Fight To Save Hospital Services

17 October 2012, 06:00 | Updated: 17 October 2012, 11:24

The Mayor of Bedford has started a campaign to try and ensure key services aren't lost at Bedford Hospital.

The NHS are looking at having more services like A&E and Maternity shared among the hospitals in Bedford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Kettering and the Luton and Dunstable.

Bedford Mayor Dave Hodgson has set up an online petition called 'Save Bedford Hospital'.

Mayor Dave said: "These plans could mean the end of Bedford Hospital as we know it and I will fight to make sure that our hospital is not downgraded. 

"Now is the time for us to come together and establish a united front across party political lines, to show that we will not stand by and let crucial services be removed or reduced at our local hospitals.

"The idea of having to travel further to other hospitals for crucial services will cause real concern for residents."

Bedford Borough Council claim Bedford Hospital is one of the more likely hospitals to undergo the cuts as it is one of the smaller ones.

The NHS say providing specialist and more complex care on fewer sites would be better and safer for patients, and no decisions have been made yet on which hospitals will see changes.