Protest cartoons - Louis Hellman draws the line at closure of Finsbury Health Centre

Published: 21 May 2010
by TOM FOOT

ACCLAIMED cartoonist Louis Hellman has joined the fight to save Finsbury Health Centre.

Mr Hellman – a regular contributor to Private Eye, the Guardian and Independent newspapers – has turned his critical eye on the plight of the Grade I-listed building in Pine Street.

His illustration shows Berthold Lubetkin’s visionary health centre patched up like a patient, with a doctor warning: “I’m afraid we cannot afford to treat you.”

A massive campaign was launched two years ago after NHS Islington announced it would sell the centre because it was too expensive to refurbish. 

Mr Hellman, whose work is on display at the Royal Academy, originally created the cartoon for the Architects’ Journal. “The building was pioneering as well as being a great piece of design,” he said. “Churchill hated it as being socialist, which in itself is a high recommendation.”

The health centre was the first London clinic to provide care free at the point of use to patients in the old borough of Finsbury – 10 years before the NHS was founded.

The future of the landmark building – des­cribed by Mr Lubetkin’s daughter Sasha as her father’s “favourite” – will become clearer at a crunch meeting at NHS Islington’s headquarters on Thursday.

Health chiefs will debate a detailed report, produced following a six-month investigation by Islington Council’s health and wellbeing committee. 

The report, designed to find alternatives to selling the building, claims costs and figures used to justify closure were inaccurate.

Barb Jacobson, chair of the Save Finsbury Health Centre campaign group, said: “We welcome the executive board’s undertaking to reconsider their decision to sell Finsbury Health Centre, which we felt was misguided from the beginning. 

“Finally, they will have a chance to assess Finsbury Health Centre’s true value in terms of patient need, transport, building design and direct costs.” A protest rally will be held outside NHS Islington’s headquarters in Goswell Road, Angel, before the meeting at 9.30am on Thursday.