Who we are
We are parents, grandparents and residents of West Lancashire who use — and love — Ormskirk Hospital. We are not a political party, a front group, or a professional lobbying outfit. We are the people who actually sit in that waiting room at midnight with a poorly child, and who don't accept that our clearly-stated wishes should be brushed aside.
The campaign was founded by Luke Parker, a parent and county councillor. It is open to everyone — all parties and none. If you love this hospital and believe the public's answer should have counted, you belong here.
Our position is simple. We are not against the NHS, and we are certainly not against the doctors, nurses and paramedics at Ormskirk, who do heroic work in difficult conditions. Our argument is with the decision-makers who ran a consultation, discovered that West Lancashire wanted to keep its children's A&E, and moved it anyway.
What we want
One concrete thing: the Health Secretary must formally call in the decision before any work begins. As a second step, we're asking Andy Burnham — the incoming Prime Minister, whose Makerfield constituency is 8 miles away — to instruct his Health Secretary to do exactly that in his first week.
A note on accuracy
We hold the decision-makers to a high standard, so we hold ourselves to a higher one. Every figure on this site comes from the NHS's own consultation and the public record. We never claim the hospital is closing — it isn't; the children's A&E is being moved to Southport. Precision protects our credibility, and our credibility is the campaign's biggest asset.
Not affiliated with the NHS
This is an independent community campaign. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the NHS, any NHS trust or ICB, or any political party. We do not use the NHS logo or branding.
Privacy & your data (GDPR)
We take your privacy seriously — it's part of why this site carries no third-party advertising or analytics trackers.
What we collect. If you sign the petition, we collect the information you give us: your first name, surname, email address, postcode, any optional message, and your consent to be contacted. If you share a story, we collect your name (or first name only, if you choose) and what you write.
Why we collect it. Petition data is used solely to run this campaign: to demonstrate the strength of local feeling to decision-makers, and — where you've consented — to email you campaign updates and things you can do to help. Postcodes let us show which parts of West Lancashire have signed and identify the right MPs. We will never sell your data, and we will never share it with advertisers.
Who can see it. Your data is handled by the campaign's small volunteer team. Individual signatures are not published. If you give a story and consent to publication, only the name and words you approve will appear on the site.
How long we keep it. We keep your data only as long as the campaign is active. When it ends, we delete the mailing list.
Your rights. You can ask us at any time to show you what we hold, correct it, or delete it entirely — no questions asked. Every campaign email includes a one-click unsubscribe. To exercise any of these rights, email us and we'll act promptly.
Contact. For any privacy question or data request, email the campaign at the address on our Press page.