NHS needs your help - stop NHS privatisation

[outsider]

The petition to David Cameron and Nick Clegg about the government’s plan to close hospitals has over 130,000 signatures - that’s phenomenal!

The vote is in 10 days’ time. We need to build the pressure now to force Cameron and Clegg to step in and scrap the hospital closure clause.

Could you forward this email to your friends and family now to make sure their names are on there too? They can sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hands-off-our-hospitals

The law has been dubbed the ‘hospital closure clause’, because that’s exactly what it’ll do. [1] If it goes through, health minister Jeremy Hunt will have a new power to close hospitals all over England, even if local people and doctors disagree.

Cameron and Clegg ultimately carry the can for this law, but they’re keeping their heads below the parapet. Why? Because being seen to trash the NHS can lose you an election.

So here’s the plan: Cameron and Clegg need to know that hundreds of thousands of voters across England are personally associating this law with them. How? By building a huge petition that lays the law at their door, and asks them directly to step in and scrap it.

The more people who sign the petition, the more pressure Cameron and Clegg will be under to scrap this law before it goes through.

Can you forward this email to your family and friends now? They can sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/hands-off-our-hospitals


Thanks for everything you do,

Susannah, Ian, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team


NOTES
[1] The bit of the law that would do this is clause 119 of the Care Bill, aka the hospital closure clause. The bill as a whole is currently going through the House of Lords. More information here:
Parliament website: Care Bill documents: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/care/documents.html
38 Degrees blog: NHS: What is the hospital closure clause?:
http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/02/20/nhs-what-is-the-hospital-closu re-clause/
You can read the full text of clause 119 of the Care Bill on the Parliament website here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2013-2014/0168/cb ill_2013-20140168_en_12.htm#pt3-ch4-l1g119







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38 Degrees is funded entirely by donations from thousands of members across the UK. Making a regular donation will mean 38 Degrees can stay independent and plan for future campaigns. Please will you chip in a few pounds a week? https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-direct-debit

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[outsider]

Email from 38*

Good news: public pressure, and a huge petition signed by 38 Degrees members, has forced George Osborne into announcing a whopping £3bn of extra funding for our NHS. [1]

This extra cash will go a long way towards narrowing the funding gap that experts says could take our NHS close to a “cliff edge” next year. [2]

A huge chunk of the extra cash is coming from the money big banks like HSBC and RBS coughed up in fines. [3] 129,000 of us got together and signed a petition to George Osborne telling him we wanted the bankers' fines to go to our NHS - and he’s agreed! [4]

Let’s celebrate this step forward. Can you share the image below on Facebook to spread the message that we love our NHS and we’re here to protect it:




SHARE ON FACEBOOK


If you’re not on Facebook, why not forward this email to your friends and family?

Today it’s good news. But the future of our NHS isn’t safe. Every day, we see stories of increasing privatisation; just last week it was announced that arms dealer Lockheed Martin is bidding to provide NHS services. [5] That’s why we need to carry on campaigning, to protect our NHS.

Thanks for being involved,


Nat, Elizabeth, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

PS: 38 Degrees members had another success on the NHS last week! Together, 75,000 of us pressured Jeremy Hunt’s executives into publishing details of the money they spend on private companies. Now we can see who’s who is carving out a profit from our health service. Read more here: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-england-spending


NOTES
[1] The Guardian: George Osborne under fire over £2bn NHS pledge:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/30/george-osborne-billions -extra-nhs-funding
[2] The Kings Fund: The NHS productivity challenge:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/files/kf/field/field_publication_fil e/the-nhs-productivity-challenge-kingsfund-may14.pdf
The Guardian: More patients, overstretched doctors – is the NHS facing a winter crisis?:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/27/nhs-winter-crisis-more- patients-fewer-doctors
[3] The banks were fined for their dodgy deals around foreign exchange rates.
BBC: Six banks fined £2.6bn by regulators over forex failings:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30016007
[4] BBC: George Osborne confirms £2bn for the NHS:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30265833
[5] The Mirror: World’s biggest arms firm targets £1billion NHS contract:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/worlds-biggest-arms-firm-targets- 4657964

[LaffeyReyes]

.........................................

