Jeremy Hunt is trying to sneak through a law which will give him the power to quickly close any local hospital

Jeremy Hunt is trying to sneak through a law which will give him the power to quickly close any local hospital without listening to local people. No hospital is safe. He’s changing the rules after losing twice in court trying to close Lewisham Hospital against the wishes of local people, doctors and nurses. The sweeping new law - the 'hospital closure clause' of the Care Bill - will give the government the power to shut down any hospital, in as little as 40 days, regardless of how well the hospital is performing. [1] Jeremy Hunt is hell-bent on pushing this through. And time’s not on our side. It could be as little as one week before MPs vote this sinister threat into a reality. If we’re going to have a chance of stopping Jeremy Hunt we need to throw the kitchen sink at this. And we need to move fast. Vote now to decide whether or not we should launch a big campaign. Yes or No? YES - WE SHOULD NO - WE SHOULDN'T Our NHS is precious. And it’s important that we know hospitals, accident and emergency and maternity services are there for us in moments of crisis and joy. It’s terrifying to imagine the government having the power to close any hospital without hearing the wishes of the local community. It’s going to be tough to stop Jeremy Hunt. But we’ve done it before - twice in Lewisham alone. And if enough of us are keen, there are exciting possibilities for next steps. And new tactics we could try which would take even Jeremy Hunt by surprise! The 38 Degrees staff team sit down on Monday morning to plan out the week ahead and decide on how we split up staff resources. The most important factor when making those decisions is what 38 Degrees members think. Should trying to stop the hospital closure clause be 38 Degrees' top priority over the next few weeks? Please vote now to help decide whether to launch a big campaign by clicking on the buttons below.   YES - WE SHOULD NO - WE SHOULDN'T Thanks for being involved, Becky, Ian, Rebecca, David and the rest of the 38 Degrees team PS: A study of NHS foundation trusts in England has found the number of those in financial trouble has nearly doubled in a year from 21 to 39. Jeremy Hunt has shown before he’s willing to close good hospitals to bail out ones which are struggling - this law would allow him to do this, even if local patients and doctors were strongly against it. [3] NOTES [1] What is the Hospital Closure Clause. Read more on our blog here: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/02/20/nhs-what-is-the-hospital-closure-clause/ [2] BBC News: Rise in NHS Foundation Trusts with deficit, says Monitor hospitals http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26299423

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