About Us

Welcome to the campaign to save Grantham Hospital.

Our hospital services are under threat. In June 2006 the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust proposed the scaling down of the Accident and Emergency department and the removal of all maternity and surgery (except orthopeadics). The trust postponed these changes while they dealt with the issue of waiting lists and the suspension of a board member. We now know these proposals are still being considered and the trust fully intend to continue along the path of cuts to Grantham hospitals services. This drastic scaling down of services is yet another set of cuts to be inflicted on our once strong district hospital.

We used to have level 3 care, childrens ward, Intensive care unit... the list goes on.

Does a determined effort to undermine our hospital exist? The Trust board believe it is acceptable for the 190,000 people of the region to go without A&E services. They will expect us to travel for over an hour to the nearest A&E. This will result in many deaths.

United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust runs its hospitals with a bed occupancy rate of 99.2%. This can be directly linked to the rise of MRSA and C.Diff. virus cases. This is just one of many reasons our campaign group are uncovering to demonstrate how any cuts to Grantham hospital services are ill conceived and financially driven.

The campaign group was formed over the summer (2006) and is made up of volunteer members who share the common interest - to stop Grantham Hospital losing more services and to encourage the United Lincolnshire Health NHS Trust to give the people of Grantham and the surrounding area the health facilities they need.

We are Non-Political.

We are Not For Profit.

The Save Grantham Hospital campaign is run by the 'Grantham Hospital Defence Committee'. This committee meets regularly to discuss campaign events and plan strategy.

    
 
If you are interested in joining the campaign group or feel you can help us please contact us by email click here
 

Issues

The United Lincolnshire Health NHS Trust proposed several cuts during the early months of 2006 to compliment several cuts they had planned and implemented during the previous five years or so.

The hospital services have been steadily reduced to the point where any further reduction in hospital services will create an NHS black spot for the 190,000 population currently served by the hospital.

To compound the proposed cuts in services recent announcements by the Department of Health outlining the closure of local services, such as A&E and maternity, and moving towards centralisation in centres of excellence have increased the chances of Grantham Hospital being severely downgraded. This model may be relevant to urban centres; however, in the case of a rural area these proposals are dangerous and will lead to increases in mortality amongst many areas of the community’s population which are presently cared for by Grantham and District General Hospital.

The ‘Save Grantham Hospital’ campaign is run by the Grantham Hospital Defence Committee and is a non-political, not for profit campaign group formed over the summer of 2006 from local people interested in working together to campaign for the retention of the services at Grantham and District General Hospital.

Historical Information

Grantham and District General Hospital dates back to 1874 and has since that date been at the heart of Grantham’s expanding population.

Towards the end of the 1990’s hospital and government policy moved the hospital to join the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust which encompasses Lincoln, Boston, Louth and Skegness.

During the 1990’s and into the new millennium various services, which Grantham had maintained throughout the previous decades, were cut back. These service cuts included :

  • Children’s Ward
  • Gynaecological Ward
  • Maternity
  • Rehabilitation Ward
  • Transitional Care Unit
  • Level 3 Intensive Care Unit

Campaign Objectives

The objectives as set out by the ‘Grantham Hospital Defence Committee’ are:

  • To protect all current vital local services provided by Grantham Hospital
  • To restore those vital services already removed from Grantham Hospital