[outsider]

David Cameron just sold off a massive chunk of our NHS, in the largest healthcare privatisation deal in UK history. The contract hands over a whopping £780 million to private firms with shoddy care records, to carry out sensitive procedures like heart operations on the public purse.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/nhs-privatisation/4/2/?akid=9952.1189620.9 NqYJv&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=2

Please sign and circulate.

[outsider]

Passing on Newsletter from 38*:

We’ve just caught a glimpse of the worst case scenario for our NHS. One of Britain’s leading doctors has just said that patients could have to pay for basic medical care after the election. He’s warning that politicians could “destroy the ultimate ethos of the NHS” by introducing fees and charges for NHS services like GP appointments. [1]

Our NHS was founded on the belief that everyone - rich or poor - should get the care they need. That principle is now in danger.

A huge petition now could force all political parties to promise they’ll never introduce charges in the NHS. If 38 Degrees members kick up a huge fuss now, parties will know they can’t sneak this through. But we haven’t got long to get them to rule this out - in the next few days, parties will be deciding on their final election promises. This could be one of them. Will you add your name?


SIGN THE PETITION: http://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/65

We rely on the NHS at the best and worst moments of our life. It has to be free at the point of use so it’s there for us all when we need it. Imagine waiting until payday to make a GP appointment for your child, or taking out a bank loan to have cancer treatment. That’s not the NHS as we know it.

Every single signature on the petition means more pressure on politicians to rule out charging us for healthcare. They know the public won't stand for broken election promises. If we can force party leaders to promise to rule out NHS charges now, we can hold them to it later.

Please sign the petition now to keep our NHS free when we need it:
SIGN THE PETITION: http://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/65

[Frazzel]

Dear NHS campaigner,

Please inform your networks and beyond of the scheduled broadcast in the London area
of 'Sell-Off' by Peter Bach.
This documentary exposes the covert privatisation of the NHS.

Any assistance with alerting the public to the broadcast will be greatly appreciated.


London Live Channels; Freeview 8, Sky 117, Virgin 159

http://www.londonlive.co.uk/programmes/sell-off

[outsider]

38* NHS Newsletter:

People power has helped stop what could have been the biggest privatisation of cancer care in NHS history. [1]

Together, 38 Degrees members and local campaigners in Staffordshire demanded that the NHS, not a private company, run cancer services in the area.

Over 60,000 of us across the UK stood with the people of Staffordshire and signed a petition against the sell-off. We funded a powerful video - seen by over a million people - that showed the importance of keeping Staffordshire’s cancer care in public hands. All of this helped pile the pressure on local decision makers. [2]

Local campaigners with the ‘Cancer - Not for Profit’ campaign really pulled out all the stops to keep their NHS safe. They held marches, public meetings, campaign stalls, and got TV and radio coverage.

It worked! Gail, from the local campaign says, “If it weren’t for our campaign, I’m convinced Staffordshire’s cancer contract would have gone to a private provider months ago. Thank you to all the 38 Degrees members who signed our petition and really helped add to the pressure.” [3]

The campaign isn’t over in Staffordshire and the contract won’t be finalised until December, but this is a big step forward. [4] It shows what can happen when we come together, locally, to protect our NHS.

The privatisation of cancer care in Staffordshire could have opened the floodgates nationwide. But now we've proved that when enough of us get involved, we can challenge plans to privatise local NHS services - and win.

We’ve got the best health service in the world. NHS doctors and nurses are there to care for all of us in our best and worst moments, regardless of how much we can pay. That’s an incredible thing! And it’s why we all need to fight, like the campaigners in Staffordshire, against politicians trying to sell off the hospital services that we all rely on.

What people have achieved in Staffordshire is a big deal for our NHS - it’s inspiring, and shows what we can do when we work together. So let’s pause, celebrate this amazing victory for cancer care, and keep it up.


