Local Actions to Safeguard the Future of the NHS

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Local Actions to Safeguard the Future of the NHS

Save Our Local Health Services

Health workers, patients and local community members in Waltham Forest, north-east London, have launched a series of actions aimed at safeguarding the future of the NHS and in particular to oppose huge cuts in the local health services. The initial proposals of the local health managers envisaged a 45% cut in health visitors and school nurses, a 22% cut in district nursing and the closure of four wards and two operating theatres at the local Whipps Cross Hospital with the loss of some 400 jobs. At the same time, Initial Integrated Services, which is part of the Rentokil group of companies, and which has recently taken over the contract for ancillary services at Whipps Cross Hospital, announced that it would not be honouring an agreement signed between the domestics, porters and switchboard staff at the hospital and the previous contract holder. The contract specifies that by April 1, 2006, their pay and conditions should be upgraded and harmonised with directly-employed NHS staff doing the same work.

In defence of the right to health care and their own rights as workers in the NHS, the local campaigners have organised a number of actions, including a public meeting, a lobby of the local Primary Care Trust board meeting and a march and rally in Walthamstow market square. The well-attended public meeting, held on June 29, heard speeches from Gill George, a member of the Amicus national executive and a health worker in east London, John Lister, a representative of London Health Emergency and Keep Our NHS Public, Len Hockey, Unison branch secretary at Whipps Cross Hospital, Norma Dudley, a local health visitor, and Charlotte Monro, the chair of Unison at Whipps Cross.

Gill George condemned the government’s deliberate destruction of the NHS which she said was leading to chaos with hospitals turned into businesses saddled with PFI debt. She rejected the idea that there was a financial crisis in the NHS, pointing out that the NHS "financial deficit" amounted to £512 million or less than 1% of the total NHS budget and compared this to the £25 billion which the government intends to spend on replacing its Trident nuclear weapons.

John Lister pointed out that nine years into the present Labour government, the NHS faces greater privatisation than "anything in the wildest dreams of Margaret Thatcher". He denounced the privatisation of the NHS as "theft and robbery before our very eyes in which people are coming in and carting away lumps of the NHS that they are being given on a plate by ministers". He cited numerous examples of this process from around the country. These included preferential contract bidding arrangements for "independent treatment centres" through which private sector companies are guaranteed a steady profit stream for operations charged at 11% over what NHS hospitals charge; PFI built hospitals such as the Queen Elizabeth in Greenwich and the Barts and London where the cost of financing the huge index linked rental charges have been secured by cutting beds and leaving newly built wards closed. In Leicester, the promised PFI hospital has not materialised after eight years, in which time its proposed cost rose from £150 million to £750 million, before the government insisted it be reduced to £500 million. This reduction was achieved by scrapping the children’s hospital which had initially been an important part of the project. He pointed out that in Kent 30% of elective care is to be directed into the private sector and voices have been raised that there is no longer a need for a district general hospital in the county. He noted that the London health budget is £10 billion and that various schemes such as "payment by results" and "patient choice" where the "money follows the patient" are the key means the government is using to "pump the NHS budget into the private sector". He declared that Tony Blair was taking the health care system in the country back to the failed system of 1938 while talking about creating a "21st century health care system".

Len Hockey declared that what is happening in the NHS is government-sponsored destruction of the NHS and an attack on the right to health. He outlined the history of the struggle of the ancillary workers at Whipps Cross, who he said were some of the lowest paid workers in the NHS, to win the agreement on improved pay and conditions which Rentokil was now refusing to honour. He stated that it was an indictment of the system we live under that this was the state of the NHS at the beginning of the 21st century.

Norma Dudley pointed out that the proposed cuts in the health visiting service would endanger the health of the local community, particularly children whose health was particularly dependent on early intervention by health visitors

Charlotte Monro condemned the climate of fear and bullying in Whipps Cross Hospital and noted that these cuts would have a disastrous effect on the health of the local community. She pointed out that in light of the proposed cuts, the hospital management’s plan was to "deflect and manage" the local demand for health care. She called on everyone to take a stand, stand on their own experience and reject the pressure that there is "no more money". She declared: "This is our NHS, we built it and we must defend it. We produce the wealth and who is Tony Blair to say that health care is not important."

The following day a lobby of the PCT Board meeting forced the PCT to abandon its plans to cut health visitors, school nurses and district nurses. On Saturday, July 1, a successful march and rally in Walthamstow market was held. Further speeches in defence of the NHS were delivered and solidarity messages were received from health campaigners in Huddersfield, the local National Union of Teachers and health workers in Venezuela.

NEWS LETTER 1 July 1^st 2006

We are marching today in Waltham Forest to save our health service:

• 107 beds to close at Whipps Cross Hospital
• This means 4 or 5 wards to close ~ 2 wards for older people who are acutely ill; 1 surgical and 1 medical ward; 16 maternity beds
• 400 Hospital staff posts to go - most of these existing staff - made redundant
• £33 million to be taken out of local hospital services and £15 million to be taken out of community health services
• 17,303 less out patient appointments

We are marching to demand Private contractors and Trust honor their agreement for equal pay and conditions for our lowest paid hospital staff

We are marching to keep our NHS public. This government’s intentions to sell the management of £64bn worth of health care to US health insurance companies or other multi-nationals was revealed in the European Journal advertisement, now withdrawn – but the plan is clear.

We are marching to demand health care is fully funded to meet the needs of our communities. The total NHS deficit is £512 million, the government has just decided to spend £ 25bn in replacing Trident nuclear missiles. This is our money, our health service – we should decide!

Community Nursing Services Saved !

Yesterday Waltham Forest primary Care Trust withdrew their proposal to cut Health Visitors and School Nurses by 45% and District Nurses by 22%. At the PCT Board meeting health staff, mothers and babies, and other members of the public who had packed in the public seats burst into applause as the formal recommendation was made that the proposed changes would not be in the long term interests of patient care.

This success is down to the hard of fight community nursing staff, local residents and the health scrutiny committeeThis first and vital success of our campaign shows how deeply the community cares about our NHS – we must defend it, we can defend it!