Poll Results: Hospital Closure Clause

It’s been a few weeks since MPs debated the hospital closure clause. Here’s a quick recap of what happened: Lib Dem MP and former health minister Paul Burstow tabled an amendment which aimed to remove the worst parts of the clause. The amendment was drafted by lawyers funded by 38 Degrees members. But Burstow decided to withdraw his support for the amendment at the last minute after the government offered some concessions.

Since then, the 38 Degrees office team have been speaking to experts to decide how meaningful the government concessions were, and whether Paul Burstow was right not to push for a vote. And it’s worrying news. The government’s concessions did not go far enough.

They committed to consult local people about any proposed hospital closures. They also said that local doctors should be consulted. But lawyers have said that while some of the concessions are a step forward, our hospitals still aren’t safe.

It’s disappointing that we didn’t make as much progress as we hoped. But the hospital closure clause is not law yet. It returns to the House of Lords on the 7th May. So, last week, 38 Degrees members voted to decide our next move.

The results are in! 38 Degrees members have decided that we want to keep campaigning on this issue, and to shout about the fact that no hospital will be safe under the current proposed bill. (The red shows 38 Degrees members who ranked it as their top priority, and green and dark blue show members who support it as an option, and light blue are those who want to stop campaigning on this issue).

So, it looks like we’ll be keeping on campaigning. Watch this space for our next move… more information in the next couple of days.