Picket at Stroud Maternity Hospital

Striking in the rain outside Stroud maternity hospital. Today was the first time in the history of midwifery that midwives went on strike. It was a very wet day to take to the street!

On the left you can see the banner of Stroud maternity. The hospital has been saved from closure twice in the past twenty years. Various official bodies would like to see it closed, but in Stroud we value our general and maternity hospitals, and a fight was put up. Stroud maternity celebrated 60 years of existence last year. It would have been part of the brave new NHS, now being dismantled.

Read more about the midwives and health care workers here. Interesting to note that in Scotland, no health care workers went on strike, because they were granted the 1% pay increase recommended by the pay review body.

In other news, it rained. All day. I didn't pick up my new glasses from Boots because I ran out of time: was too busy sorting out my winter sock collection (yes, really!) and taking photos of the picket line!