Rosie Cooper MP for West Lancashire this week took the next step in the fight to stop a merger of Southport & Ormskirk Hospital Trust with Aintree and Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Trusts. This week in Parliament our local MP was able to make the views of West Lancashire residents known to the Health Secretary when she handed over the Say No To Merger petition.

Over the past couple of months Rosie Cooper MP has been campaigning along with the Advertiser newspaper to collect names in support of their Say No To Merger campaign in an attempt to stop a potential merger, which would see West Lancashire residents lose their voice on local health services.

Rosie Cooper MP said:

“This campaign has received a fantastic amount of support from the Advertiser paper and local campaigners but most of all from local residents in fighting against the merger proposals and to ensure local residents have their say on their health services.”

“Next Wednesday I am attending a meeting in Parliament with other MPs and the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority where I hope the McKinsey’s report will prove there is no financial need for a merger of so many hospitals and that the only reason for it was to suit managerial interests.”

“In the meantime I continue to hold meetings with the Ministers at the Department of Health, including Liam Byrne and Jane Kennedy, to argue in the strongest and loudest possible terms that Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust has to remain independent but working with other hospitals if it is to best serve the needs of local residents.”

“I truly hope all the hard work of local campaigners and local press will bring us the results our efforts deserve. At least now Patricia Hewitt is aware of the strong feelings the residents here in West Lancashire hold as we all stand against the proposed mergers”