💗CAMPAIGN UPDATE: WE'VE MET WITH OUR MPs - NOW WE NEED ANSWERS

Almost 2,800 signatures. Two meetings with local MPs. One community determined to be heard.

I wanted to share an important update on the progress of our Save St Helier Maternity campaign.

Over the past few days, I've had the opportunity to meet with Siobhain McDonagh MP and Bobby Dean MP to discuss the future of maternity, neonatal and women's health services at St Helier Hospital.

I'm grateful to both for taking the time to meet with me, listen to our community's concerns and discuss the challenges facing the hospital.

These meetings have provided valuable insight into the situation, but they've also highlighted a number of important questions that still need answers.

🏥 What happens next?

With the NHS Board meeting scheduled for Friday 6th November, we are continuing to seek clarity on:

Keeping services at St Helier: Have all safe and viable options for refurbishing the existing hospital and retaining maternity services been fully explored?

Funding: If refurbishment is technically possible, what funding opportunities could make it achievable?

Staff voices: Are maternity staff being given a meaningful opportunity to comment on both retaining and relocating services? Will their views be considered by the Board?

Capacity at alternative hospitals: Can the hospitals being considered for relocation safely accommodate additional mothers and babies? We want evidence on staffing, bed availability, temporary closures and patient transfers.

Expectant parents: Are women currently booking maternity care at St Helier being informed about the potential changes, and how will they be involved in decisions affecting their care?

Community representation: How can our petition be formally presented to the NHS Board so that the voices of our supporters are acknowledged?
These are not questions we believe should remain unanswered when decisions affecting thousands of local families are being considered.

💗 What our campaign stands for:

We recognise that St Helier's ageing infrastructure requires investment and that patient and staff safety must always come first.

But we also believe that the consequences of relocating maternity services must be properly assessed, including the impact on families, access to emergency care, neighbouring hospitals and the dedicated staff who currently provide these services.

Our campaign is not about ignoring the problems with the building.

It's about ensuring that every safe and viable option for keeping maternity services at St Helier is fully considered before any decision is made.

📢 Our next steps:

I will be following up with our local representatives and the NHS Trust to seek answers to these outstanding questions ahead of the Board meeting.

I am also continuing to establish how our petition can be formally submitted and considered.

This remains an independent, community-led campaign, and I am committed to working constructively with representatives from all political parties in the interests of local families.

Thank you to every single person who has signed, shared or supported this petition.

We've reached approximately 2,800 signatures, and your support is helping ensure our community's concerns are being raised directly.

Please continue sharing the petition. Our next milestone is 3,000 signatures!

I'll keep you updated as further information becomes available.

Our community. Our maternity services. Our voices. 💗