‘IS anyone listening?’ That was the question health campaigners asked MPs at the House of Commons on Monday.

All over the country health campaigners are fighting against hospital in-patient bed reductions, cuts to services and closure of hospitals.

SOHS Devon and Save The Irreplaceable Torrington Hospital (STITCH) campaign groups were at the meeting. Eleven MPs in total turned up from the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour parties.

The groups believe the council scrutiny committees and referrals to the Secretary of State for Health and the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) are the people’s best bet for preventing harmful changes to health services.

Netti Pearson from SOHS said: “We heard from campaigners how difficult it is to get Scrutiny committees to refer to the IRP. Even when they do it’s just not working: they said IRP don’t always receive all the evidence they need; they don’t respond in a reasonable time and sometimes not at all; they refuse to visit the referring bodies and to talk to the people who are suffering. Services are cut. Hospitals are closed. People are ignored.

“We heard from MPs that the best way of being heard is to be a nuisance to MPs representing health, and to address problems that affect the whole system. We should also plug away at our local MP. Even amongst MPs the view of the NHS is that ‘everyone is accountable but no one is responsible’.

“We asked MPs to take our questions to the next health committee meeting: is the Secretary of State taking advice from the IRP? How do they scrutinise systemic issues? Everyone needs to know if the process isn’t working.

“We asked that the Health Select Committee look at the work of the IRP: broaden its remit to look at the effects of austerity and lack of workforce planning. Why is there a shortage of staff? Why is there plenty of money for the wrong things and not enough for front-line services?

“If the IRP has the power to act to prevent harmful changes to our health system then they need to listen to the people. We also need to know who they are. Are they truly independent? Who appoints them?”

The SOHS?members felt the meeting went well, and declared it as a first step. They now have a cross-country lobby group and will meet again.

Ms Pearson added: “We want nothing less than an NHS for everyone, with the same treatments available for everyone wherever they are in the country. We want our hospitals to be accessible. We want a publicly-provided service that is delivered according to clinical need, not ability to pay.

“Those who can stop the removal and degradation of our services can and must listen and act.”