UNISON members today delivered over 3,000 pledge cards to Downing Street, highlighting the local community’s fears about the future of Rotherham Hospital.
Staff and activists were joined by local politicians as they presented their message to No 10.
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is under pressure from the government to save £50m from its budget.
On 19 December, the hospital board will agree how services should be organised and which services continue to be viable in the long term.
Its initial plan was to axe 750 jobs by 2015, including admin and clerical workers, nursing staff, and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists.
Those details may change, but the trust continues to talk about “hard decisions”.
UNISON has maintained its demand that the trust explore alternatives to such dramatic job losses.
The union has revealed that the number of nurses has fallen at the hospital in the past three years, while the number of patients waiting more than four hours in A&E has risen by 250%.
Joint branch secretary Gill Garnett, who works in Rotherham’s A&E department and was part of the Downing Street delegation, said: “It’s been great to receive such overwhelming support from the public in Rotherham.
“Hospital staff are doing great work under enormous pressure, but they can’t continue to stretch resources thinner and thinner.
“We all want our hospital to get through this difficult time. As these big decisions loom we’re sending a clear message to the government about how much Rotherham values its hospital.”
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