Forum Topic

NHS under threat

I've just had this drop into my Inbox and it is extremely worrying.It's a long post but everyone who uses the NHS should read this to the end and make up their own mind.  I know what I am going to do.Mary MacLeod - Please would you let us know your views on this important matter. (and how you might vote.)"In just one week, your MP has to vote on massive changes to our NHS. But 38 Degrees members now have something our MPs don’t – thorough, independent legal advice about what these changes really mean.Our expert legal advice is sobering. Despite the “listening exercise”, the government’s changes to the NHS plans could still pave the way for a shift towards a US-style health system, where private companies profit at the expense of patient care.Conservative MPs like yours are being told by their bosses these changes fit with party ideology. But many would be horrified to know that the NHS would be subject to European competition laws and front-line services could be held up with procurement red tape. Let’s work together to show them the evidence right now!If enough of us email now, it could tip the balance:https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-your-conservative-mpOur independent lawyers identified two major problems in the new legislation:  The Secretary of State’s legal duty to provide a health service will be scrapped. On top of that, a new “hands-off clause” removes the government's powers to oversee local consortia and guarantee the level of service wherever we live. We can expect increases in postcode lotteries – and less ways to hold the government to account if the service deteriorates.The NHS will almost certainly be subject to UK and EU competition law and the reach of procurement law rules will extend across all NHS commissioners. Private health companies will be able to take new NHS commissioning groups to court if they don’t win contracts. Scarce public money could be tied up in legal wrangles instead of hospital beds. Meanwhile, the legislation lifts the cap on NHS hospitals filling beds with private patients.So who are MPs going to listen to when casting their vote – you, or lobbyists from private health companies? This is our NHS, and it’s up to us to defend it. Email your MP now:https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-your-conservative-mpIt’s pretty extraordinary what we’ve managed to achieve together already. Nearly half a million of us have signed the petition to save the NHS. And after Andrew Lansley announced the last round of changes, thousands of 38 Degrees members immediately chipped in to get top independent legal advice on the new plans.Barrister Rebecca Haynes found that the government's plans could pave the way for private healthcare companies and their lawyers to benefit most from changes, not patients. Another barrister, Stephen Cragg, found that we were right to be worried that Andrew Lansley was planning to remove his duty to provide our NHS.This is the conclusion of a top legal team paid to have no other interest at heart but yours.MPs vote in just seven days. Seven days to not only get the evidence, but be convinced there’s way too much public concern to ignore it. The good news is, with over 800,000 of us now armed with expert legal advice, we are just the people to speak up. Our message is clear: we have the facts, so politicians can’t hide behind spin. Let’s give MPs from all parties the mandate they need to think again and vote against these changes to the NHS.

Jon Hardy ● 5092d11 Comments

O.K. John - What does this tell you then?The B.M.A. - The Royal College of G.Ps - The Royal College of Nursing and UNISON are all warning the government about the effects on the NHS if the Health and Social Care Bill goes through, who would you rather listen to? A bunch of arrogant, toffee nosed rich kids preaching their flawed dogma and who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing - or the professionals who work in the NHS and are highly trained clinicians? Let me think - well - it's a no brainer for most of us.

Vanessa Smith ● 5084d

I have to say this John - you would say that wouldn't you?Rumour has it that Mad Nad's proposal is doomed - thank God! Who does that woman think she is?

Vanessa Smith ● 5084d

The 38 Degrees slant and their opinion simply do not match up. A QC says To argue that the “the government washes its hands of the NHS” based upon and arising out of these opinions would be laughable if it was not such a serious and flawed accusation. It is unsurprising that one barrister has not signed or acknowledged authorship of their opinion, given how it has been so abused. “ See http://order-order.com/ for sight of  the full advice.

