Kingston Hospital

Prominent Kingston Councillor, COHSE and NHS activists Julie Reay (second left)

Nora Pearce - COHSE Kingston

Nora Pearce the now famous nurse and midwife from Kingston Hospital

Unison

COHSE Nurses Demo Kingston 1988

Kingston Hospital COHSE and Rcn nurses at the gates 1988 (COHSE nurses on strike - Rcn lunchtime protest) 1988 Campaign

COHSE & NUPE Nurses protest October 1992

COHSE and NUPE nurses delegation to No 10 protesting about limiting nurses pay 
October 1992

Kingston Midwives - Push for More Midwives

UNISON midwives and nurses at Kingston Hospital, Surrey held a candlelight vigil tonight (30th March 2011) to protest at the shortage of midwives at the hospital and to oppose the loss of 500 nursing and medical posts at the hospital.

Nora Pearce UNISON Midwifery Convenor stated

" UNISON is campaigning against the national shortage of midwives. We will be campaigning with local mothers to ensure Kingston hospital gets the resources it needs to continue a high quality service to mothers"

Michael Walker UNISON London Nursing Officer states

"The national shortage of Nurses and Midwives is being exacerbated by increased attendance at A&E and higher birth rates than projected, The Government needs to act urgently to avoid a crisis"

Nurses hold candlelight vigil against Kingston Hospital cuts

By David Lindsell Surrey Comet»

Nurses and midwives took to the streets outside Kingston Hospital in a candlelight vigil against cuts.

Nurses hold candlelight vigil against hospital cuts

The hospital has announced money-saving plans to remove 486 posts over the next five years, including 214 nurses and midwives.

Helen Martin, a nurse at the hospital for more than 20 years and wife of Health Emergency campaigner Geoff Martin, said: "The fight for frontline, life-or-death services is well and truly on and we have no intention of letting the opportunistic politicians, who used our hospital for their own purposes, off the hook now our jobs are on the line."

After the vigil, on Wednesday night, public service union Unison has issued its own response to Kingston Hospital's draft business plan arguing that the approach to the cuts is flawed.

Unison midwife Nora Pearce, Julie Reay former Kingston and Richmond Health Authority chairman, and Unison representative Michael Walker were also at the vigil.

Nurses hold candlelight vigil against hospital cuts

Staff at Kingston Hospital were joined by singer Billy Bragg when they joined last Saturday’s march through London against coalition cuts.

Ed Davey - spot the difference on NHS cuts

Ed Davey - spot the difference on NHS cuts

"Stop the NHS Cuts" says Government Minister. That was then in 2008. Now, Ed Davey has shamefully endorsed the proposed savage cuts in jobs and wards at Kingston Hospital. The difference is that now he is in government. Wrong kind of cuts...

“When a Minister describes a 10% penalty charge as a “Secretary of State allocation adjustment”, it’s clear we’ve entered a 1984 Big Brother world of “Newspeak”. Labour are simply desperate to avoid the word “cuts”, in case it seems as if we are going back to the bad old Tory days.“The truth is, these are damaging cuts to Kingston’s NHS, and they come from Whitehall. I hope local people will back my campaign to stop the NHS cuts.”

28 November 2008

The question is will local people back Ed Davey?

STOP PRESS.......

17th February 2011

486 Jobs axed at Kingston Hospital (214 Nurses)

Minister Ed Davey's response to the local Surrey Comet

18th February 2011

the cuts were different to those he campaigned against before the general election.

He said: "When the future of accident and emergency and maternity were in question the rationale for that was the desire to deliver savings by closing services.

"The rationale for a five year programme of efficiency in Kingston and other hospital trusts is to make savings to keep services open whilst also improving quality.

He said the cuts confirmed yesterday were totally different to the cuts threatened under the shelved South West London Review, which he campaigned against before his re-election and elevation to a ministerial post.

He said: "I'm not going to pretend this isn't a challenge, these plans caused me to ask detailed questions, but I actually have real confidence in the management."

Kingston Hospital Cuts 214 Nursing Posts

KINGSTON HOSPITAL JOBS CUTS – 20% STAFF AXED

UNISON RESPONSE
THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2011

Commenting on the news that Kingston Hospital NHS Trust is set to cut 486 posts over five years, including 214 nurses and 20 medical staff - 20% of the total workforce,

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

“This is a terrible day for patients in London, who have found out they stand to lose nearly 1000 health workers.

This nails the lie that the frontline will be protected, more than 200 nurses at Kingston Hospital will lose their jobs. “Tory claims to be the party of the NHS are nothing but a sham – how is this hospital supposed to keep on running with 20% fewer staff? “The job cuts at Kingston are a direct result of Lansley’s plans to hand over funding to GPs, so this deeply worrying pattern of hospital job cuts will be repeated across the country.

It’s time for the Tories to put the breaks on the reforms, and start thinking about patients.”

Nora Pearce, UNISON rep at Kingston Hospital, said:
“This is terrible news for staff and for people living in Kingston. All through the election we were told that the health service would not suffer frontline cuts – but now my hospital is set to lose more than 200 nurses.

This government is ripping the heart out of the NHS. “Ed Davey MP, and Nick Clegg both used the hospital as a backdrop during their election campaigns, but where are they now when we need their support?”

Michael Walker UNISON Regional Officer; Said:
"We will not hesitate to fight every cut to the NHS in Kingston, we look forward to working with local MP's and Councillors to oppose cuts, NHS cuts, that when they were in opposition they wholeheartedly opposed"

Kingston Hospital

This is Ms Helen Martin (nee Weatherley) active in Kingston Hospital.
former COHSE NEC member
and Kingston Hospital Branch Secretary of UNISON

Described by her regional officer as "punctual and well organised"

1st March 2007 NHS Together

Dateline Kingston Hospital, Surrey, 1st March 2007

NHS Consultants, Chaplin's, nurses, student nurses, admin staff join the lunch time protest outside Kingston Hospital.

Against cuts and closures

Nora Pearce UNISON branch Secretary and Dave Prentis General Secretary