NHS: phone MPs about the hospital closure clause

Tomorrow, MPs will be voting on the hospital closure clause. If it passes, the clause would give the government the power to quickly close hospitals, without properly consulting local people and doctors.

But there’s a chance to stop it. Liberal Democrat, Paul Burstow MP, a former health minister, has put forward an amendment to replace the clause with new wording, giving local people a final say in changes to their NHS services.

MPs will be voting on this amendment tomorrow. Many MPs – including Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour – have already said they’ll be voting against the government, and standing up for their local hospital. So we have a real chance to win the vote tomorrow if enough of them hear directly from us about how important this is.

Can you call your MP’s office now and ask them to vote for Paul Burstow’s amendment? You don’t need to be an expert to call your MP. It’s just about saying what you think, as their constituent. It’ll only take a few minutes, but it could make all the difference to how MPs votes. Click here to call your MP.

If MPs phones are ringing off the hook before the vote, it’ll create a real buzz around Parliament. Phone calls will make sure MPs remember to turn up to the vote, and they could be the tipping point in getting more of them to vote the right way.

MPs have already received thousands of emails from 38 Degrees members asking them to vote for the solution to the hospital closure clause. But we need to make sure that they’re hearing from their voters wherever they turn. An avalanche of phone calls to their office today could be the thing that persuades them.