Continuing the theme of act local, think national, here is another post about defend the NHS campaigns in other parts of England, that are fighting the same battle as we are in Calderdale & Kirklees.
The Campaign group Fighting for Hartlepool Hospital invites all local people to take part in a family-friendly rally to defend NHS services in Hartlepool and across the North East. The rally is at 12 noon on 15th October, in Victory Square opposite the Civic Centre.
Please come with the whole family and bring colourful banners and placards, to show the town and region that Hartlepool people are passionate about defending the NHS.
Here is a downloadable placard.
NHS England – the government’s arms-length quango – has ordered all NHS organisations and local authorities in England to come up with secret plans, drawn up behind closed doors and following instructions, financial limits and sanctions set by NHS England and NHS Improvement with NO parliamentary scrutiny. These Slash and Trash Plans must make huge cuts to NHS services, in order to eliminate by next year the massive deficits that have built up as the result of 6 years of government underfunding of the NHS and brutal cuts to local authorities’ social care budgets.
These plans – known as “Sustainability and Transformation Plans” – also require increased private sector and voluntary and community sector involvement in the NHS and they are being drawn up by unaccountable Boards that include private companies and voluntary and community organisations, as well as NHS commissioners and providers and local authorities. This puts private health companies in the position of determining what the NHS will amount to.
Glen Hughes, deputy chair of Fighting 4 Hartlepool Hospital, said:
“An urgent care centre is moving back to Hartlepool Hospital, but this is only for minor accidents and minor illnesses. It’s not a full A&E. For life-threatening emergencies, people from Hartlepool, East Durham and other outlying areas will still have to travel to Stockto’s University Hospital of North Tees.
The people of this town and surrounding area still need and deserve a full A&E service.
Working with other campaign groups up and down the country, we can see that this is not just a local issue.
This is about restructuring the NHS with no public or political accountability and with no evidence to support NHS England’s plan to centralise emergency care into a major emergency centre in James Cook hospital 30 miles away, probably provide one other emergency centre with bluelight A&E facilities and downgrade the other hospitals to urgent care centres with no resources for emergency care. People will die.”
Speakers
At the Emergency Call for the NHS Rally on 15th October, North East Speakers include:
Jo Adams – Founder of 999 Call for the NHS
David Riddle – Putting Hartlepool First Councillor
John Tennant – UKIP Councillor
Barry Chambers – Durham Miners Representative
Mary Cartwright – Peterlee Mayor
David North – Teesside People’s Assembly
National speakers include:
Peter Stefanovic – London lawyer and NHS campaigner
Kishan Rees – Junior Doctor and Director of WatMed Media
Deborah Harrington – National Health Action Party
Steven Carne – Actor/Director and member of 999 Call for the NHS
Fighting 4 Hartlepool Hospital hope that local Councillors and MPs will be able to attend and discuss these important issues with the public.
More info
More info about Fighting 4 Hartlepool Hospital is on their facebook page and on twitter @fighting4hh
More info about the Footprints March for the NHS, 22nd-29th October, is here www.facebook.com/NHSfootprints.
NHS MATTERS! 