2013-06-10

38 Degrees are running an appeal to try to raise money (£20,000) to take the Health Secretary to court. Please read their article:-

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!

DONATE NOW

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

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