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NHS news review

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Tories not to be trusted with the NHS, Miliband warns | GPonline.com

Labour leader Ed Miliband has hit out at the government’s plans for NHS reform, warning that the changes will ‘betray the values of the NHS’.

Speaking at the Labour party annual conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Mr Miliband received a standing ovation and the largest applause during his speech when he warned ‘you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS’.

He said the government’s reform plans will undermine the values of the NHS as the reorganisation will create a ‘free-market healthcare system’.

The Labour leader also criticised prime minister David Cameron, outlining that he ‘betrayed voters’ trust’ by U-turning on his election promise to end top-down reorganisations in the NHS.

Mr Miliband said: ‘When I look at everything this Tory government is doing, frankly it is the NHS that shocks me most. Why? Because David Cameron told us he was different. You remember. The posters. The soundbites.

‘David Cameron knew the British people did not trust the Tories with the NHS. So he told us he wasn’t the usual type of Tory. And he asked for your trust. And then he got into Downing Street. And within a year he’d gone back on every word he said.’

Unions call for civil disobedience – Channel 4 News

Channel 4 News learns union bosses are calling for a campaign of civil disobedience and sit-ins as well as strikes over the spending cuts, with one leader saying he is “prepared to go to jail”.

Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, said activists should “rule nothing out” as they prepare to fight the coalition’s austerity measures with increasing militancy.

He blamed this summer’s riots on the cuts and predicted worse violence next year as the effects of spending cuts take effect. Addressing a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis called the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats “b******ds“ and ended his speech to union members by declaring that a revolution “starts here”.

GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny said he was prepared to go to jail as part of a wave of non-violent protests and occupations.

Mr Kenny said: “I want direct action – I’m not talking about violent direct action. If that means I go to jail then I’m prepared to go to jail. I’m not prepared to be a martyr. But when I look at my kids and grandchildren I want to be able to say I did everything I did to protect them and their inheritance.”

Mr McCluskey accused the coalition of “peddling fear” before predicting that government measures would lead to a repeat of the riots seen across England earlier this year.

He said: “You’ve only got to look around as these attacks start to take place and social cohesion breaks down. We have one million young people out of a job and without hope, and people wonder why in our inner cities they get drawn into gang culture. There’s nowhere else to go. There’s nowhere else to belong.”

He went on: “I don’t take any pleasure in what we’ve seen in our inner cities”, but added that as the cuts continue to bite, “next summer we could find ourselves with even worse riots on our streets”.

The Unite boss urged the coalition to consider alternatives to cutting public services, saying: “Find the money. We’ve found the money for illegal wars. We found the money to bail out the banks. By the billion, we’ve found the money when it suits them.”
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NHS chief challenges Andrew Lansley’s foundation hospitals plan | Politics | The Guardian

Sir David Nicholson says health minister is wrong to block failing foundation hospitals from returning to direct NHS control

The government’s health reforms ran into further trouble on Tuesday when the chief executive of the NHS publicly challenged a key proposal.

As peers prepare to table a series of amendments to the health and social care bill, Sir David Nicholson said the government was wrong to block failing foundation hospitals from returning to direct NHS control.

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, wants to repeal a provision in the 2006 National Health Service Act which allows for the “de-authorisation” of failing foundation trusts, triggering their return to NHS control. The change is designed to strengthen foundation trusts – a central element of the government’s plans to decentralise power in the NHS – which will eventually take over the running of all hospitals in England.

In evidence to the public inquiry into failings at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust, Nicholson called on the government to retain the renationalisation of a failing trust in its “armoury”. Nicholson is understood to have voiced, in private, reservations about the Lansley plan, which was introduced as an amendments to the bill after the government’s “listening exercise” on the NHS reforms.

Nicholson told the inquiry: “I do think that the opportunity in a sense to renationalise a foundation trust should be part of the armoury of any government in these circumstances. It’s not one shared, I have to say, by the government. But it’s something that I believe to be the case.”

