The New Dark Age

1 November 2016 — 38 Degrees

Unless we move fast, local NHS bosses say that one in three A&Es in England could close. It’s part of Jeremy Hunt’s plan to make big cuts, closures and changes to our NHS without our say. [1]

It doesn’t matter where you live – we all need emergency care nearby. If someone in your family goes into early labour or your child has an asthma attack in the night, driving 10 extra miles before you see a doctor can be the difference between life and death.

Right now, it’s hard to tell which A&Es could close, and how you could be affected. [2] That’s why it’s so important to ask our MPs to demand more money for our NHS – to make sure that emergency care in Vauxhall gets a hearing. So that we don’t lose the the A&Es, walk-in centers and maternity services our families rely on.

This worrying news was revealed in today’s Telegraph and the Health Service Journal – both places that politicians keep a close eye on. [3] So please can you email your MP today to demand answers? It only takes two minutes and it’s easy to do – just click the button below, and there’s a template email you can use if you want:

Every day there’s a new story about the NHS not having enough money. But there’s a simple way to solve this: the government can give the NHS the money it needs, so that we all get the world-class care we know the NHS can give. [4]

One of us emailing our local MP might not be enough to do this – but there’s hundreds of thousands of us reading this today, from all areas of England. If we all take two minutes to email our MPs now, we can ask them to urgently pressure the government to give our NHS the money it needs.

It could be enough to safeguard A&Es near you – and make sure that no one in England is left without one.

So will you email your MP now William, for the sake of emergency NHS care near you? It only takes two minutes:

Thanks for being involved,

Bex, Amy, Rachel, David and the 38 Degrees team

PS. 38 Degrees is named after the angle at which snowflakes come together to cause an avalanche. It shows that when enough of us team up, we have the power to make real change, like making sure our NHS is there for our children and grandchildren. So please can you join thousands of us and email your MP now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/emailyourmp

NOTES:
[1] The Telegraph: Almost half of NHS authorities to cut hospital beds and third to close A&E:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/30/almost-half-of-nhs-authorities-to-cut-hospital-beds-and-third-to/
[2] The research which has informed The Telegraph and Health Service Journal articles hasn’t been published by area – and because a lot of the plans are being drawn up behind closed doors, we can’t say for sure how patient care in each area of England will be affected.
38 Degrees blog: Is our NHS at risk of cuts? NHS England’s “Sustainability and Transformation Plans” explained:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2016/08/04/nhs-risk-cuts-nhs-englands-sustainability-transformation-plans-explained/
[3] The Telegraph: Almost half of NHS authorities to cut hospital beds and third to close A&E:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/30/almost-half-of-nhs-authorities-to-cut-hospital-beds-and-third-to/
Health Service Journal: Exclusive: Survey reveals STPs’ service change priorities (behind a paywall):
https://www.hsj.co.uk/sectors/commissioning/exclusive-survey-reveals-stps-service-change-priorities/7012728.article
[4] Here are stories just from today on experts and MPs calling for more NHS funding:
BBC News: NHS funds need urgent boost, say MPs:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37801100
The Independent: Theresa May ‘giving false impression’ about Government spending on NHS:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chancellor-philip-hammond-urged-by-senior-tory-to-inject-money-into-nhs-amid-social-care-crisis-a7387681.html