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I want to raise your awareness about an issue hundreds of Harrow residents are concerned about; the impending loss of most or all of Mount Vernon’s services. I recently met with representatives from NHS England to discuss
the Cancer Centre at Mount Vernon and currently its future is far from clear.
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC) treats over a thousand Harrow residents annually and is a centre of excellence none of us can afford to lose. Cancer rates are going up and according to Cancer Research UK, it is expected
that one in two people in the UK, born after 1960, will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.
Findings from a recent review of MVCC are deeply worrying. People living with cancer deserve access to the best possible care from the day they are diagnosed. Cancer centres can’t provide this without capital investment
in their infrastructure and workforce.
The review concluded that Mount Vernon has been neglected for so long that it can no longer operate safely as an important regional centre of cancer care. Much of the existing estate is dilapidated and not fit for purpose
, and the lack of staff has now become ‘critical’ which means that some patients are not getting helped by a nurse who specialises in their specific form of cancer.
You’d have thought Boris Johnson would care about this, what with his own constituents being among the two million people for whom Mount Vernon is their nearest specialist cancer centre. However, despite its crumbling
infrastructure, it does not feature among the six hospitals Boris said would be rebuilt over the next five years.
This Tory government’s long-term failure of investment in Mount Vernon has put it in the position we find it in now.
It is vital that we champion the case to ensure more investment in Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, so that the many residents in Harrow and beyond, who are dependent on this service do not feel abandoned.
Please sign the petition below and ask your friends, family, and neighbours to do the same.
I want to take our fight to the next level – your assistance will get us there.
SIGN THE PETITION
https://www.gareththomas.org.uk/mount-vernon-campaign/
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