Asked by Tom Kark QC, counsel to the inquiry, whether his proposal went against the government’s central policy, Nicholson hesitated, then said: “They want all organisations to be foundation trusts, but I believe that from time to time it may be necessary for the state to take the direct management of an organisation.” Labour will lambast the health reforms at the party’s conference in Liverpool on Wednesday.
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NHS news review

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

The Press Association: ‘Unprecedented’ cuts threat to NHS

The NHS is facing an “unprecedented financial challenge” that may force cuts to services and numbers of hospital beds, the head of an organisation representing health service organisations has said.

Mike Farrar, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation said the need to make £20 billion of financial savings by 2015 “means our finances are under more strain than ever”.

And he warned that few users of the NHS were prepared for the scale of the changes likely to be forced upon the service by financial pressures.

Mr Farrar told The Guardian: “I am deeply concerned that the gravity of this problem for the NHS is not widely understood by patients and the public.

“There is a real risk we will sleepwalk into a financial crisis that patients will feel the full force of.

“This could see the NHS forced to salami-slice its way out of financial trouble, cutting services and use of less effective treatments.”

Mr Farrar, whose organisation represents most NHS hospitals, primary care trusts, ambulance services and mental health trusts in England, said the health service faced an uncertain future.

“There are three scenarios,” he said. “The NHS maintains service standards but goes bust while doing so; it sees standards slip but maintains financial balance; or it keeps improving and stays in the black. Clearly, we all want the third option.”

NHS reforms pose ‘lethal’ threat to David Cameron, Labour claims | Politics | The Guardian

Shadow health secretary John Healey warns of voter backlash against ‘broken promises’ on protecting health service

David Cameron faces a “lethal” threat as a growing number of voters decide that the government’s health reforms have raised serious questions about the future of the NHS, Labour will claim this week.

As peers prepare to table amendments to the health and social care bill, the shadow health secretary, John Healey, will tell the Labour conference that the first signs of danger for the prime minister could come as early as this winter.

In an interview with the Guardian, before his speech to the Labour conference on Wednesday, Healey said: “Cameron made promises on the NHS he is now breaking. The NHS is being cut, services are being cut … When you combine that with how important the NHS is as a security for us and our families, if people start to feel there are question marks over that – in the long run that is likely to be lethal for Cameron and the Tories. We have been preparing the ground on the NHS for next year, the year after, [and] for a winter of possible pressure on hospitals and a winter where it may be the service pressures and the financial pressures which really start to tell.”

Healey, who is joining forces with Liberal Democrat, Tory and crossbench peers to try to amend the health and social care bill in the Lords next month, will identify a series of problems with the NHS:

• More than 400,000 people have suffered longer waits for diagnosis and treatment since Cameron became prime minister compared with the same period under Labour. This represents a 50% leap in the number of patients who have waited longer than the target times.

• A looming financial crisis in the NHS is a “consequence of the legislation and the requirement by the [new economic regulator] Monitor for efficiency cuts.Not just 4% but 6% or 7% savings every year. Now, they may be able to cover this year but not the year after or the year after that.”.

• Hospitals would not be able to protect frontline services – a government pledge backed by keeping budgets stable. “You cannot make these level of cuts by salami slicing. You do that by fundamentally changing the way you provide services.”

Leader of Green Party speaks out about planned changes to NHS in Gloucestershire | This is Gloucestershire

The Leader of the Green Party has spoken out in support of people campaigning about plans to transfer the running of community health services in Gloucestershire to a social enterprise.

Campaigners argue the move to transfer county hospitals and various health services to a social enterprise company, as early as October 1, is a step towards privatisation. It comes as legal action is expected to be taken against NHS Gloucestershire over its decision.

A legal case has been launched by Stroud resident Michael Lloyd, to stop the transfer of more than 3,000 NHS health staff out of the NHS to the social enterprise company.

An interim injunction will also be sought to stop the proposed transfer of services taking place on October 1.

Leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas has offered her support to those opposing the plans.

She said: “The attempts by health commissioners in Gloucestershire to transfer staff and health services out of the NHS and into the hands of a ‘social enterprise’ company are causing real anxiety for local people, who do not feel that they have been properly consulted – and are concerned about the impact on the quality and availability of key services.

