A STAFFORD campaigners has called on the people of the town to stand up for their hospital and say no to Monitor.
Speaking in response to the announcement by the healthcare regulator it was starting the process of putting Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust into administration Rolfe Pearce called for a local referendum to decide the hospital's future and urged people to sign an online petition supporting his call to arms.
"Monitor is a government quango, it is not a watchdog," said Mr Pearce. "It exists to enact the NHS bill, one of the most fiercely opposed pieces of legislation in recent history.
"Without this bill this would not be happening to Stafford Hospital.
"We can all make a significant difference by calling for a Local referendum in the May elections, by signing this online petition."
Mr Pearce's petition, directed towards the Department of Health calls for a local referendum to 'stop the downgrade of Stafford and Cannock hospitals.
It says: "The People of Stafford and Cannock can Change the way the NHS is run by standing up and saying no for a change.
"We who sign this petition call on the Politicians of Stafford and Cannock to allow the local people to have a say about the planned changes to the NHS services locally through a constituency wide referendum.
"If the vote in the referendum is won to stop the downgrades to Stafford and Cannock Hospitals Monitor and the Stafford and Surrounds Clinical Commissioning group must reverse current planning to reflect the will of the local people and reinstate the Hospitals fully, by commissioning services and bringing services back to ensure the viability of the Hospital and its local services.
"Monitor can be forced to change their minds, they have to consult with the local community and nothing would be more effective than a Local Referendum to get them to reverse their decisions."
You can sign the petition here.
