Tactics change on health cuts
Socialist Press1977 1977-12-21Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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The Secretary of State for Social Services, Mr. David Ennals, has made I tactical retreat in his »id to cut health services • Greenwich District, South London.
In the face of huge apposition from staff and the local community, he has ¡ejected the Area • Health Authority's plan to close St. Nicholas Hospital, Plumstead, which has 283 beds.
Instead he is proposing. diat five smaller hospitals in the Area should close with a loss of about 250 beds and ¿ theoretical 'saving' of about FORA NON annually The hospitals now threatened are the Eltham and Nottingham; Bexley Maternity; Bexley and Welling; Woolwich Memorial Hospital, and the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies in Greenwich.
While this change of plan is an indication of the level of opposition to the closure of St. Nicholas, it would clearly be a mistake to talk of 'victory" when Ennals is simply attempting to shift his ground and to pick off five smaller, and consequently weaker hospitals in the same areas.
Consultation this new plan are schedul ed to end at the and of Fehri It 1978 could get, then they must be replaced by lay members who will take a hard line.
The membership have received no lead as to how the claim could be won.