Petition · past parliament
Abandon all planned NHS cuts, closures and downgrades with immediate effect
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
There are scores of plans to close, downgrade and cut hospital services and hospital bed numbers, across the country, largely as part of Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP).
England is now divided into 44 "Footprint" areas and over half of them are planning to make significant cuts to hospital provision.
We have fewer hospital beds per 1000 population than almost every other developed country. Japan has 13 beds per 1000, Germany 8 and UK just 2.5.
Some STP plans would reduce local bed numbers to less than 1.4 beds per 1000 population.
Now we face the #Covid19 crisis and the results of previous cuts in our NHS have become even more evident.
For example Germany has 29 acute hospital beds per 100,000 of the population
In the UK we have just 6.6 acute beds per 100,000.
We ask that the Government does what ever is necessary to ensure that all existing plans for further NHS cuts, closures and downgrades are abandoned, permanently, with immediate effect .
We have fewer hospital beds per 1000 population than almost every other developed country. Japan has 13 beds per 1000, Germany 8 and UK just 2.5.
Some STP plans would reduce local bed numbers to less than 1.4 beds per 1000 population.
Now we face the #Covid19 crisis and the results of previous cuts in our NHS have become even more evident.
For example Germany has 29 acute hospital beds per 100,000 of the population
In the UK we have just 6.6 acute beds per 100,000.
We ask that the Government does what ever is necessary to ensure that all existing plans for further NHS cuts, closures and downgrades are abandoned, permanently, with immediate effect .
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Sustainability and Transformation Plans are operational matters for NHS England and NHS Improvement, not the Government or Parliament.
We have published the following, related petitions, which you might like to sign:
Ensure continued Universal health cover by legally committing to a minimum spend: Ensure continued Universal health cover by legally committing to a minimum spend
Revoke the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and renationalise the NHS: Revoke the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and renationalise the NHS
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
We have published the following, related petitions, which you might like to sign:
Ensure continued Universal health cover by legally committing to a minimum spend: Ensure continued Universal health cover by legally committing to a minimum spend
Revoke the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and renationalise the NHS: Revoke the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and renationalise the NHS
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 24 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 30 Apr 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
30 Apr 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.