The leader of South Kesteven District Council has pledged to ensure the issue of Grantham Hospital's A&E department is heard at 'the highest levels.'

Coun Kelham Cooke said he would work with MPs on the issue saying he was 'not convinced' by the need for an Urgent Treatment Centre to replace the hospitals' A&E.

The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust yesterday announced plans to 'downgrade' Grantham's A&E to an Urgent Treatment Centre, though it would operate 24/7.

The move, to be determined at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Trust Board on Thursday, would also see Grantham Hospital becoming a 'Green' site free of Covid-19 so it could focus on other treatments such as cancer care.

Coun Cooke said today:"As I said at our full Council meeting in January, there are many important issues affecting Grantham and our wider district, but few as vital as the need for 24-7 urgent care services in what is our largest town in South Kesteven.

"Grantham is growing, and as a council we are encouraging and supporting growth that develops our communities in a dynamic but sustainable way. It is, therefore, imperative that we have a health service provision that supports our existing and expanding communities and provides the high-quality, accessible health care our residents rightly demand and deserve.

"The issue goes beyond the provision of an around-the-clock urgent treatment centre. We need to ensure that our growth is supported by the provision of an appropriate health infrastructure as an integral part of Grantham's expansion and regeneration.

Coun Cooke continued: "While some of the proposals are to be welcomed, namely the provision of cancer care and treatment and the provision of some elective surgical procedures on the Grantham Hospital site, and the sensible separation of facilities for the treatment of Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 related issues, we need to ensure that any proposals reflect future needs as well as current demands.

"At present, I am not convinced that this is case. Therefore, we will be working closely with our local MPs and scrutinising the proposals fully to ensure that our message is clearly heard at the highest levels as well as on the ground in Grantham. Our residents deserve nothing less."

Hospital campaigner Melissa Darcey of Fighting 4 Life Lincolnshire recalled years of campaigning her group and Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital have undertook over the provision of services at the hospital and the ending of 24/7 A&E cover in 2016.

Melissa said: "We've petitioned, we've been back and forth to various parts of Parliament, The Independent Review Panel, countless Council Health Scrutiny meetings and ULHT meetings and CCG meetings and we've marched and shouted locally, regionally and nationally.

"We've petitioned at every angle possible, we held our own public consultation as we knew they wouldn't fulfill that promise, we made a vote of no confidence in support of the Consultants vote of no confidence, we provided evidence to all, at all levels but sadly it made no difference and now it will be gone..

"Suddenly people are shocked, and saddened, a bit like me, but I'm more the latter......well done to all those that fought and will still fight for Grantham Hospital and ALL of it's services."