Meeting for hospital protest campaigners

CAMPAIGNERS calling for Hinckley and District Hospital to remain at the centre of health services in the town are holding a public meeting.

Members of the Save our Hinckley Cottage Hospital - Action Group will gather at The Greyhound pub in New Buildings, Hinckley, on July 1. The meeting takes place from 7pm to 9pm and all are welcome to attend.

Lynda Gibbs, from the group, said: “We are calling this ‘next steps’ and we are inviting all people that are supporting this fight to come along and pledge us some of your time and bring along any of your ideas for this campaign.”

The Victorian building has been labelled ‘ not fit for purpose’ due to difficulties in providing modern anaesthetic and cancer screening techniques.

Proposals from West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which pays for and plans NHS services for Hinckley and Bosworth, will take proposals to re-arrange healthcare out to public consultation soon.

The proposals include closing the Mount Road Hospital, moving all procedures requiring general anaesthesia to acute hospitals and transferring other out-patient sessions and treatments to other centres in Hinckley, such as the health centre and community hospital at Ashby Road.

Campaigners believe Hinckley and District Hospital should be retained and services expanded in the town centre rather than reduced. The group will also be at The Britannia Centre in Hinckley on Saturday August 20 from 10am to 2pm.

Other dates are being lined up for the group to take a protest petition to local supermarkets.

For detailks visit www.hinckleyhospital.co.uk or www. facebook.com/groups/thisishinckley