Campaigners say Pilgrim cuts will hit South Holland families

Campaigners battling cuts at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital are keen to raise awareness about possible effects on patients in Spalding and South Holland.

The group SoS Pilgrim - Call to Action, which has almost 7,400 followers on Facebook, is hosting a family awareness day and a march in Boston on September 23.

Emma Wilcock, one of its lead campaigners, says people from South Holland may not find it easy to attend meetings in Boston – so members will come to South Holland’s towns and villages to explain the impact of cutbacks in maternity, neonatal and paediatrics.

Emma, a mum of four, explained: “We want to reach families that will be affected by these changes and during recent public events we have discovered that residents in Spalding still aren’t fully aware of the downgrades and closures at Pilgrim Hospital.”

Cutbacks include downgrading the children’s ward to an assessment and observation unit.

Emma said: “If a child needs more than 12 hours they will be transferred to another hospital that has an inpatient bed. It is proposed that this is Lincoln, but could possibly be any hospital in or out of the county.”

Changes to maternity include Pilgrim managing births of 34+ weeks gestation, when previously it was 30.

Emma says the campaign group has also heard about some general surgery being switched from Pilgrim, which would include Grantham covering “all planned inpatient orthopaedic surgeries” on a six-month trial.

She said: “Most orthopaedic surgeries are carried out on the elderly and these people don’t always have the means to travel or support from family during times of surgery and recuperation.”

South Holland patients look to hospitals in King’s Lynn and Peterborough as well as Pilgrim, but campaigners say there is no guarantee of beds being available at a particular hospital.

* Contact the group on Facebook (SoS Pilgrim - Call to Action), or call Emma on 07954 134810 to request a speaker to attend your group.

Previously ...

‘Still concern’ over Boston paediatrics

Spalding dad's plea in battle to save services at Pilgrim

Campaigners want to take Pilgrim fight to health secretary