DAVE Bloom and John -gardeners and trade union activists at St John's Hospital in Lewisham, are the first to admit that the hospital's hundred or so staff will not be able to prevent its closure on their own.
So they are more than gratified at the help which the local anti-cuts campaign is marshalling, in Lewisham itself and in the neighbourLamber Lewiseam, and Southwark boroughs served by Area Health Authority.
St John's has the distinction of being the first hospital scheduled for commissioners, suitably gentlemen installed by ment.to. axe. ESm, declined to carry out.
To be frank, Dave Bloom and John Cox. aren't certain when their hospital will close.
The staff were told at the end of August that it would close on 1 duly held a meeting week at which they voted to work-in from that date, and then they received district which hinted that maybe the closure date would be later.
Dave and John aren't quite so silly as to take that seriously.
Options True, they have got into the habit of expecting contradictory messages from their bosses. A few days before the announcement of the axe, instance, a news sheet put out by the health district arrived in the stating that the long-term plan for St vill s was Inal 1 snouid become a geriatric or psychiatric hospital.
Those options the staff are willing to consider, but they enough about the anyone to even observe their meetings believe that the announcement means what it says.
And thus it is that on Saturday 29 September a march will take place through Lewisham Hospital bearing a simple message for the commissioners: Get lost.
And that march, preceded by much petitioning and Cox, La little what was secretive the governwhich the AHA ST JOHN's hospital workers Dave Bloom (left) and John Cox 'HERNIA operations and surgery that can wait will be meeting February. son.
Opposition IMG campaign, and almost half put their name down on the "I want to be involved' sheets. Ong, 50d opted a committe " elected-a Which has co-opted a delegate fron the local abortion • Laulpaign, and includes delegates from the area-wide Campaign Against Health Cuts in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. The latter was set up by the trades councils in these three boroughs last It was the resistance to the cuts by the AHA and the rapidity with which the commissioners have moved in, without any consultation health workers, that has sparked the level of opposition are now seeing, explains Malcolm RichardHe also points to the unity that has been established, involving organisations such as the Labour Party, CP,