Thanks so much for being involved,

Rebecca, David, Nat, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team


PS: If you’d like to chip in to support local NHS campaigns like the one in Staffordshire, please consider giving a few pounds a week. 38 Degrees is funded entirely by small donations - that means local campaigners can build huge petitions, get support for their campaigns, and stand up for our NHS. Please click here to chip in:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/staffordshire-dd


PPS: If you’re involved in a local fight for the NHS the staff team would love to support you. Please email us on emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk and we’ll get in touch.


NOTES:
[1] The Guardian: NHS cancer care could switch to private contracts in £700m plans:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/02/cancer-care-nhs-outsour cing-ccgs-unison-virgin
The Guardian: Privatising cancer care in Staffordshire could harm patients, campaigners say:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/16/privatisating-nhs-staff ordshire-cancer-care-harm-patients-campaigners-say
[2] The petition on the 38 Degrees website:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-nhs-sell-off-of-1-2-bi llion-cancer-and-end-of-life-care-in-staffordshire
And you can watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap7_7BmdWbk
[3] BBC News: Staffordshire cancer petition handed to NHS bosses:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-33014991
Staffordshire Newsletter: EXCLUSIVE: £1.2bn Staffordshire cancer and end life contract will be led by NHS trusts:
http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE-1-2bn-Staffordshire -cancer-end-life/story-26635106-detail/story.html
[4] Getting NHS providers into the winning bid, that could have been completely privatised, is a massive victory for campaigners. But the fight isn’t over. Three cancer care providers have grouped together to win the bid: two NHS trusts and one private provider. Now local campaigners are pushing to make sure the NHS trusts are leading this group.

Health Minister Ben Gummer had said that the group would be led by the NHS trusts, but local NHS bosses say it’s not been decided yet. It’s clear that people power has had a big impact on their decisions so far. Can you send an email to Staffordshire’s CCG groups (the people in charge of deciding) to ask them to make sure an NHS trust is in charge?

Click here to email Staffordshire’s CCG groups now, there are tips on what to say and it’ll only take a couple of minutes: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/staffordshire-cancer-care

[outsider]

[outsider]

I just received a forwarded couple of emails: I won't put the senders addresses on here, but I will find the TTIP group address and put it on at a later date:

'Simon Stevens as head of NHS England used to work for United Health in the US so is this any surprise , (see link as posted by Roy Lilley yesterday) especially to those who have read "The Establishment and how they get away with it" by Owen Jones?

http://files.ctctcdn.com/9bc520cb001/f3dbf07a-51ad-4d50-a2cf-344667799 fca.pdf

And in response:

Subject: Re: [nhs-ttip] FW: Fascinating


Simon Stevens was an NHS manager

He then worked for Tony Blair as an adviser and introduced the first privatisations and the NHS Plan in 2000

He then went to work for United Health as President of global operations

He headed up a lobby group, on behalf of United Health, in 2011, trying to persuade the U.S. trade dept to use WTO and GATs to open up public health services across the world to private health entry

In 2013 they lobbied again for TTIP, describing the health sector as a $multi billion world wide business, whose opportunities were being blocked by public ownership

In 2014 Cameron brought him back as CEO of NHS England

His 5 Year Forward View finishes off the privatisation.

Stevens IS the revolving door, vested interest and corruption all rolled in to one.....

[outsider]

Petition to Theresa May:

'Theresa May: End the NHS sell off.':
https://actions.sumofus.org/a/theresa-may-end-the-nhs-sell-off/?akid=2 0866.1189620.dBede8&rd=1&source=fwd&t=1

'Five of the six most senior new cabinet ministers appointed by Theresa May have links to private healthcare companies.

Theresa May has started putting together the team that will define the policies her government pursues. And it’s terrifying.

Five of the most senior cabinet ministers she has appointed have links to private healthcare firms.

Theresa May has been saying soothing words since becoming Prime Minister. As she forms her new government and sketches out her plans, we have a unique opportunity to make it clear to her we’ve had enough of the corporate takeover of the NHS.

