A petition against changes at Grantham Hospital which include the loss of the town’s maternity unit has received 7,696 signatures.
The petition, which concluded this week, opposes the loss of the maternity unit, opposes the reduction of A&E services at Grantham Hospital and calls for a new acute stroke unit for Grantham Hospital.
Charmaine Morgan of SOS Grantham Hospital said she was delighted with the response from the Grantham public.
She said: “We are absolutely delighted at the fabulous result we have had.
“We have had a brilliant level of support from the community, especially local businesses who have been tremendous.”
The petition gathered momentum in the past couple of weeks as pressure mounted on United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust - the organisation responsible for Grantham Hospital and Lincoln County Hospital - over claims it put targets before patient safety.
The trust is also one of nine bodies being investigated for high death rates.
Charmaine said: “Given the news on patient safety and the high level of deaths, can they really afford to ignore what we in the town are saying?”
Charmaine would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped with the petition, from the businesses who stocked the petition to the supermarkets and shopping centres who allowed SOS Grantham Hospital to set up on their premises.
She added: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to the members of SOS Grantham Hospital who really bust a gut travelling around, dropping off and picking up petitions.
“They are all just volunteer local people who care about the hospital.”
NHS Lincolnshire’s Shaping Health for Mid Kesteven consultation concludes TODAY (Feb 20).
Take part in the consultation and have your say on the future of Grantham Hospital by logging on to www.lincolnshire.nhs.uk
