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Hundreds form a line to support hospital

Stephen Huntley,in King's Lynnand
Alice Cunningham
News imageStephen Huntley/BBC A man and his family at a demonstration. The man is smiling and wears a black hoodie. He has a long red and grey beard. He is holding a white sign that reads NO. His children hold other signs over their faces. His partner similarly holds a sign that covers half her face. She has long dark hair and is wearing a purple and black chequered jacket and black trousers.Stephen Huntley/BBC
James Goodman-Stephens (left) said his premature twins might have died had they not lived so close to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn

Hundreds of people lined themselves up in support of local hospital services which they fear could be cut back in the future.

Crowds demonstrated in Market Place in King's Lynn on Saturday morning.

NHS bosses are assessing the future of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), and this week, a local newspaper reported that they might consider downgrading its A&E, intensive care unit and maternity services.

The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group said no decisions had been made and any proposals "would require robust clinical evidence".

James Goodman-Stephens, from the town, attended the demonstration with his family and said without the hospital, his twin children might have died.

They were born premature and the first was born in the hospital car park with his umbilical cord around his neck.

Goodman-Stephens rushed inside to alert staff, who tended to the baby and the second was born safely.

If they had instead been forced to go to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, more than an hour away, he said both children would have been born on the A47.

"I don't know if they would've survived and if we would've come home with two babies," he said.

"These are essential services that can really cost lives if they're not here."

News imageStephen Huntley/BBC Dozens of people gathered in a town centre form a long queue on a paved square, as part of a demonstration. Some hold placards.Stephen Huntley/BBC
Hundreds of people gathered in the Market Place to form their queue

Jo Rust, one of the organisers of the protest, said she wanted to show there was "a really strong feeling" of support.

"We can't go to Norwich, it's just unfeasible and not sustainable for our communities," said Rust, who is also an independent King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough councillor

"In addition to that, our council and other developers are [building] family homes... people won't move to King's Lynn if there's no maternity, ICU or A&E."

News imageStephen Huntley/BBC A woman stands in a town centre. She is smiling at the camera. She has short grey hair and wears a red hi-vis jacket, with a denim jacket and purple top underneath.Stephen Huntley/BBC
Jo Rust, who helped organise the event, hoped it showed there was strong feeling in the town

Based on the first quarter of 2026-27, NHS England ranked the QEH trust as the 132nd worst performing out of 134 acute hospital trusts.

Thousands of wooden and metal posts have been used to help prop up the ceiling which has been made with a cheap and light material called Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete).

Successive governments have promised the hospital will be rebuilt and the latest target date for completion is 2033.

A&E, intensive care and maternity services could be downgraded as part of the plans for the new hospital, according to leaked board papers reported by the Eastern Daily Press on Monday.

The BBC has not seen the papers.

News imageStephen Huntley/BBC Three women who have attended a demonstration to support a local hospital. They hold signs that explain how the A&E saved one of their lives. They wear colourful clothing, and the woman in the centre wears a red blouse and red jacket.Stephen Huntley/BBC
Campaigners brought signs to highlight what the hospital services meant to them

Prof Lesley Dwyer, group chief executive of the Norfolk hospitals group, said it was working to develop a long-term strategy to provide "the best possible healthcare".

"The current work is focused on understanding the evidence, considering a wide range of ideas and assessing the benefits and implications of different approaches before any conclusions are reached," she said.

"If, at a later stage, this work resulted in proposals for significant changes to services, those proposals would require robust clinical evidence and would need to go through appropriate NHS governance, staff engagement, public engagement and consultation before any decisions could be taken."

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