A&E SOS campaigners gather at County Hall, Chichester

NHS campaigners at County Hall, Chichester, Friday, December 5

CAMPAIGNERS backing our campaign to safeguard accident and emergency services in Chichester and Worthing gathered outside County Hall, Chichester, today, (Friday December 5) ahead of a crunch health meeting.

The Observer’s A&E SOS petition has already been signed by more than 11,500 readers.

And combined with our sister papers in the Herald series, which are running a similar campaign for Worthing Hospital, that figure is now close to 20,000.

It has been a quite phenomenal response since we broke the news that a £235m musculoskeletal (MSK) contract being awarded to Bupa CSH Ltd could hurt A&E and other health services.

It means we have smashed our target of 10,000 signatures in time for Friday’s health and adult social care committee (HASC) meeting.

After such a fervent response to our A&E SOS campaign we felt compelled to write to all 20 HASC members asking for them to reflect on the strength of local feeling.

It calls for the members to ‘bear in mind the strength of local feeling, illustrated by those 15,000 signatures, and to ensure that no decisions are taken that could jeopardise accident and emergency services in Chichester or Worthing’.