ON Saturday supporters of Bromsgrove Against Cuts were on the streets of Redditch campaigning with It's Our NHS Worcestershire and the family and friends of Callum Cartlidge.
Campaigners protested outside a meeting of NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG in Bromsgrove on Thursday to demand a halt to a consultation on Worcestershire's healthcare, which would move some hospital services from Redditch to Worcester.
Their call came following the death of Callum, who lived just two minutes from the Alexandra Hospital but was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.
He died following a cardiac arrest.
Members of his family were among those to attend the CCG meeting alongside campaigners.
They queried why Callum wasn’t taken to the Alex after the CCG stated the hospitals’ A&E can take in children.
Dave Skidmore, of Bromsgrove Against Cuts (BAC), said they had a great response on Saturday.
He said: "Having handed in 120 letters to the Bromsgrove and Redditch CCG on March 23, and seeing our request to suspend the flawed Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire consultation, immediately and summarily dismissed by Simon Trickett, Chief Operating Officer, without any discussion with colleagues or the full Board, we refused to accept this and conducted a real exercise in democracy by collecting a further 230 letters in just a few hours."
Callum's father Aidy was one of those to sign on the day.
It's Our NHS Worcestershire will be organising a March for Callum on April 29 in Redditch.
Jimmy Morris-Knight, of BAC, said: "This will be a serious protest but a family day too.
"We want to see as many people from Bromsgrove and Redditch there as possible. The hospityal trust is risking lives and need to get the message that their cuts must be reversed."
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