Press Summary: 9 February

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The following stories were selected from those sent as daily alerts under the search term ‘NHS’, and ‘Keep Our NHS Public’ from the Google alerts service. Please send any comments to Alan: [email protected]

5 February

Delays to patient discharges costing NHS £900 million a year

From the Carter Report.

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35481849

[17 more stories]

6 February

Ealing meeting promised action on local healthcare ‘reforms’ (local)

John Lister quoted; well done, John.

Get West London: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/incoming/ealing-public-promised-action-mansfield-10829108

 

Cost cutting could cause staff reductions and rationing of care

Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-cost-cutting-plans-could-prompt-staff-reductions-and-rationing-of-care-a6856896.html

[What many already in the campaigning movement would think was stating the obvious]

 

Patients with long-term conditions need joined-up care

Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2016/feb/05/patients-long-term-conditions-need-joined-up-nhs

 

Call for a referendum on health

Interesting parallel with the call for one on Europe. The Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/referendum-tory-nhs-reforms-something-7317328

 

7 February

Staffs plans for private cancer care put on hold (local)

Brilliant win for the Cancer Not for Profit campaign. Gail Gregory quoted; well done, Gail.

Express and Star: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/health/2016/02/05/part-privatisation-of-staffordshire-cancer-care-on-hold

 

Private contractors cost NHS millions in ‘botched’ operations

Refreshing take from a paper not usually overly-sympathetic.

Daily Express: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/641711/Private-contractors-NHS-taxpayers-millions-botched-operations

 

Tayside mental health unit to close (local)

The Courier (Tayside): http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-the-mearns/nhs-tayside-rejects-rumours-of-plans-to-close-20m-mulberry-unit-at-stracathro-hospital-1.923155

 

A&E waiting time increase ‘fuels fear of NHS crisis’

Predictable ‘the NHS is broken’ angle from the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3435466/Surge-patients-waiting-12-hours-A-E-fuels-NHS-crisis-fears.html

 

Junior doctors march, London, Saturday

Socialist Worker: https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/42120/Junior+doctors+march+in+London+to+stop+Tory+attacks+on+the+NHS

 

Barts heading for largest deficit ever

… I guess that poster campaign on the London Underground urging people to turn up to A&E only if they were actually dying or near as damn it didn’t help?

Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/07/barts-london-hospital-trust-biggest-overspend-nhs-history

 

Bedside TV services from US company

Step by step?

Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3436063/Private-company-doubles-cost-NHS-hospital-TV-service-Patients-pay-company-5-watch-six-hours-favourite-shows.html

 

NHS private cleaning contract ended early (local)

Another private firm leaves the rest of us standing in the…dust, as it runs away, with its pockets still full, presumably (with thanks to Mike Scott and Ross Longhurst)

BBC Leicestershire: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-35528167

 

9 February

Locum staff accused of greed and ‘ripping off’ NHS

The premise of this article is that it is the individual greed by staff that is worsening the NHS crisis. A shift in blame from the agencies themselves. Consistent with the narrative that leads to ‘NHS staff are less deserving, pay them less’.

Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3436881/Greedy-doctors-nurses-abandoning-NHS-work-rip-agencies-health-regulators-claim.html

 

Fine people who miss hospital appointments

A Tory view. From Scottish Tories.

Scottish Express: http://www.express.co.uk/scotland/641936/People-who-miss-hospital-appointments-should-be-fined-say-Tories

Would this be used to ‘soften up’ public perceptions about being charged for appointments in England?

 

Surge in privatisation threatening treatment

Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/08/surge-in-privatisation-threatening-free-nhs-treatment-unions-say

 

Don’t believe myth that NHS is unaffordable

Neena Modi’s opinion piece.

Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2016/feb/09/nhs-part-privatised-health-service-complexity-costs-billions?CMP=share_btn_link

 

STOP PRESS: There’s a Better Way…

You can now get alerts sent about health stories yourself. This is much better than a regular, ‘supplied’ service because you can choose what key words trigger the alerts: “Keep Our NHS Pubic”, “NHS”, “health” – your choice. Then you can adjust the settings to improve the coverage. This has the added advantage that local stories to you can be searched for, as well as national. Alerts can be set up to send you an e-mail as a story breaks, or summarise them under headings you decide once a day.

This is done through Google news and Google alerts: free services anyone can set up. To find out how to do this, go to the Steering Group, News & Events section and look for the “starter set of instructions”.

… and please don’t forget, your smartphone or tablet will have free apps that look for and filter news, too: try configuring those for health stories, or the NHS, as well.


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