General Election: raise the call – ‘Restore the People’s NHS’
After 14 years of Coalition and Conservative government, and nearly five years since the 2019 Johnson government was elected, there is a long-awaited opportunity for political change. The electorate has the chance to vote in the General Election 4 July. Keep Our NHS Public will be emphasising how much damage this government has done to the NHS and to social care. Injustices and heightened health inequalities have impacted on the majority of working people, disabled people, black and brown communities and groups vulnerable to exploitation, including undocumented people:
- 14 years of damaging underfunding of the NHS, public health, social care and education
- 14 more years of inviting private sector interests to parasitise the NHS
- Record waiting lists – now at 7.54 million (up from 2.5m in 2010)
- Worst ever cancer waiting times
- 14 years of overseeing the rundown of social care services
- Thousands stuck in hospital because of lack of community care and social support
- NHS GP services underfunded, undermined and corporate business allowed in
- Access to an NHS dentist almost destroyed
- Wages and working conditions for NHS staff driven down, endangering staff morale and safety
- Workforce planning neglected and NHS doctors and nurses being replaced by physician associates and nursing assistants
- Staff vacancies of 120,000 in NHS and 165,000 in social care
- 268 people suffering avoidable deaths each week from delays in urgent care
- Ambulance service in crisis
- 39,000 premature deaths in 2022 alone on waiting lists for cardiac care.
- Scandal after scandal in maternity care involving avoidable deaths of hundreds of babies and too many mothers.
- One of the worst covid pandemic outcomes among rich nations – 239,688 with Covid on their death certificate: 260 people dying weekly this last year.
- Renewed cynical attacks on the benefit entitlements of disabled people.
The NHS needs a sea-change in policy from a new political leadership in government. Keep Our NHS Public will be highlighting the record of those in government to asking voters to select those who will best support a public and well-funded NHS, and move to establish a publicly funded national care, support and independent living service. This requires a fundamental change in perspective – one that regards funding of public services as an investment in human well-being and an underpinning of a productive economy. Good public services maximise the ability of people to participate in society and a productive economy – they are not simply a cost to be grudgingly accepted.
The new government, which it is assumed will be Labour-led, must change key policies on the NHS.
Our call to end private involvement in NHS-delivered health care is not just a question of principle: privatisation means fragmentation and undermining of safe NHS provision – starkly seen in the undermining of NHS eyecare (ophthalmology).
The NHS needs stability and urgent funding, not reform and further reorganisation. NHS staff and services need security to do their job and to treat patients safely and well. Primary and community care, hospitals and public health desperately need urgent support.
Our vision is to restore the people’s NHS:
- a publicly provided NHS and an end private involvement
- an NHS funded to succeed – not defunded to fail
- respect, recognition & decent pay & conditions for all health workers
- re-invest in public health & tackle health inequalities
- a rebuilt, restored and expanded NHS
The NHS when funded to succeed has been and can be again one of the best health systems in the world. We are calling on political parties to back this vision – we need commitment to change. Please join us to make our vision for the NHS a significant part of the 2024 General Election campaign.
We have launched our campaign ‘Restore the People’s NHS’ and are holding a conference at the London Irish Centre on 22 June.
Book a place to join us.
Good summary – I was born in the year the NHS was founded and have relied on it all my life (though ironically I was brought up in a private nursing home run by my mother and my aunt, who were both nurses. But they did put patient care before profit.) What this government has done to the NHS is criminal – the private companies have sucked up all the easy stuff and what’s left of the NHS is struggling to cope with the hard stuff without adequate funding – no wonder doctors and nurses are leaving stressed out. I do still hope that we can restore it to what it was meant to be, though. Solidarity!
I’m not convinced that Labour is any more committed to the NHS than the current Government is, but no other party is likely to get in.
I feel sure, from the many statements that Wes Streeting has made, that he doesn’t believe in an NHS, but assuming Labour does form the next Gov, he may not find the support he needs for his policies without a huge majority…
Really good statement. Whichever government gets in, we need to demand it follows this action to Restore the People’s NHS.
Many thanks KONP for your tireless campaigning.
“OUR NHS” does not get enough time in political debates. Is it because too many MP’s from all parties and members of The House of Lords have financial interests in private healthcare companies? They should not be allowed to vote, or debate on anything connected to “OUR NHS”.
I feel there is too much corruption in politics. When over 50,000 of us went to march past the Tory Conference in Manchester (I think it was 2013), it was the biggest demo there for 200 years, yet there were no arrest. we were very peaceful.It was not covered by national television, Why not? The next Saturday on the BBC News Watch program The BBC when asked why said ” we were told it would not be a safe place for their reporters to go there”. When asked who told them they would not say. Was it the Government? Reporters are sent to war torn areas, yet we were a threat to them?
Our Government are trying to set up trading deals with the USA. The USA wants to make profit out of our nations ill health. They can make huge profits from healthcare, so they want deals to include access to our health care. In The USA people die, or lose all that they have to pay for their healthcare. There is a scheme where employers have to pay for their employees healthcare insurance, but the big companies like WallMart avoid this by empoloying staff on contract of less hours than meet the scheme.
We ALL need to make it clear that “OUR NHS” is the most important issue in the election, as without good health we have nothing. Private Healthcare is only good for the VERY, VERY WEALTHY, the healthy at the moment and the shareholders of the private healthcare companies.
We are the 6th richest country in the world! compare us to Poland, who are about the 20th richest country. There they see doctors, specialist have tests scans etc and if treatment is needed it starts without any waiting times.
Poland has also got the answer to Drunks assaulting medical staff.and filling up A&E’s .It is illegal to drink in the streets and drunks are taken to Sobering Stations where they are monitored for safety. When they are sober they allowed to leave. They have to pay for staying there which cost equal to 3 bottles of the best vodka, or a nights stay in a top hotel. If this happened here it would save a lot of road accidents caused by drink driving and many other benefits. A medic told me how they can’t restrain drunks here, whilst they are verbally and physically assaulted.they have no cameras, or body armour, which are things that the police have. They get spat at, have to deal with sick and urine etc.
IF you have facebook and other media get the truth out to all of your contacts. I have found in my campaigning that the public in general have no idea how much of our healthcare is making profit for the private companies. There is lots of information on The KNOP website use it.