Staff lobby over hospital closure

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Staff from a convalescence hospital in Swansea opposed to the threat of closure are to lobby health watchdogs.

Fairwood Hospital and one ward of Hill House could close as part of a £12m recovery plan by Swansea NHS Trust.

Swansea Local Health Board (LHB) deferred a decision on the closures in September.

A Unison spokesman said Swansea Community Health Council (CHC) was opposed to the closure and protesters would urge them to keep the same view.

They will voice their opposition when the CHC meets at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea on Monday afternoon.

The original plan to shut Fairwood was effectively blocked last year when a 7,000-strong petition opposing it was handed in.

We are prepared to take this fight all the way to the National Assembly Jeff BakerUnison

However, the trust revived the proposal earlier this year and has been consulting over the summer.

The LHB has proposed setting up alternative services at the city's Singleton Hospital and improving services in the community. It will make its decision at a meeting later this month.

Unison regional organiser Jeff Baker said: "We are pleased in principle that the LHB has extended the consultation period.

"However, we are not at all convinced that the alternative they have put forward will be able to provide the same quality of care that is presently carried out in Hill House and Fairwood Hospitals."

The union wants the LHB to run the services in parallel so they can be tested for quality of patient care.

"At present the CHC is opposed to the closures and we hope that our lobby will persuade them to keep the same view.

"As far as Unison is concerned, we are prepared to take this fight all the way to the National Assembly [for Wales]," said Mr Baker.

Swansea Council has also opposed the plan in its current form because it is worried it will place additional pressures on its social services department.