Occupation victory
cutback TO specialists in brain damage, Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre in Oxford is an internationally famous facility.
To hundreds of ex-patients nationwide, it is a centre which has helped them to lead lives of partial or complete independence after damage from a stroke, crash, or brain surgery trom a tumour It rained them in skills physical and of memory; how to read, write, walk, talk, drive; how to cope emotionally and socially. is such a scarce facility that without it, many of these people would have been condemned to life-long partial or complete dependence on relatives or institutions — because ordinary hospitals can provide nowhere near the intensive co-ordinated programme given here.
In the eyes of Oxford District Health Authority last September, however, Rivermead Hospital: it was not life-saving. Its Medical Director (a locum) nowhere in the "pecking Consultants; and its paramedical staff
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech psychologists and social workers had annoyingly persistent inflated ideas of the importance of the work they lia. Furthermore, it was sited on the
wrong side" of Oxford, away from the main hospital complexes.
So when the Government announed that Health Authorities had to find money to ›ay tor part of the 1984 pay awards, Rivermead was an obvious target to the Oxford DHA. decided to cut the number of beds by a third, leaving only 20. The justification was that the Regional Strategic Plan had stated (without consulting anyone) that only 20 rehabilitation beds were needed for the Region. As tor the patients who came from everywhere else in the country treatment, it was tough. Regions couldn't find money to fund a centre, it was not Oxford DHA's problem!
Once they had reduced the Centre to 20 beds, they could move it to one of the main hospital complexes - too bad if they couldn't provide adequate workshops there, or a hydrotherapy
beats hospital brain has re- mental, 54 Rivermead pool! pronounced one Nobody on already in 1978 Rivermead had lost a therapy 16-bed ly" closed for upgrading and never re-opened OI waiting list for brain-injured patients was a non- last year was so long it had to be scrapped... came "I order" of Rivermead think they're so the new Chair of the Oxford DHA, Ms Caroline Miles, was overheard to say therapists, at a dinner party. They for If their Socialist Viewpoint, No. 3, February 1985. Page 13
By Jo Coxhead actly why! such handed signatures. at "Rivermead has got to take its headlines. share of the cuts like everyone else," simultaneous member. DHA the DHA cared that outcry. ward which was "temporari- that the Centre's public don't know why the staff at Iemain special," Her listener was the mother of a pa- PHAT Christmas day on the Rivermead picket line.
tient at Rivermead, and told her ex-
Not that the DHA took any notice of
opinions. They graciously received - and totally ignored the views of — a lobby of staff, ex-patients and patients' relatives who
Tin a petition of 22,000
They turned down the staff's own offer of savings by a 5-day week (thereby cutting their own wages) saying this was insufficient"
The DHA reckoned they could get away with this, because the proposals
Rivermead had not made Whereas on the proposals to cut children's heart surgery they backed down in the face of a huge public
It is a legal requirement that in a major "change of use" of a hospital,
consultation must take place. But the District Officers announed that consultation would take place after the cut, and that it would
permanent whatever the results of consultation!
The staff had an extremely active campaigning group, which organised a fight back along the lines of lobbying, publicity and protest, together RME A
08 with the (Labour) City Council and Community Health Council, getting letters to MPs and the Minisnter from referring agencies,
x-patients and relatives
'he Centre is in the constituency o the Junior Health Minister himself, John Patten, who unable to visit it when requested until January — atter the planned
Finally an official TV presenter -himself an ex-patient of Rivermead — was physically barred from
Othe District Ad-
Meanwhile, the staff had contacted the local Campaign for the Defence of the NHS and together they called a meeting with representatives trom the Health Unions, the Trades Council, the Regional Health Campaign, the City Council's Health Committee, and the Community Health Council. same Administrator, who sat in and refused to leave.
Maybe was the DHA's downfall. The staff were so angered at Beech's attitude that they retired to the local pub to continue the meeting - the first of several meetings there with reps from supporting organisations that finally led up to the staff taking over the Centre in a peaceful work-in occupation.
The build-up to this was a picket of staff and supporters. was to stop contractors going in to mitory, enabling patients to be crammed into a 16-bedded ward, with little space or privacy essential foI brain-damaged tients). The picket had only a small
Health left - occupation. fear of the strangely of a very person - fear that the DHA's limit; fear would act against the occupation. What helped cess. and the account could give of victimisations, staff many workplace, and its perfect legality. non-union portant to them. The purpose days before Christmas holiday shut-down (both experienced what pa-
вяіk HOSPITAL delaying effect, and it became clear that there was only one possible step
It was nearly too late. Demoralisation had spread through the staff, and
Authority's power, reaching down to ward level in the
hostile Nursing nounce Sister; fear of the sack or discipline;
Consultant would not continue referring patients over the
that other staff
There were no guarantees of suc-
give the staff courage was the knowledge that it was the only chance of success left,
given of other hospital occupations from supporters who had taken part in them. They
assurance from experience that there was little chance
that patient care would be improved with the morale boost, and that it would probably pull
who were at present neutral through fear into passive or active support. The strength of an occupation would be the reversal of the normal power relationships with the staff themselves controlling their own
The core of activists were mostly in
professional organisations, and this last point was very im-
Finally, this core group decided, very hesitantly, to take the plunge. HEALTH
EMERGENCI They called a meeting for all staff in the lunch hour on December 18, 3
Othe Centre's annual Two supporters explained an occupation involved and answered questions, and the core Socialist Viewpoint, No. 3, February 1985. Page 14
group of staff called for support. A majority voted "to support or not to oppose" — the dreaded decision was made (nearly always the hardest part of an occupation).
The Receptionist went back to her post, and called the local press to anRivermea Proudly: "The Staff of
Rehabilitation Centre have taken control of the building to stop the reduction of beds. " Three months previously she would probably have thought you crazy had you suggested she would ever be doing such a thing
From the start, the occupation was Out now! OCCUPY AND WIN fighting hospital closures A manual for
At last! The manual health campaigners have
always wanted! The A.Z of how to occupy a
hospital against closure, drafted by experts and
veterans, with a view to encourage others
50p including postage from London Health
Emergency, 335 Grays Inn RD. . WC1