[amalgamation of the West calls for Perivale Hospital…]

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amalgamation of the West calls for Perivale Hospital to be Londón: Hospital and • Queen left alone). Hillingdon Hospital Charlotte's takes place there will closed a labour ward in be no spare capacity to take December and so more local This argument is answered smith Districts have more than in a thorough Community the "recommended" number of Health Council report (which beds is because of their national ces trying to whisk women about to have babies along the A4 Western Avenue in the rush hour to Hammersmith seems a sick joke.

•But this is what the local AHA is seriously proposing.

The Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority is proposing the closure of the Perivale Maternity Hospital which has all the maternity beds in the Ealing District. n Mcintosh(IFL)

The usual pseudonym for cuts-'rationalisation' - is used to try to justify this latest attack on the NHS locally.

The AHA document even has the nerve to link these cuts in with the need to devote resources to such services as provision for the elderly and mentally handicapped when their Tory friends in Ealing Council have just closed a day A vain attempt is made by the AHA to try to mask the fact that all they are concerned about is the saving of about £746,000 per annum and the possible disposal' of the site.

They point out that the South and North Hammersmith Districts in the same AHA have more than the recommended number of beds per head of population.

: But even forced to they ' are admit that proposed the OU CANT RUN HOSPITAL SKELETON STAFF KUPE SAYS:

FIGH THE SAI referals from Perivaie. patients can go to Hillingdon They also say that many ence. Hospital anyway.

Is NHS trade union ( mothers are being given preferThe reason the hospitals in the North and South Hammerimportance as teaching hospitals especially with the demand for the Leboyer Method offered at the West London.

The CHC reply shows how the Perivale Hospital covers the area in the AHA with a very high concentration of women of child bearing age which is also one of social stress, covering the Southall, Greenford and Northholt areas.

As one of the mums told us, many of the hospital's doctors are Asian and can talk to the young Asıan women ALSix issues..

Three months Six months (25 issues).

One year (50 issues) ..

EUROPE Six months (25 issues).

One year (50 issues) ..

REST OF THE WORLD Six months (25 issues) and make them feel more contented.

This sort of thing is of no interest to the moguls of the AHA.

Neither apparently is the fact that without practicai experience of obstetrics it could mean the withdrawal of recognition by the General Nursing Council and the Royal Colleges of recognition for training nurses and doctors.

A vigorous local campaign to save the hospital has already begun. Bill Dunn of COHSE with some of the staff at the hospital have been interviewed on LBC and a petition has been circulating around ail the union branches, trades councils and political parties in the area. A public meeting is planned for 3 April. The final date for objections to be notified to the AHA is 31 March.

Bill Dunn did say to the radio interviewer that if necessary the workers would consider occupying to save the hospital.

However, this must first be discussed with the workforce themselves and preparations made to gain support of the local GPs to keep referring patients and to the ambulance drivers to keep bringing the women in.

The Area Joint Shop Stewards Committee has pledged to give all support to any action taken in defence of the hospital.

This must be taken up and a pledge of supporting strike action given. Work must be done among other local COHSE branches who apparently in the past would not pledge themselves to take action in the fight to keep Perivale open.

The tendency now of some people to say that cuts should be made in other districts of the AHA must be roundly attacked.

It is clear that Perivale is a very popular hospital and local workers, residents and tenants will fight to keep it open. SUBSCRIPTION RATES With workers by the thousand taking to the streets to oppose Tory policies there is plainly no lack of militancy in the organised working class.

Yet the existing trade union bureaucrats and Labour leaders -whether right or "left'-have no perspective to offer those workers prepared to fight in defence of jobs, living standards, social services and democratic rights.

These can only be defended through policies which start from the independent interests of the working class, which, as an international class, has nothing to gain and everything to lose from attempts to restore the profitability of their "own" employing class.

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