John Todd ● 5084d

Hi Vanessa  Sorry for the delay,I've been tied up on the Ealing site :0) and not helped by my home network piddling about!  I'm glad that I'm not the only one who feels that we're being ripped off wholesale. It seems to me that my wallet is being raped on a daily basis. Why for instance did (all the time I was growing up) a bar of chocolate cost 6d? A trivial example I know,but chocolate manufacturers were confident enough to have magnificent cast iron machines built that could only take 6 penny pieces that would last several lifetimes?   Nowadays I think there is a market for machines that automatically put the price up every 7 minutes,I suppose we're pretty close with petrol pumps, but they need human intervention.  It seems that there is an insidious attitude to turn the screw at any opportunity," Do we have a monopoly,yes oh good,then put the price up until they squeek ?!"    Of course this attitude is particularly suited to privatised services,trains,power,petrol etc. Even where you have a choice of suppliers,they are forming what I thought was illegal...cartels i.e all turn the screw together and then point the finger at each other "They did it first".In a word we're stuffed and our wallets will continue to be raped until they're empty. Good here innit?PS On the Mad Nad Dorries front,they should do what my mum did to me when bathing me when I was about three. I must have touched something that I shouldn't have and she said "Aaah don't touch that,the end will drop off!" I was 43 before I found out that wasn't true..swine that she was!

Tony Wood ● 5084d

Tony, like you I cannot think of anything that's been privatised that's also improved (except profits for the shareholders) mostly all privatisations have been a rip-off for the rest of us. Some like the railways subsidised with taxpayers money and still enjoying private status - bloody cheek! In spite of all the criticisms of our NHS it is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of this country and envied the world over, we know it isn't perfect - few big organisations are - but that doesn't mean that privatisation will make it work any better. I have had a response from the fragrant Mary Macleod, she "believes the government has listened and responded to people's concerns", yeh right! She hasn't committed herself to saying what way she is going to vote, but from the tone of her reply - which is all fulsome praise for this atrocity of a Bill, I doubt you'd need much in the way of foresight, the reply is all b******s. What with this and 'Mad Nad' Dorries trying to turn the clock back for women's right to choose, they are a disgrace.

Vanessa Smith ● 5085d

"What do you think?"  Much the same as yourself Jon,too much, too soon, too important and not enough thought.  If Britain has a "Jewel in it's Crown" then it's the NHS rather than the one in the Queens hat.  It's not as if anyone can point at something that has been privatised / PFId  and say "Yeh that's better". I stand to be corrected on that,I may have missed something.  Well done on your emails!

Tony Wood ● 5085d

I've sent this e-mail to our MPs Hi Mary and Alan,As a former Chair of Adults' Health Scrutiny at Hounslow I have been following the debate on the NHS with considerable interest: I thought the Panorama with Gerry Robinson last night was highly thought provoking: at the very least I think there should now be a pause whilst the various issues raised in that programme and elsewhere are bottomed out. I am worried that the government are going to try and push ahead with their plans to force through the planned changes to the health service. Many highly expert doctors and nurses groups - like the Royal College of GPs (the very people who will be in charge of the new system) and the British Medical Association - are saying these plans are a bad idea and could be dangerous for patients. It seems to me that the current reforms - though well-intentioned and not entirely without merit - are the product of a very narrow outlook predicated on issues other than the care of patients or clinical excellence and little regard has been given to the unintended consequences they will undoubtedly bring: GPs themselves are doubting they have either the time or the business acumen to make the proposals work.I suggest the matter be turned over to an Independent Panel for proper scrutiny with the undertaking that the Government will respond positively to their recommendations: that they will not simply acknowledge their findings and ignore them anyway. What do you think? Will you be opposing the plans now that so many groups have spoken against them? Please let me know how you plan to vote this week.Yours sincerely,Jon Hardy

Jon Hardy ● 5085d

Good going.I think on such matters as this, which will have considerable impact on the majority of the population, it is essential that both our MPs in this Borough state where they are coming from (and why - hopefully something a little more individual than simply following the party whip) BEFORE they vote (by which time it is too late.

Jon Hardy ● 5091d

By me! Asking her to re-consider what the government is planning and to vote against the proposals. If you go on the site there is a standard form of words to use if you want to. The more that do this, the merrier - IF there is a response I will let you know.

Vanessa Smith ● 5091d

Good to know. By whom? And what was the content? (And so we can anticipate when there will be a response: when?)Cheers,

Jon Hardy ● 5092d

Mary Macleod has been e-mailed.

Vanessa Smith ● 5092d