Preserve Huntingdonshire

Huntingdonshire Primary Care Trust is responsible for Children’s Services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.  A New Children’s Unit is currently being built due to open in 2007.  The Dreamdrops “Helping Holly care for children” fund-raising appeal aims to make a real difference to children and families who attend Holly Ward. Donations will buy play equipment for children and teenagers, specialist facilities for disabled children and will raise money to provide facilities for parents who need to stay in hospital with their baby or child. None of this is provided by the NHS but it would all make being in hospital and away from home more tolerable for children and their families.

For further information, see the attached newsletter or contact:

Maddie Chisholm
Huntingdonshire Primary Care Trust
The Priory
Priory Road
St Ives
Tel. 01480 308222
Fax 01480 308234
Email maddie.chisholm@hunts-pct.nhs.uk

Today there was a massed protest against the proposed downgrading of Hinchingbrooke Hospital. There have been plenty of column inches on this in the local paper - The Hunts Post - see Hands Off Hinchingbrooke . Returning from the Music School there seemed to be an almost continuous stream of people so I’m hoping that the turn-out was good - we need to ensure that the message gets home.

Is there anyone out there who actually took part who would like to contribute their thoughts and observations and perhaps a picture? What was the mood like? I’m hoping that amongst the many who attended we might be able to find a newshound or blogger.

I suspect part of the difficulty is finding out who is responsible for making the decisions - health authority, government - and getting to them. Whilst it is always good to get folks on the streets this also needs to be backed up with lobbying the local and national politicians.

It’s going to be a long haul.