Mann of the People: Decision to close Bassetlaw Hospital breastcare unit is a cheap and nasty cut

With superb staff, the unit has been one of the jewels in the crown of the NHS and now, without consultation, the unit is being transferred to Doncaster Hospital.

The reason is obvious.

It is because of NHS cuts, and even our elected NHS hospital representatives have been kept in the dark over this.

It is a fundamental issue, because if we lose treatments like this then our hospital is in severe danger.

Repeatedly we have had to fight off attempts by King’s Mill and Nottingham hospitals to grab our funding to subsidise their own hospitals.

But this chaotic restructuring to Doncaster is equally dangerous.

Few people, myself included, are opposed to specialist cancer and heart surgery being carried out by Sheffield hospitals, and we support the specialism of Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

But this breastcare service was built, developed and funded by our money and its closure is a cheap and nasty cut.

I am happy to see coherent change, including looking at how our ambulance service is run and whether we need one NHS linking into Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

But this requires an unequivocal commitment to Bassetlaw Hospital and we are entering yet another fight for our future.

I have therefore launched a petition, using Facebook, and if you have not received or seen it then let me know at [email protected] or 01909 506200 if you want to help campaign.

We will not stand by and watch a death by a thousand cuts of a much-needed hospital.

It is ironic that some of my fundraising efforts were for the hospital, including helping the breastcare appeal.

And I am now embarking, in a week’s time, on my latest attempt, funding myself to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, to help establish an Armed Services Covenant base in Bassetlaw, the first in the country, to make real our promise to our armed services.

Any support will be much appreciated, with cheques payable to Help for Heroes.

n To contact John Mann, call 01909 506200, email [email protected], Tweet him at @johnmannmp or write to John Mann MP, Stanley Street, Worksop S81 7HX.

Constituency surgeries will resume in September.