Press Summary: 12 April

4 April

 

Corbyn puts local election hopes on NHS and schools

Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/04/corbyn-pins-labour-local-election-hopes-on-nhs-and-schools

[8 more stories]

5 April

 

Locum doctors hold NHS ‘to ransom’

Telegraph. Reports of locums conspiring to force trusts to pay inflated fees. The cardinal point that chronic under-funding has created the opportunity for behaviour like this is missed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/05/locum-doctors-accused-organised-campaign-hold-nhs-ransom/ 

 

Protest at Oxford Town Hall meeting (local)

Oxford Mail. Oxfordshire KONP get a mention, well done.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15210135.Protestors_outside_County_Hall_as_NHS_consultation_ends/

 

8 April

 

4,000 nurse shortage from Brexit

Independent.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/nhs-nurse-shortage-40000-post-brexit-trusts-hospitals-uk-healthcare-leaked-government-a7671791.html

 

Number of ‘non-urgent’ operations ‘set to double’

Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/10/number-waiting-18-weeks-nhs-surgery-set-double/

 

 

10 April

 

NHS may borrow £10 billion from hedge funds for capitation projects

Sun and elsewhere. The point that capital funding budgets have been raided for years to keep paying staff is made. The fact that the NHS should not have to borrow from organisations whose only purpose is to make money is not.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3296120/nhs-could-borrow-10billion-from-hedge-funds-to-help-pay-for-hospital-repairs/

 

Carlisle street protest at health cuts (local)

News and Star

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/Protest-on-Carlisle-streets-over-health-services-4bdbdd96-0d38-4815-bec3-056d8643b691-ds

 

 

Oxfordshire ‘consultation’ plans criticised (local)

Oxford Mail. Includes quote from Ken Williamson, Oxford KONP Chair, well done Ken.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15214420.Consultation_into_NHS_overhaul_is_complete___and_some_people_are_unhappy_with_it/

 

Ambulance ‘drive-bys’ double over winter

Independent

Includes quote from John Lister, for KONP

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ambulance-a-e-turned-away-nhs-twice-accident-emergency-hospital-bed-shortages-healthcare-uk-nuffield-a7670861.html

 

Enquiries from the national media continue to be made to national KONP, several times weekly. Latest published quotes were in the Independent. Good Morning Britain interviewed Tony O’ Sullivan on the shortage of GPs. BBC Look North rang, asking about the use of private benefactors’ money to fund NHS building (capitation) and were advised but no one could be found in time to attend a studio (less than 90 mins’ notice). The BBC thanked KONP for the advice, which they said was very helpful (essentially, that the NHS has always received gifts and philanthropic benefit, especially for capitation projects and equipment, but this was not the same as privatisation or lending money to the NHS for profit so a distinction needs to be made).

Several branches are sending in press releases – thank you. We need more! Local successes are at least matching national ‘presence’, which is to be expected – but it helps to know of any successes, or even unsuccessful attempts. Please send to Alan Taman: [email protected]

 

These summaries provide a guide to the main stories in the preceding week, but you can get alerts sent about health stories to 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.