“By drafting in private companies to deliver essential healthcare, the county risks dangerously undermining the very principles on which the NHS is built.”
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NHS news review

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

BBC News – Judicial review threat to NHS Gloucestershire

Legal action is to be taken against NHS Gloucestershire over its decision to change the way health services are run.

Michael Lloyd, from Stroud, wrote to NHS bosses threatening a judicial review if the decision was not withdrawn before 22 September.

From October a new social enterprise is due to take over management of county hospitals and various health services.

Hundreds of campaigners gathered in Stroud on Saturday to march in protest at the changes.

Caroline Molloy, of Stroud Against Cuts, said the group wanted t[o] give staff and service users some hope that the decision could be stopped.

“We have been advised that NHS Gloucestershire is acting unlawfully. It cannot just hand over all its NHS Primary Care Trust services to an unaccountable ‘Social Enterprise’ or ‘Community Interest Company’,” she said.

An interim injunction will also be sought to stop the proposed transfer of services taking place on 1 October as planned.

But Jan Stubbings, chief executive of NHS Gloucestershire, said all applicable policy and guidance had been followed in making this decision.

“We now have a clear direction with the majority of our community health services becoming part of a social enterprise – working in the community interest and for the social good,” she said.

“It is important to stress that NHS patients will continue to access NHS-funded community services, close to home, run by an organisation responsible for delivering the NHS values.”

Related: Hundreds march to protect NHS in Gloucestershire | This is Gloucestershire

Care warning as nursing staff hit ‘breaking point’ – Herald Scotland | News | Health

SCOTLAND’S nurses are at breaking point because of unmanageable workloads, fears over job security and concerns about falling standards, the NHS has been warned.

A new study reveals morale among the country’s NHS nurses has plummeted against a backdrop of continuing job cuts and a prolonged pay freeze.

The stark figures collated by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) show fewer than one-third of NHS nurses in Scotland (30%) now feel secure in their jobs. Only two years ago, 82% felt they had a long-term future in their posts.

Patient had to wait 2 years for hernia op – mirror.co.uk

A PATIENT had to wait ­nearly two years for a hernia ­operation because of a lack of beds at a hospital.

The unnamed patient’s 95-week wait for the op at East Surrey Hospital in ­Redhill was more than five times NHS ­guidelines for non-­emergency surgery.

A Freedom of Information request also revealed waiting times of 65 weeks for knee-joint ­replacements, 61 weeks for a spine op and 59 weeks for a haemorrhoids op.

Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust chief Paul Simpson said: “We are doing all we can.”

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NHS news review

‘Health Secretary’ Andrew Lansley’s claims yesterday that 22 NHS trusts had contacted him saying that they had difficulties meeting PFI payments backfired. Lansley’s claims were exposed as misleading and factually incorrect. That Lansley makes misleading and factually incorrect statements is no surprise to those of us that have been watching progress of the Destroy the NHS Bill.

Campaign group UK Uncut intend to occupy Westminster bridge.

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Hospitals furious at Lansley’s debt claim – Health News, Health & Families – The Independent

Health Secretary ‘undermining stability’ for political ends

Hospitals across the country turned on the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley last night, accusing him of making misleading claims that parts of the NHS were “on the brink of financial collapse” for party political gain.

Senior NHS managers expressed anger that Mr Lansley had singled out 22 trusts, whose “clinical and financial stability” was being undermined by having to pay for prohibitively expensive private finance contracts – used to build their new hospitals.

Mr Lansley claimed the trusts had contacted him saying that they “cannot afford” to pay for their schemes which were agreed by the previous Labour government.

But when contacted by The Independent a number of NHS trusts on the list expressed bemusement and anger that they had been included, and said the first they knew of the supposed financial difficulties over PFI (private finance initiatives) was when they read about Mr Lansley’s comments.