We urgently need to get our new PM to commit to protecting the NHS from this dangerous corporate takeover before her anti-NHS ministers get their way.

Theresa May: Stop the corporate takeover of our NHS.

As soon as May became Prime Minister, she promised voters: “The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours.”

But May’s voting history shows she is not exactly a champion for justice. And when it comes to the NHS, Theresa May consistently voted for the Health and Social Care Bill, which opened our NHS up to private interests on an unprecedented scale.

Now May has appointed a cabinet that’s packed to the gunnels with private healthcare interests.

Defence secretary Michael Fallon is the former director of a Swedish private healthcare company.
International trade secretary Liam Fox, who has called for cuts to the “wasteful NHS”, was funded by a company that owns pharma company Cyprotex.
The new chancellor, Philip Hammond, is a beneficiary of a trust that owns a controlling interest in healthcare developer Castlemead.
Home secretary Amber Rudd was funded by a hedge fund baron who is a major investor in healthcare firms.
David Davis, Brexit secretary, has been paid thousands in speaking fees for private health insurance company Aviva.

When David Cameron sold off a massive chunk of our NHS and handed £780 million over to private firms with strong links to the Tory Party, hundreds of thousands of us stepped up. Now the NHS is in danger again, and we need to step up again to make sure we keep our right to free and universal healthcare.

Sign this petition to Theresa May demanding she end the corporate NHS sell-off.'

[TonyGosling]

Theresa May fully supports the Naylor Report

Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3hrpDCct8
In an interview with Andrew Neil, Theresa May slipped out a single line about the NHS; she's made the 2017 election all about her, strength and stability and Brexit. In half an hour, this was all she had to say about her plans on the NHS - "we support the Naylor Report". It sounded so tediously dull, it couldn't possibly be of any interest.

[TonyGosling]

Theresa May suggests UK health services could be part of US trade deal
PM insists Government remains 'committed to an NHS that is free at the point of use'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-donald-trump -nhs-us-trade-deal-brexit-torture-a7548156.html

Joe Watts Philadelphia @JoeWatts_ Thursday 26 January 2017 17:37 GMT834 comments

Theresa May has left the door open for the greater involvement of US corporations in British healthcare as she arrives in America to lay the groundwork for a future trade deal.

Ms May would only say that she was committed to a health service that is free at the point of delivery, but made no comment on whether the NHS would be off the table in any future talks.

Trade and the UK’s economic relationship with the US will be one of the key pillars of the Prime Minister’s visit to Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Asked whether health services might form a part of a potential deal, she said: “We're at the start of the process of talking about a trade deal. We're both very clear that we want a trade deal.

“It will be in the interests of the UK from my point of view, that's what I'm going to be taking in, into the trade discussions that take place in due course.

“Obviously he will have the interests of the US. I believe we can come to an agreement that is in the interests of both.”

Asked again whether the NHS would be off the table she said: “As regards the NHS, we're very clear as a Government that we're committed to an NHS that is free at the point of use.”

The statement left open the possibility of the greater involvement of US firms in healthcare, as long as people do not have to pay for the services they provide at the moment they are received.

A Number 10 spokesman said later: “The NHS will never be part of a trade deal and will always remain free at the point of delivery.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron said: “The public were told Brexit would mean another £350m a week for the NHS, not that our health service would be opened up to US firms.

“Theresa May must immediately clarify that the NHS will not be up for sale in any future negotiations with Trump. Hollowing out our health service in the name of a trade deal with the US would be an utter betrayal of most of those who voted to leave the EU.”

One of the key factors that led to opposition to the TTIP trade deal between the US and EU was fear over whether it would open up the NHS to vast multi-national corporations who might put the profits ahead of patient care.

Ms May faced repeated questions in the Commons on Wednesday, with Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn urging her to rule out any deal that would give US giants a toehold in British healthcare.

The SNP also raised concerns that a deal could see UK supermarkets stocked with foods that do not meet current safety standards.

