We stand united: St Helier must not shut.”
ON August 16th, the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt reversed her decision that a new critical care hospital (CCH) should be built at St Helier Hospital; she cited planning concerns about the St Helier site, and financial difficulties of the local NHS Trusts.
The announcement left local MPs Tom Brake and Paul Burstow concerned about the future of the hospital and of health care in Sutton. Over recent months, events have progressed rapidly, as announcements of job cuts and bed closures at St Helier prove that the two MPs were correct:
ON 6th September, Paul Burstow wrote to the Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt requesting guarantees about the future of healthcare in the area. . Ms Hewitt’s reply failed to provide any guarantees about the future of St Helier.
ON 11th September, a report from the influential new labour think tank the IPPR suggested that South West London had excess capacity equivalent to two general hospitals.
ON 10th October, the Trust which runs St Helier announced plans are in place to close 200 beds over the next 18 months. Another on 19th October announcement stated that nearly 500 jobs will be cut.
ON 17th October, in a meeting with Paul Burstow and Tom Brake, Patricia Hewitt admitted that structural problems in North and West London meant that South West London NHS services were being restructured – there is no money for investment in the NHS in South London.
ON 6th November, with evidence if the threat to the future of the hospital mounting, Paul Burstow, Tom Brake and Sean Brennan, Leader of Sutton Council, announced plans to hold a rally to protest against cuts and closures at St Helier Hospital