Privately some accused the Health Secretary of attempting to blame PFI for the wider problem of cuts to hospital budgets, which will require the NHS to save £20bn over the next four years. They also expressed concern that Mr Lansley was unnecessarily worrying patients that their local hospital was in danger of going bankrupt. “To suggest that our financial problems are about PFI is nonsense,” said one trust executive. “And we certainly never contacted the Department to say that. The problems that we face are about having to cut our budgets by 4 per cent every year for the next four years.”
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UK Uncut plan to block Westminster Bridge in protest against NHS reforms | UK news | guardian.co.uk

Thousands expected to join direct action on 9 October and block bridge leading to parliament

Anti-cuts campaigners are planning to close one of the busiest bridges in central London in protest against the government’s planned shake up of the NHS.

UK Uncut has announced an “act of mass civil disobedience” at Westminster Bridge in protest against the health and social care bill which is due before parliament next month.

Organisers say they are expecting thousands of people to block the bridge that links St Thomas’s hospital in the south to parliament to the north on 9 October.

“Yes, it will be disruptive. Yes, it will stop the traffic. But this is an emergency and if we want to save our NHS we need to shout as loud as we can,” the group said in a statement.

Activists say they have been talking to unions, NGOs and other direct action groups who all support the action.

UK Uncut supporter Samina Khan said: “A leading doctor has said that this bill will ‘produce an underclass of patients with chronic, debilitating illness’, which isn’t surprising when you invite private companies to exploit people’s sickness for profit. I’ll be on the bridge so that when my kids ask me what happened to the NHS, I can at least say ‘I tried’.”
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27/11/13 Having received a takedown notice from the Independent newspaper for a different posting, I have reviewed this article which links to an article at the Independent’s website in order to attempt to ensure conformance with copyright laws.

I consider this posting to comply with copyright laws since
a. Only a small portion of the original article has been quoted satisfying the fair use criteria, and / or
b. This posting satisfies the requirements of a derivative work.

Please be assured that this blog is a non-commercial blog (weblog) which does not feature advertising and has not ever produced any income.

dizzy

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The sorry of Cligg and Surf

Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901. It is four, five or six generations ago ~ according to how young your family went about it. This is relatively recent in our history and it is worth asking grandparents and great-grandparents about their recollections. Many of them may have worked “in service” – in service to the rich who had it much easier.

The Victorian era saw chiden as young as five engaged in industry. This is when children were sent up chimneys to clean them and actally far more dangerous jobs. The concept of childhood ~ individuals excused from working was a later concept.

Then – as now – you were born rich or poor. Then – as now – you were born very rich or very poor. This has largely continued into the current era except that the industrial revolution has had an effect. There continue to be those born into riduculously rich families and then there are the rest of us.

In the Victorian era – that many of the rich shits want to recreate (and actually in many way persists) – there was service. Poor people would be “in service”. They would be the servants in a rich household. There were benefits to being “in service” – you would get fed and have shelter. There were also disadvantages since you were ‘servicing’ the rich on demand.

It is in this historical context – the Upstairs-Downstairs society – that I bring you my short story.

Squire Cligg’s butler Surf suddenly became ill. Surf was only in his twenties and surely had another twenty year’s service to bestow on his master Cligg. Surf was so ill that he couldn’t perform his duties. Surf had a fever, lethargy and didn’t have any energy to organise the household staff.

Cligg, summoned a temporary, contract butler while Surf recuperated. It was very lucky for Cligg that his household cook Scullion – as well as being an excellent cook was also wise in the arts of nursing. She cared for Surf and nursed him back to health. She wasn’t so skilled to determine actaully what was wrong with Surf but knew how to look after sick people and get them well.

Surf recovered after a few weeks and returned to duty and the household returned to normal. That is it returned to normal except that Squire Lonsley had heard about the household cook Scullion’s nursing qualities and had acquired her according to the rules of the market. Cligg instructed Surf to get another cook. “The market will provide”, he said.

Surf went to the market and managed to find a cook. The new cook Marcuse was a pretty good cook, although a bit continental, but didn’t have any nursing or curing abilities. Surf suggested to his master Cligg “Should we get a nurse too?”. “No bollocks, the market will provide” was his answer.

The following week Cligg got Surf’s illness and died.

Continue ReadingThe sorry of Cligg and Surf