By George Arnett, Ellie Busby, Jess Denham, Brett Leppard and Lydia Symonds
Celebrities and politicians joined at least a thousand other campaigners today to protest against the planned downsizing of Whittington Hospital.
Organisers claimed that as many as 5,000 marched from Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court to the hospital near Archway, where a rally was held afterwards. The BBC reported that the figures were nearer 1,500.
Local celebrities spotted on the march included Only Fools and Horses actor Roger Lloyd-Pack, comedian Victoria Wood, former Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy and columnist Caitlin Moran.
They were joined by Islington MPs Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Corbyn, as well as MP for Tottenham David Lammy, former mayoral candidate Frank Dobson, and MP for Hampstead and Kilburn Glenda Jackson. Lib Dem MP and former cabinet minister Lynne Featherstone was also marching.
The action was called after the Whittington Hospital board approved plans to raise £17m by selling off six blocks, currently used as wards and staff accommodation. The measures would result in the number of patient beds being halved to 177 and 570 jobs being cut, roughly 200 of which would be from nursing staff.
Mr Corbyn, MP for Islington North, told the rally: “Mark my words, halving the number of beds in this hospital puts in jeopardy the whole future of our hospital and our NHS. We are not alone – Lewisham Hospital in South London, Chase Farm Hospital, all over London the same nonsensical financial argument is being used!”
The Trust have argued that the hospital is trying to plan a better service by moving care into the community. Board members argued at a February meeting that many services could be provided by a local health centre or within people’s homes rather than in a hospital.
Mr Lloyd-Pack, who played Trigger in Only Fools and Horses, gave a passionate speech, in which he said that nurses could not afford accommodation in central London. Dr Jackie Davis, a practicing consultant at the Whittington, quoted another famous TV comedy, Blackadder, when she said: “There’s absolutely nothing the matter with this idea except it’s complete bollocks.
“We’ve got to get up and rebel. Put your hands up if you’re a hospital worker. We need you to have your jobs. We need you for our NHS, so keep going and keep the struggle up. We need you to be quite brave about this and take the action a lot further.”
Other dramatic moments included David Lammy reiterating claims he would chain himself to the hospital if necessary and Islington Council leader Catherine West congratulating the local press on their campaigns to keep Whittington open.
Both the Islington Gazette and the Islington Tribune had double decker buses involved in the march. The Tribune’s bus was carrying 107-year-old Hettie Bower, who was campaigning against the cuts.
Many of the marchers were upset that the hospital, which has the lowest mortality rates in the country and one of the highest nurse-to-patient ratios, could be under threat.
Kim McMahon, 54, of Shaftesbury Road, Holloway, has been using the hospital for 30 years. She said: “I’ve always had a very good service from Whittington. With the investigations into Staffordshire it makes me very grateful that it is so safe”.
A statement from the Whittington Health Trust read: “More people are receiving healthcare in their homes, health centres and GP surgeries. Technology will increasingly support more care, especially for people with long term conditions.
“The frail elderly are often best cared for in community settings. Over time, the dependency on hospital wards will decrease, which will see some staff relocate to health centres.”
