Arithmetic Does not Deal With All the Factors’
How and Why Communities ‘Take Over’ Their NHS Hospital When Faced With Closure
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12289038 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Steph Haydon (0000-0003-4232-9288, Birmingham City University), John Mohan (0000-0002-6063-3454, Birmingham City University, corresponding author) |
| Editors | Hannah Wesley |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 2026 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health & Social Care in the Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0966-0410 • E-ISSN: 1365-2524 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1155/hsc/4940166 |
| OpenAlex | W7139924783 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
Since 1984, at least 11 hospitals have left NHS England to return to charitable control. This paper examines how and why these transfers took place, based on an analysis of political records, campaign materials and news coverage. Each of these voluntary takeovers was the outcome of lengthy community‐led campaigns against the permanent closure of the hospital. We identify three identities of these hospitals mobilised during the campaigns against their closure: sites of specialist or accessible healthcare; special sites of neighbourly or religious community interaction; and local assets owned by the local community and embedded in local history. Like other UK hospitals that have faced closure, these heterogeneous meanings contrast sharply with the homogenous economic rationale of authorities for closing the hospital(s). These cases had identifiable campaign leaders, histories of community‐led voluntary support and disposable capital amongst communities of support. These features enabled communities to establish and fundraise for new charitable trusts and commission proposals for transferring hospital control to them. These cases highlight the multiple meanings of hospitals and the different ‘publics’ that hold them, and the influence of voluntary action on health policy
Capital (architecture · Closing (real estate · Closure (psychology · Commission · Control (management · Local authority · Politics · Turnover · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Management and Organizational Studies · Political and Economic history of UK and US
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| Highly cited | No |
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