Hands Off HRI Campaign

Save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary - #HandsOffHRI

The #HandsOffHRI Campaign is fighting to save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, its 400 beds, its Emergency Care Unit and its Acute Services.

Greater Huddersfield is a population area of 250,000 people.

The local CCGs and the NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are actively pursuing plans which threaten to demolish the existing 400-bed hospital, sell the land owned by the hospital and build a 64-bed day clinic across the road on rented land - and without a full A&E.

Hands Off HRI says:
"This is not a Done Deal!".

The campaign works locally on behalf of the medical staff, the hospital support staff and the people of Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale in West Yorkshire.

Hands Off HRI supports other health campaigners across Yorkshire and across the whole of the rest of the United Kingdom.

Together, we are united. We can win. And we will.

Saturday, 2nd December

Hundreds from the Greater Huddersfield Community put their Hands Around Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for #HandsAroundHRI

BBC Look North Weekend News

BBC Look North Weekend News reports on the #HandsAroundHRI community event, raising awareness across Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale that the Respiratory and Cardiology Wards are being removed from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Includes interviews with Hands Off HRI Campaign Chair, Mike Forster and Colne Valley MP, Thelma Walker.

ITV Calendar Weekend News

ITV Calendar Weekend News reports on the #HandsAroundHRI community event, raising awareness across Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale that the Respiratory and Cardiology Wards are being removed from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Includes an excerpt from a speech by Huddersfield MP, Barry Sheerman and interviews with Hands Off HRI Campaign Secretary, Cristina George; former Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Adnan Muhamed; Colne Valley MP, Thelma Walker; and with #HandsOffHRI Campaigners Natalie Ratcliffe and Samina Wilson.

Saturday, 2nd December

Hands Around HRI
11:30am at Salvation Army Hall on New Hey Road

Saturday, 2nd December

Hands Off HRI - Massive Call to Action on Saturday, 2nd December, 2017

Hands Around HRI - Saturday, 2nd December 2017

On Saturday, 2nd December, the Calderdale Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) intends to move Huddersfield Royal Infirmary’s 27-bed Respiratory & Cardiology Ward to Calderdale Royal Hospital.

If CHFT succeeds in moving the ward from Huddersfield to Halifax, the Trust will be in a strong position to argue that, in the absence of a Respiratory & Cardiology Ward, our hospital can no longer viably run an Emergency Service Unit (the critical part of A&E).

CHFT is trying to shut down our A&E by Stealth.

Greater Huddersfield has a population of 250,000. If we do not turn out in the greatest numbers possible to send a signal to Health Chiefs that HRI is our hospital and we will not give up our A&E, then we will lose our A&E. This is not a joke. This is not a game. We are all standing on the cliff-edge. This is very real.

  • If you’ve ever wanted to be involved in anything to help save our hospital, December 2nd is the one event to come to.
  • If you’ve ever wanted to do one thing to help save our hospital and then never do anything else again, December 2nd is the one event to come to.
  • If you believe in your community and value your hospital, December 2nd is the one event to come to.

Be there. With all your friends. With all your family:

New Hey Road Playing Field

11:30 on Saturday, 2nd December.

This is our chance. We must all stand up and be counted.

Thursday, 23rd November

NHS Neglected in Autumn Budget

BBC Radio 4 Today Programme

Wednesday, 22nd November

NHS Neglected in Autumn Budget

BBC News at Six

BBC News at Ten

BBC Newsnight

Tuesday, 21st November

NHS on the Eve of the Autumn Budget 2017

BBC Newsnight

Monday, 20th November

Inside A&E at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading

ITV News

Wednesday, 15th November

Hands Off HRI Campaign addresses Kirklees Council

Kirklees Council Webcasting

Tuesday, 14th November

Hands Off HRI Secretary Cristina George addresses Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel

Kirklees Council Webcasting

Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff requests that Jeremy Hunt visit Huddersfield and Dewsbury

Parliament Live

Thursday, 9th November

Royal College of Surgeons Warns of Impending Crisis

Channel 4 News

Wednesday, 8th November

NHS Chief Simon Stevens Demands More Money for the NHS

BBC News At One

BBC News At Six

Channel 4 News

BBC News At Ten

Tuesday, 7th November

NHS Workforce Shortages Threaten Patient Safety

BBC Radio 4 Today Programme

How Good A Service Do You Get From Your GP?

BBC Radio 4 You and Yours

Saturday, 4th November

Health Campaigns Together - National Conference in London

Jonathan Ashworth at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Ken Loach at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Jacqui Berry at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Steve Cowan at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Sara Gorton at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

John Lister at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Netti Pearson at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Sam Fairbairn at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Sarah Cook at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Natalie Mehra at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Julian Bell at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Dr. Chaand Nagpaul at Health Campaigns Together

Health Campaigns Together

Friday, 3rd November

Hands Off HRI - Attention All
Ward Closures Threatened.

Hands Off HRI Campaign solicitors have been extremely busy since Friday, 3rd November with the judicial review and dealing with the threatened ward closures.

