Hospital cuts to be at centre of court clash

COURTROOM CHALLENGE BY LAW FIRM GOES AHEAD

Reporter CUTS at a Tyneside hospital are to be the subject of a courtroom clash after campaigners won the right to pursue a legal challenge.

Lawyers from Irwin Mitchell had written to NHS Sunderland CCG and NHS South Tyneside CCG urging them to overturn the decision to move maternity, women’s healthcare, paediatric and stroke services away from South Tyneside to Sunderland, or potentially face a judicial review in the High Court.

Now, the High Court has confirmed Irwin Mitchell, acting on behalf of the Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign Group, can proceed with its legal action after the two CCGs did not agree to reverse their decision.

Granting permission, His Honour Judge Saffman said he believed the grounds put forward by lawyers at Irwin Mitchell were “sufficiently arguable such as to justify the granting of permission”.

Yogi Amin, a partner and head of public law and human rights at the firm, said: “Following our instruction by the South Tyneside Hospital Campaign Group, we argued that there were grounds for a judicial review of the decision taken by NHS managers at South Tyneside CCG and NHS Sunderland CCG.

“Unfortunately South Tyneside CCG and NHS Sunderland CCG have not shown a willingness to reconsider the decision, therefore we welcome the High Court’s decision to grant permission to pursue a judicial review.

“This is the next step in the legal case to save the local NHS hospital services.”

Following a review by the South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, a public consultation was held into changes of three key services at South Tyneside Hospital. The consultation closed on October 15 last year.