Cannock Hospital petition has 9,000 names
Nine thousand signatures have been gathered by supporters trying to save services at Cannock Hospital.
The fight is escalating following health watchdog Monitor's claims they should be withdrawn from Cannock and Stafford hospitals through a £70 million downgrade and relocated elsewhere.
Up to 9,000 residents and medical professionals have now joined forces against the move, signing a petition urging the trust's administrators, Alan Bloom and Hugo Mascie-Taylor, to ensure services are retained at the Brunswick Road site.
A draft plan outlining the future of Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust is to be released by the administrators on June 19, before it is put out to public consultation on June 25.
Leader of Cannock Chase District Council, George Adamson praised the efforts of ocal people. "I've signed the petition myself," said councillor Adamson, who was involved in the campaign for a hospital in Cannock around 25 years ago.
"Stafford Hospital has always overshadowed Cannock but it is just as important to us.
"There are a lot of people who spent most of their lives campaigning for us to get a hospital in Cannock – and we're not going to lose it now.
"Before Cannock opened it was always such a long way to travel to get care either at Stafford or Wolverhampton. It doesn't seem far, but for those who don't have a car it can take up to three bus journeys to get to Stafford.
"We have had 25 years of local services in Cannock. We refuse to lose them now.
"There have been offers from various bodies to run services at Cannock – some of whom are private healthcare providers. That is a worry. We want Cannock Hospital to stay in the NHS and provide a service to local people."
Express & Star went out in Cannock town centre to ask the community how they feel about plans to cut services:
