A leading hospital campaigner who was among a group who met with health minister Philip Dunne last week has said the days of sitting around tables talking to bosses are over.

Rachel Holliday, a Whitehaven mum-of-two and Cumbria's Woman of the Year, has warned of growing public unrest over plans to downgrade hospital services in west Cumbria.

During the visit he met with staff, patients and campaigners who are concerned about plans to overhaul services at the Whitehaven and Carlisle hospitals and close community beds.

Mrs Holliday told the News & Star that although Mr Dunne said he was listening, she did not feel he really heard their concerns - particularly over the risk to mum of moving consultant-led maternity services.

The meeting, at the West Cumberland Hospital on Thursday, was also attended by Stephen Eames, chief executive of North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and other managers.

Afterwards Mrs Holliday, of the We Need West Cumberland Hospital campaign group, said she was heartened by the number of people who turned up to protest during his visit.

With less than 24 hours notice the group managed to rally dozens of placard-waving supporters to the demonstration.


Rachel Holliday And she believes that ultimately people power is the only way save services, and called on people across the Cumbrian community to stand up and fight for their local hospital services.

"I just think the days of sitting around a table with the likes of Stephen Eames and Government ministers are now over. We are angry now, it's our hospital, not theirs," she said.

"What Central Government are concerned about is public unrest. People power has more weight than corridor power."

Health bosses argue that cutting services is not a financial decision but down to recruitment - with problems finding permanent paediatricians to work in Whitehaven impacting on their ability to run a Special Care Baby Unit, and therefore consultant-led maternity.

But Mrs Holliday is not convinced. "Are you telling me that we are going to have a centre of nuclear excellence where we recruit nuclear professionals from around the world but can't recruit a handful of consultants to the West Cumberland Hospital?"

She is urging people across the area to make their voices heard by attending protests planned by the campaign group, signing their petition backing a vote of no confidence in the Success Regime (via the We Need West Cumberland Hospital Facebook page), attending the public meeting organised as part of the ongoing consultation process, and backing the News & Star's Save Our Services campaign.

Sign our online petition here or download a paper copy here