Press Summary: 20 December 2016

13 December

Case for more money for elderly care ‘unarguable’, according to Stevens

Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/13/unarguable-case-care-elderly-needs-money-says-nhs-chief/

[16 more stories]

NHS must be more open on preventable patient deaths

BBC News and elsewhere reporting on Hunt’s remarks in the Commons on CQC report. Yet private hospitals are not held to any standard other than criminal law. A point we made in a press release, issued the same day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38305033

 

NHS Campaigners Lobby Councillors Ahead of Meeting (local)

Includes quote from KONP Oxford Chair, Ken Williamson. Well done Ken.

Banbury Guardian: http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/health-campaigners-lobby-councillors-ahead-of-meeting-1-7731219

 

KONP Express Fears Over A&E Future (local)

KONP Durham got the lead para on this one! Well done. Northern Echo:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/14963874.Concerns_over_future_of_casualty_service_s/

 

14 December

 

How can NHS get balance right? Questions on social care. Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2016/dec/14/bridging-the-divide-how-can-the-nhs-get-collaboration-right

 

Protesters criticise changes at Ealing Hospital (local)

Ealing Save Our NHS take the lead in this story, and get the lead pic. Well done.

Get West London: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/protesters-criticise-changes-ealing-hospital-12319870

 

Patients will be denied care in latest spending drop-off

Put simply, people’s lives are now worth less than the ideology which commands ‘public bad, private good’. Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nhs-patients-will-be-denied-latest-treatments-in-spending-drop-off-unprecedented-in-developed-world_uk_585162f3e4b08b39538f613c

 

South Essex Campaigners Speak Out Against Press Proposals (local)

Another local success – but this time on the angle of press freedom, illustrating how to change the story to fit the particular angle. Norman Traub, Southend KONP, is quoted: well done Norman.

Southend Standard: http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/14964019.__39_Why_press_freedom_is_vital_in_our_democracy__39___south_Essex_campaigners_speak_out_over_controversial_government_proposals/

 

Councillor hits out over STP secrecy (local)

KONP Dorset quoted, campaigner Cllr Ros Kayes takes lead. Well done both.

View News (Dorset): https://www.viewnews.co.uk/councillor-hits-lack-information-planned-changes-local-nhs-services/

 

Council steps up pressure against health plans (local)

This story mentions KONP Dorset again in the context of council comment demanding action. Well done again! Illustrating the point, local press will often readily follow up on a story if given the prompt. Northern Echo: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/14966438.Fresh_plea_over_hospitals_plan/

 

Mixed reactions to STP (local)

South Warwicks KONP mentioned. Well done. Leamington Observer:

https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/mixed-reactions-over-bold-healthcare-plans/

 

18 December

 

MPs warned not to wash hands of social care

The true agenda behind devolution, we would say. Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/18/do-not-wash-your-hands-of-nhs-and-social-care-problems-mps-told

 

19 December

 

Smokers and obese could be forced to diet/quit and wait 6 months for surgery (local)

The remorseless progress of the ‘undeserving sick’ narrative continues, following Vale of York’s CCG’s successful advance of this a few weeks ago. East Riding CCG this time. Hull Daily Mail:

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/smokers-and-obese-could-be-forced-to-wait-six-months-for-nhs-operations/story-29990587-detail/story.html

 

20 December

 

Overseas patients cost the NHS £30 million in unpaid bills last year

Independent and elsewhere. This is around 0.03% of the total NHS budget, according to some sources, though the Indy does not quote that. The use of this as a distraction from the far greater injustice being caused to the NHS by government under-investment is made in the correspondence trails but not by the mainstream press.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-foreign-patients-health-tourism-30-million-a7485226.html

 

NHS buckling under mismatch of demand and funding

A far more important story! Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/20/nhs-buckling-under-mismatch-of-demand-and-funding-says-report

Brexit could make shortage of nurses worse

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/20/brexit-could-make-nhs-shortage-of-nurses-worse-says-report

 

Privatisation battle continues over Staffs cancer services (local)

CCGs simply will not let the privatising agenda go, despite the manifest failures revealed last year. Gail Gregory, Cancer Not for Profit, quoted. Well done Gail – without our opposition, this travesty would already be in place. Stoke Sentinel:

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/nhs-bosses-move-forward-with-controversial-cancer-services-sell-off/story-29994121-detail/story.html

 

Recent enquiries to KONP nationally have included several freelance enquiries; and Voice of Islam radio (on checking for national status for NHS treatment; Alan Taman gave a live interview on their Drive Time programme). Several branches are sending in press releases – thank you. Please send to Alan Taman: [email protected]

This service is provided as a guide to the main stories, but you can get alerts sent about health stories yourself every 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 on the KONP website (https://keepournhspublic.com/support-konp/steering-group-page/news-events/ ) and look for the “starter set of instructions”.

Mobile devices also have free apps that provide news, which you can filter with varying degrees of control.