Campaigners to protest outside Grantham Hospital as bosses plan downgrade of A&E

A protest is planned outside Grantham Hospital tomorrow (Thursday) to show solidarity with staff.

The 'socially distant, static' protest is being arranged for 12.30pm outside the A&E department.

A virtual meeting of the board of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is taking place at 10am tomorrow to discuss proposals to downgrade A&E to an urgent treatment centre from June 22 and remove emergency admissions while increasing elective surgery at the hospital. The trust says the move is temporary until at least March 31 next year and is designed to ensure the hospital is free of Covid-19.

Campaigners from Fighting4 Life Lincolnshire and Is Anyone Listening Lincolnshire? are urging people to attend the protest tomorrow 'to show support to our hardworking staff'.

Anybody who attends is asked to wear a face mask and to stand two metres apart from other protesters unless they are of the same household.