| PREDICTIONS of another hung Parliament and coalition government give Stafford hospital campaigners a chance to shake up the political system, they say. Around 20 members of the Support Stafford Hospital campaign are planning to stand as independents in the May elections for the borough council. And former nurse and health visitor Karen Howell is standing for the Stafford parliamentary seat as the National Health Action Party candidate. The campaigners ended their protest camp in the County Hospital grounds on Saturday, but are moving into new offices near the town centre this week to step up their fight via social media and plan their election battle. “Stafford has the chance to give the political system a shock this year and let the people in power know that we deserve better,” said Richard Wood, from Baswich, who was among a group of campaigners who gathered at the camp for a farewell on Friday evening. “We need to do a Greece and shake the system up. “With another coalition government being predicted, if just a few NHA or independent MPs get into Westminster they have a real chance of holding the government to account and making sure they keep their promises.” Lol Barnes, 63, from Oulton, said she was planning to stand for the borough council to ensure the community’s voice was heard more strongly in local government. “There are not enough people on the council who are really standing up and fighting for our area,” said Mrs Barnes, a former healthcare assistant at Stafford’s hospital. “Staff have worked their socks off turning the hospital around and improving care, and that needs to be recognised by the people in charge. “It was supposed to cure the problems, not kill the hospital.” And Dan Jackson, 32, from Stafford, who has spent every day but one at the camp since it started in the summer, said it was “crazy” to be moving hospital services out of Stafford. “I feel very angry at the injustice of it, he said. “There is supposed to be equal access to healthcare for all, but Stafford will be getting a second-class service.” Consultant-led maternity services moved out of Stafford in mid-January,though the hospital will have an expanded midwife-led unit.. Emergency surgery and level three acute care are due to move to Stoke from February 9 with the children’s ward following later in the spring.PREDICTIONS of another hung Parliament and coalition government give Stafford hospital campaigners a chance to shake up the political system, they say. Around 20 members of the Support Stafford Hospital campaign are planning to stand as independents in the May elections for the borough council. And former nurse and health visitor Karen Howell is standing for the Stafford parliamentary seat as the National Health Action Party candidate. The campaigners ended their protest camp in the County Hospital grounds on Saturday, but are moving into new offices near the town centre this week to step up their fight via social media and plan their election battle. “Stafford has the chance to give the political system a shock this year and let the people in power know that we deserve better,” said Richard Wood, from Baswich, who was among a group of campaigners who gathered at the camp for a farewell on Friday evening. “We need to do a Greece and shake the system up. “With another coalition government being predicted, if just a few NHA or independent MPs get into Westminster they have a real chance of holding the government to account and making sure they keep their promises.” Lol Barnes, 63, from Oulton, said she was planning to stand for the borough council to ensure the community’s voice was heard more strongly in local government. “There are not enough people on the council who are really standing up and fighting for our area,” said Mrs Barnes, a former healthcare assistant at Stafford’s hospital. “Staff have worked their socks off turning the hospital around and improving care, and that needs to be recognised by the people in charge. “It was supposed to cure the problems, not kill the hospital.” And Dan Jackson, 32, from Stafford, who has spent every day but one at the camp since it started in the summer, said it was “crazy” to be moving hospital services out of Stafford. “I feel very angry at the injustice of it, he said. “There is supposed to be equal access to healthcare for all, but Stafford will be getting a second-class service.” Consultant-led maternity services moved out of Stafford in mid-January,though the hospital will have an expanded midwife-led unit.. Emergency surgery and level three acute care are due to move to Stoke from February 9 with the children’s ward following later in the spring. Read more: http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/Stafford-hospital-campaigners-start-election/story-25960198-detail/story.html#ixzz3Qz88iXjZ |