Shutting A&E departments can cost lives. Recent reports showed that when an A&E in Newark closed, there was a 37% jump in patient deaths. [1] Yet across the country A&Es are being cut. Not because of clinical need, but to meet unrealistic financial demands made by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. [2]
If we work together, we can stop this worrying trend. In Lewisham, South London, local campaigners want to take the government to court over plans to slash their A&E and maternity services. If they win their court case, it would be a huge boost for battles to protect A&E services up and down the country.
This is a court case that matters for all of us, not just the people of Lewisham. But for it to go ahead, the campaigners desperately need more funds. So far they've raised £5,000 on their own. If we can help them get to £20,000, they can hire in a top legal team and make the most of their chance to challenge the closure.
Please will you chip in now? If enough of us donate, the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign will be able to take Jeremy Hunt to court!
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/save-lewisham-hospital
If Jeremy Hunt gets away with slashing services in Lewisham, he'll be far more likely to try it elsewhere. Lewisham hospital is well-performing. Crazily, it’s because Lewisham is a successful hospital that it has been targeted. Hunt wants to move money-making services away from Lewisham to bail out hospitals making losses in the area next door.
Expert lawyers say he isn’t allowed to do this. A judge has already agreed that there's a case to answer, and capped costs at £20,000. If we can raise that money and get the right legal team in place, we have a real chance of getting Jeremy Hunt's closure plan overturned.
The Save Lewisham Hospital campaign is an inspiring example of ordinary people working to protect the NHS. Many of them are 38 Degrees members. They are campaigning for the same thing as the rest of us - a decent NHS we can all rely on. And if they win, it will boost our chances of protecting A&E services everywhere. So let's show them our support and help them take Jeremy Hunt to court!
The court case is scheduled to start in a couple of weeks - please donate now so the legal team can start working as soon as possible:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/save-lewisham-hospital
Thanks for being involved,
Blanche, Ian, David and the 38 Degrees team
FURTHER INFORMATION
What is the legal case about?
The Save Lewisham Hospital campaign is asking for the court to review Jeremy Hunt’s decision to downgrade a number of services at Lewisham Hospital. Lawyers have said he didn’t have the authority to make this decision. For more information on the case, click here:
http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/wp- ... llenge.pdf
Why are they trying to raise £20,000?
A judge has agreed that the case should be heard, and that the amount of money local people should have to pay to fight it should be limited. The judge limited the amount Government lawyers could claim in costs if they win. The Save Lewisham Hospital campaign’s lawyers have also limited their fees - so in total, the most that the legal challenge could cost the campaign is £20,000.
What happens if we raise more than the £15,000 still needed?
Any donations made above the £15,000 target will go towards 38 Degrees’ campaigning work, including our NHS campaign and supporting other local hospital campaigns. For more details of our donations policy click here:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/donat ... 38-degrees
Can the £20,000 be recovered if the case is successful?
If the legal challenge is successful there is a chance that the legal costs can be recovered. If this happens, the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign will return the donations made to their legal fund. They will be reinvested in 38 Degrees’ campaigning work, in line with our donations policy.
Can I get involved in any other ways?
The Save Lewisham Hospital website contains lots of further information about the campaign and other ways people can get involved:
http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/
What about my local hospital which is also under threat?
Hopefully a successful legal challenge to save Lewisham hospital will help protect other hospitals which are under threat. If your local hospital or NHS services is under threat and you are interested in launching a local campaign in your area (or have details of a campaign that already exists) please email the office team at
[email protected]
NOTES
[1] The Daily Mail: Shocking proof A&E closures cost lives: Death rate jumps more than a THIRD after department closes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... loses.html
[2] The Guardian: Lewisham hospital closure sets worrying precedent for NHS
http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-ne ... cedent-nhs
Take Care Bro! 
