Despite fierce opposition from doctors, the British Medical Association and charities, the Government is trying to rush through changes to make it far easier to close hospitals without proper consultation.

If one hospital, even outside of our county, gets into trouble, other popular and well-run hospitals in Sussex could be downgraded or shut down to balance the books, under the proposed new rules.

Recently a court ruling stopped health secretary Jeremy Hunt from closing A&E and maternity services at popular Lewisham Hospital.

Now the Government wants to remove the law that protected Lewisham.

If Clause 118 of the Care Bill, becomes law in February, the fate of hospitals across the country could be taken out of our hands.

We already know the Government is quietly reviewing the future of half the hospitals in the country. This new law would give local people, doctors and councillors little or no say in what happened to it.

The UK already has fewer hospital beds than most developed countries. The BMA opposes the hospital closure clause, saying it would allow the health secretary to “force changes through the back door”.

Will our local MPs press to get the Bill amended and the hospital closure clause dropped? Or will they put the future of our hospital services in jeopardy?

Since 2012, the health secretary no longer has a duty to secure a comprehensive health service, but he wants more power to impose fast-track hospital closures with no reference to the views of local people.

What happened to “no decision about me without me”?

Please write to your local MP at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, or email him/her asking them to vote against this clause.

If a lot of us write to our MPs with our concerns, they may decide to vote against Clause 118, allowing us to continue having a voice in future decisions about our hospitals.

Dorothy Sparks, Roman Way, Uckfield