| Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group In Rally Call
Only 15 Days to go are you Ready for the Big Day
Support the Campaign March with us on the day, it's your hospital!
CAMPAIGNERS battling to secure services at an East Yorkshire hospital are urging supporters to make a defiant last stand when they assemble for a protest march later this month.
Saturday: 20th October 2007 @ 10am @ Bridlington Business Centre
More than 15,000+ leaflets are being distributed to advertise the rally aimed at safeguarding the future of Bridlington Hospital (CMU) Cardiac Monitoring Unit & Acuter Medical Services and organiser Mick Pilling Tel: 01262 671926 hopes hundreds will take to the streets on October 20. to highlight this very problem, we cannot afford to lose these vital services, it is a life-line to the people of Bridlington & District, to take it to Scarborough; most feel patients will die in transit.
Be a Volunteer help with the Distribution of Leaflets in all areas
Fears that up to 600 jobs would be axed by the cash-strapped Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, were eased last month when the strategic health authority agreed to write off a £20m debt.
But the trust is still planning to shed about 70 posts as it seeks to save £2m and campaigners in the resort fear the axe is still hanging over the six-bed (CMU) Cardiac Monitoring Unit as the Scarborough NHS Trust would like to remove this service, a lifeline to Bridlington and surrounding areas. Also fears are the (AMS) Acute Medical Services at Bridlington, which they believe will be reduced to a centre for day case surgery and rehabilitation.
Mick Pilling, chairman of the Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group , said anyone concerned about the hospital's future should attend the March - strength in numbers
Make your voice be heard, march with us on Saturday 20th October 2007 @ 10.00am,
show your support and have your say,
common sense by the Scarborough NHS Trust will win the day.
Mick Pilling say's "This is a last stand. This hospital is a lifeline and once it's gone we'll never get it back. We must show our feelings now rather than after because then it will be too late.
"We've got to say to the Scarborough NHS Trust; 'Enough is enough. This is our hospital and we want the services to remain'."
The March-Protest-Rally, which will be attended by the pensioners' action group P.A.G.E.R. and members of the former Amicus trade union, Unite , will leave Bridlington Business Centre in Bessingby Way at 10am.
Those not well enough to walk the route are invited to attend a rally at the March's end in the hospital grounds.
The numbers on the march are being boosted by members of a sister campaign in Scarborough. SAVE SCARBOROUGH HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN GROUP
John Palethorpe, organiser of the Save Scarborough Hospital campaign, said: "We are independent campaigns but we have formed an alliance.
"Mick is trying to do the same thing as we are in Scarborough, Save Our Services, and we want people from other areas like Malton, Whitby and Driffield to come and join us. We are trying to inspire people."
Mr Pilling has previously said he hoped the march would include the presence of a
hearse bearing the
words "NHS Rest In Peace".
THIS AS NOW BEEN SCRAPPED AS NOT TO OFFEND!
Organisers will offer refreshments to Marchers, the Country Kitchen have offered there support; a luxury Mr Pilling says is not so readily available to staff and patients at the hospital. Bridlington Hospital canteen now closes every day at 3.00pm; the Trust say it is not used and no staff available to run it, another downgrade to our hospital.
He claims the Canteen is now closed in the afternoons from 3pm due to lack of staff and it not been used? Vending machines are broken, Salad bar & Sandwich bar are broken. No hot or cold drinks; this is the NHS run by a Trust. He said this demonstrated the trust's intention to "run the hospital down", a claim it flatly denies.
Gilly Collinson, the Trust's Communications Manager, said: "Bridlington Hospital has some excellent facilities and the trust is committed to making the best use of these.
"We provide a wide range of local clinics; we recently spent over £200,000 upgrading the
operating theatres and we're making more use of these.
"We've invested heavily in both endoscopy and radiology services over recent years.
We even replaced the boilers.
"None of this would suggest a reduction in services or an intent to run down the hospital."
Read Mick's write-up below.
OPERATING THEATRES - The Bridlington Hospital site was upgraded because the Scarborugh Hospital are having the theatres brought up-to-standard, decorated & cleaned in line with Government targets, where else can they do operations?
ENDOSCOPY - YES this has been brought in to line with Scarborough
RADIOLOGY - The Bridlington Hospital site needed to be up-graded as some machines were on there last legs and parts could not be replaced. New technology was introduced.
BOILERS @ the Bridlington Site. The new boilers were fitted when Ms Alison Guy was in power; we were told then the boilers had to be done to be brought in line with Government Legislation and green-power; the Trust was given a grant to have this work done so who are you kidding Scarborough NHS Trust.
I rest my case
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