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: mailto:[email protected]
7 September
Health apps to link straight to patient records
Hunt announces way new IT to be used. Any mention of the NHS providing these apps, or support for people who cannot afford them, is absent. Privatised. BBC News:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37290126
[23 more stories]
STPs: the end of the NHS?
Analytical piece in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/07/stps-local-modernisation-plans-nhs-four-years
NHS dentistry in state of decay
Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/06/dentists-nhs-british-dental-association
KONP protest at Hunt visit (local)
Salford star. Well done KONP Manchester/Tameside
http://salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=3438
‘Bed blocking’ worst on record
Apologies to those who find the term offensive; the Telegraph seem determined to use it in their headers as often as they can, for obvious skewed reasons
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/08/nhs-bed-blocking-at-monthly-worst-level-on-record/
Breastfeeding could save NHS £40 million a year
Guardian. Lack of support for mothers to breast feed is put forward as the cause.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/09/breastfeeding-drive-could-save-nhs-40m-a-year
And a surprisingly sympathetic stance on the same story taken by the Mail:
Also the Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breastfeeding-could-save-nhs-40million-8794605
NHS England cannot guarantee safety during strikes
A call which eventually halted the one planned for this month. Pulse
10 September
Secrecy and jargon overshadowing STP discussion
Guardian
District nurses ‘under total siege’
Telegraph:
14 September
Private ambulance crews left unpaid and low on fuel
Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/privatisation-leaves-ambulance-crews-literally-8829696
Jeremy Corbyn urges supporters to campaign for NHS
15 September
Diane Abbott accuses government of secret plans in STPs
Care Appointments (Social care journal):
Same story, Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/diane-abbott/nhs-reform-stps_b_12004806.html
Also repeated in the Daventry Express (local):
And as a separate story on local plans in the Chronicle Live (North east, local):
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/plans-devastating-nhs-savings-north-11893008
NHS the new dividing line in Labour?
Thoughtful piece in OurNHS:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/thomas-mills/nhs-new-dividing-line-in-labour-party
16 September
Labour leadership, the NHS and honest politics
A look at the elite and the ‘revolving door’ nature of politics, and how it needs to change to save the NHS. OurNHS:
“Pay per GP visit” ‘Doctaly’ service rolling out nationally
Hailed as yet more “patient choice”, but likely to undermine general practice even more. Quote from Alan Taman. iNews (The Indy’s cut-down version): https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/health/doctaly-online-private-gp-appointment-service-expand-across-uk-2018/
Repeated in the Express:
Also in the Mail:
With noticeably different angles. The Express repeats concerns that this may be privatisation; the Mail focuses on ‘greedy doctors cashing in’. Reflecting prevailing attitudes to the NHS in these papers.
17 September
STPs little more than ‘slash and burn’
Report on Saturday’s HCT conference in Birmingham. Morning Star:
20 September
NHS doctors told to declare private income
BBC News and widely elsewhere. Declared as a move for more ‘openness’ in the NHS. Likely to trigger an angry response from the consultants, as negotiations over their contract continues. Could be a battle for public sympathy, with most nationals taking the stance of ‘greedy doctors should have nothing to hide’. First the juniors…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37415587
NHS offers appointments via webcam rather than in person
Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/the-doctor-will-see-you-now–via-webcam/
KONP received several calls from national outlets in the past week, relating to the Doctaly service and other issues.
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”.
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