A masked protest is planned outside Grantham Hospital's A&E to show solidarity with hospital staff, upset over a planned 'downgrading' of its A&E.

The 'Message of Solidaririty' comes from the Fighting 4 Life Lincolnshire and Is Anyone Listening? Lincolnshire! groups.

Melissa Darcey of Fighting 4 Life Lincolnshire said: "Please join us in showing solidarity with our staff at Grantham Hospital!

"We are holding a socially distant static protest (non-moving, non-marching protest) to show support to our hardworking staff tomorrow (Thursday 11th June) at 12.30pm!"

The event takes place on the green outside Grantham A&E.

But it will have strict rules, unlike other recent protests.

Everyone MUST keep 2 Metres away from anyone not from their household!

Everyone MUST wear a mask!

These rules MUST be adhered to at all times!

Melissa calls for people to share the message across social media and to spread the word also using #WeStandWithOurStaff

The protest comes as the board of the United Lincolnshire Trust meets earlier in the morning to determine the future of the A&E.

They are recommended to approve proposals to 'downgrade' the A&E and to make the hospital coronavirus-free and use it for more cancer and similar treatments.

Fellow hospital campaigner Sarah Stock, also of Fighting for Life Lincolnshire, has emailed board members, asking how they can sleep at night, when they are set to approve such proposals.

Sarah, a Registered General Nurse Nurse, sent the following message:

"Dear Jayne and ULHT Board,

I hope this email finds your staff safe and well amid this COVID chaos, which we knew would push through the removal of vital services and further downgrading of our much needed hospital in Grantham. You continue to mislead the public and your devastated staff over the plans for Grantham Hospital, under the guise of COVID 19.

"Temporary" as we all know, means "permanent", especially after 6 months and you have "temporarily" closed these services for 8 months, (June 2020 to March 2021) so you have no intention of resuming these services. This major reconfiguration of our hospital is of huge public interest and is not your decision to make. You are implementing the unanimously rejected Sustainability and Transformation Plan / Partnership (Footprint 13, NHS England, Five Year Forward Plan) which sees removal of services, hospital downgrades and job losses in every county. Unanimously rejected by councillors as it is UNSAFE for our rural county.

Dedicated staff at Grantham Hospital, qualified and trained in their areas of expertise and specialities are now at a loss as to what the future holds for them, as those specialities are removed. Not all staff drive and very few will be able to or want to relocate and you are expecting them to cover shifts at Lincoln or Boston Hospital sites, which are now under even more pressure than they were before, due to these ridiculous decisions.

My questions are:

When is the unanimously rejected Sustainability and Transformation Plan / Partnership being revised, and released for public consultation?

What discussion has been held with the unions regarding the impact on staff?

I genuinely do not know how you sleep at night, because I as a member of the public, who's local hospital services are being removed and as a nurse with a duty of care, cannot sleep soundly in the knowledge of what you are doing.

Yours extremely concerned,

Sarah Stock

Registered General Nurse

Royal College of Nursing Representative

#AngryNurse #Fighting4LifeLincolnshire "