The Hands Off HRI Campaign is now highly likely to take out an injunction to stop the Calderdale Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

We need evidence and further proof of their impact.

Please let us have all relevant information. Contact us on:

This is important. The Trust is trying to close our A&E by stealth.

Friday, 3rd November

Hospital Bosses to Face Legal Challenge
Hands Off HRI Press Release

Hands Off HRI Campaign has reached a new milestone. On Thursday 2nd November 2017, a formal legal case was lodged with the courts challenging local proposals made by the NHS Trust to downgrade the local hospital and close A&E through the Judicial Review process. It is likely that the case will be heard by a judge in the near future to determine if the case has merit.

The solicitors firm, Irwin Mitchell, which has been representing Hands Off HRI throughout, remain confident of a positive outcome for the campaign. The campaign group has also engaged a leading barrister and Queens' Counsel to advise and present their case to the courts. Professional experts have been enlisted to scrutinise the Trust's Final Business Case and have provided excellent witness statements which forensically pick apart these disgraceful proposals.

The whole legal case has taken months to prepare but the campaign is now confident that the Trust will have to properly account for their plans at a full Judicial Review. For this legal case to happen, Hands Off HRI members have relentlessly raised funds, which has been spent to get the evidence together and legal case this far.

In the meantime, the campaign group awaits the report of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) in Westminster which has been asked to look into the case by local councillors. As yet, the case has not been dealt with.

The campaign also has plans to visit the Department of Health on Whitehall in the New Year 2018 with their latest petition calling on Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, to scrap the local plans.

A spokesperson for the Hands Off HRI Campaign commented:

"This has been a long and very complicated road since the proposals first came to light last January 2016. At our first mass demonstration on February 27th 2016, we committed to launch a legal fighting fund and we are delighted that the people of Huddersfield have responded generously by helping us to fund our case. We would like to thank everyone for their generosity. We are now asking the local council to support our challenge. Local politicians have committed to support our legal case and we will be following this up by lobbying the full council on November 15th, 2017. All other avenues seem to have been closed off so we call on and expect all councillors to back our case and help us continue raising funds to assist the challenge. The Trust management have hired a London based firm of solicitors, to defend their plan which is yet more expense for the NHS. How on earth can they justify and defend all the money they have spent and will now spend to defend the indefensible?"

Hands Off HRI Campaign will continue with their fund-raising activities and, for all who wish to contribute to the fund - or find out how they can support the campaign - information is available on:

Hands Off HRI Website:
OfficialHandsOffHRI.org
Hands Off HRI Email:
info.handsoffhri@gmail.com

Or pay direct into the Hands Off HRI Campaign Bank Account:

Account Name:
Hands Off HRI (Barclays Bank)
Account Number:
93119130
Sort Code:
20-43-04

All support will be gratefully acknowledged. Thank you.

This is our NHS and we can all make a difference.

#NotADoneDeal     #HandsOffHRI

Thursday, 2nd November

EU Nurses turning their back on the UK and the NHS

BBC Victoria Derbyshire

Wednesday, 18th October

Hands Off HRI - Oct 2017 Statement

Since February 2016, our hugely successful Greater Huddersfield Community Campaign, Hands Off HRI has gone from strength to strength.

We have mobilised thousands across the area in defence of our local NHS Hospital Services. What began as a fight to "Save our A&E" is now a struggle to save our entire 400-bed hospital.

We are incensed at the CCG's duplicity in amending their plans to bulldoze our hospital, but we are now equally determined to stop them in their tracks.

On August 31st, 2017, we held a very successful public meeting to launch our Judicial Review.

We have had clear and helpful advice from our legal team that our chances of success are 65% - and anything above 50% is considered good. On that basis we have now lodged the legal papers and we are taking Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) to court.

We are now asking for your help to win our case.

We have already raised over £50,000 to get this far but will of course need to raise more now the case is being lodged.

We have set ourselves a target of £40,000.

The NHS Trust has employed a large firm of solicitors to take us on. When they want to close a hospital, it seems they have their own magic money tree close at hand!

We will continue to rely on the pennies and pounds of your support.

Can you help us, please?

You can make a donation to the campaign bank account, using our bank details below:

Account Name:
Hands Off HRI (Barclays Bank)
Account Number:
93119130
Sort Code:
20-43-04
Reference:
JR

We are also looking for your stories on the implications of closure on your health to be used as evidence in court.

We are also looking for volunteers:

  • to attend meetings
  • to undertake fund raising events
  • to deliver leaflets
  • to carry out many other jobs

If you feel you can spare any time - whether it's just an hour a month or several hours a week - or if you have any stories you can share with Hands Off HRI Campaign, please do contact us on any of the media below, using the folowing local contact details:

Email:
info.handsoffhri@gmail.com
Facebook:
HandsOffHRI
Twitter:
@HOHRILtd
Official Website:
OfficialHandsOffHRI.org
Text:
07887668740

This is our NHS and we can all make a difference. Thank you.

#NotADoneDeal     #HandsOffHRI