Hospital campaigners hope there might be some legal way to stop the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust from 'downgrading' Grantham Hospital as it seeks to treat more cancer patients.

The trust board last week voted to create a 'Green' area at the hospital free of Covid-19, where it could offer more cancer treatments, but it also meant the loss of other services and the downgrading of Grantham's A&E to an Urgent Treatment Centre.

Coun Charmaine Morgan, chairman of SOS Grantham Hospital, says the trust decision is "the worst thing" she has seen at the hospital in her 14 years of campaigning.

Key services like patient resuscitation and stabilisation will be lost, putting lives at risk, she says, with the most ill and vulnerable having to travel 45-60 minutes or more to Lincoln or Boston, putting them through anxiety and stress.

A major loss of outpatient services, including the antenatal clinic, she continued, will also mean many more patients having to travel long distances.

The Grantham Labour councillor says she has been talking to the UNISON union about the issue and as a district councillor gained the cross-party support for South Kesteven District Council to stage an emergency on the issue.

The meeting, set for July 1 at 2.30pm, will look at the changes the trust is to bring in, their impact and identify what action the council can take.

She has also been lobbying Coun Carl Macey, chairman of the Health Scrutiny Panel for Lincolnshire.

Charmaine continued: "We have been beating our drum. We have had protest marches. We did the petition which we took to London with over 60,000 signatures . We have marched on the streets. It has had no effect. If anything it's hardened the trust against the needs of people in the Grantham area."

SOS Grantham Hospital, she continued, is looking at whether or not the trust decision as any 'legal ramifications' especially as it affects the rights of sick people having to travel across the county for treatment.

"The changes that the trust will bring in, will displace over 7,000 people, some of whom have life-threatening conditions."

Charmaine warned: "The ULHT says their changes are a temporary measure, but the temporary overnight closure of the A&E has lasted 4 years. It also doesn't tie in with NHS England saying it will take two years to clear the cancer backlog because of Covid-19."