[TonyGosling]

NHS has £13,400,000,000 debt written off to help coronavirus battle
https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/02/nhs-13400000000-debt-written-off-help-c oronavirus-battle-12500380/

author imageElisa MenendezThursday 2 Apr 2020 5:39 pm 28.7kShares

The NHS will have 13.4 billion pounds’ worth of debt written off in a bid to strengthen the system to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday evening: ‘Today, to help NHS trusts to deliver what’s needed without worrying about past finances, I can announce that I am writing off £13.4 billion of historic NHS debt.

‘This landmark step will not only put the NHS in a strong position to be able to respond to this global coronavirus pandemic, but it will ensure that our NHS has stronger foundations for our future too’.

Mr Hancock also announced that £300 million will be made available to fund community pharmacies.
Customers collect their prescriptions outside a pharmacy in Belfast as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Pharmacies will be given a £300 million cash boost (Picture: Reuters)

For our Coronavirus live blog click here.

He said: ‘These are unprecedented times for our healthcare system and I want to make sure every part of it is supported.

‘I’ve therefore made £300 million available for funding for community pharmacies, who do so much to get vital medicines to people and play such an important part in their communities. They themselves are the NHS front line’.

The health secretary also paid tribute to the frontline workers who have died after contracting the virus and ‘paid the ultimate price of their service’.

He said: ‘I am profoundly moved by the compassion and the commitment that we are seeing from people right across the country, and in the health and care system we have lost colleagues too’.

‘I just want to say this on behalf of all my colleagues in health and social care: I am awed by the dedication of colleagues on the frontline, every single person, who contributes to the running of this diverse and caring institution that our nation holds so dear,’ he added.
Medical staff prepare a ambulance at NHS Nightingale hospital as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 2, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley
The health secretary also paid tribute to frontline workers who had lost their lives (Picture: Reuters)

‘Many of those who have died who are from the NHS, were people who came to this country to make a difference and they did, and they’ve given their lives in sacrifice. We salute them’.

The health secretary’s comments came after the UK death toll jumped by another 569, bringing the total to 2,921.

Mr Hancock came out of isolation early after six days – despite government advice telling people with coronavirus symptoms to isolate for seven – to announce the new developments.

He and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have faced scrutiny for being granted a coronavirus test, when healthcare workers continue to raise concerns that they cannot get one themselves as more continue to self-isolate.

Mr Hancock said the Cabinet ministers were following ‘protocol that’s been set out by the chief medical officer for who should get tests and the decision was that those who are in senior decision-making positions, as well as those who are in the critical jobs on the front line, need to get those tests’.

Mr Hancock said NHS staff will be able to get tested for Covid-19 ‘absolutely before the end of the month’, following public outcry that just 2,000 of 1,300,000 workers had been tested, revealed by the government on Wednesday.

He added: ‘With 5,000 tested since (staff testing) started at the weekend we’ve clearly made significant progress.’

A goal of 100,000 tests by the end of April has been set and will cover all five of his ‘testing pillars’, he said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock's five pillar strategy:

– Swab testing in Public Health England (PHE) and NHS labs

– Using commercial partners, including universities and private businesses, to establish more swab testing

– Introducing antibody blood tests to determine whether people have had Covid-19

– Surveillance to determine the rate of infection and how it is spreading across the country

– Build an ‘at-scale’ diagnostics industry to reach 100,000 tests by the end of April.

He added that large-scale antibody testing – to see if someone has been infected with the virus and recovered – will only be rolled out when clinicians are confident it is a valid test. Mr Hancock insisted that ‘no test is better than a bad test.’

Mr Hancock said, for all the focus on testing, staying at home remained the best way of stopping the spread of Covid-19.

He said: ‘The number one thing that stops the spread of this virus is social distancing. That is the most important thing.

‘There has been a lot in the news in recent days on testing and I understand how people crave wanting to know their coronavirus status. I get that.

‘But the number one message for everyone is to stay at home because the more people stay at home, the fewer transmissions there’ll be, the quicker we’ll be through it.’