17 August
NHS cuts stripping basic medicines from the poor
Polly Toynbee’s piece on increasing number of drugs being taken ‘off list’ so people have to pay for them themselves. Guardian
[25+ more stories]
Elderly patients forced to wear nappies because NHS staff ‘too busy’
The inevitable outcome of prolonged cuts, staff shortages and cherry-picking privatization: neglect of our most vulnerable despite staff efforts, not because of them. But guess who will get the blame? Not difficult to work out, if you compare the same story also reported in the Mail and the Telegraph. Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/stretched-nhs-staff-made-elderly-11002531
19 August
Stephen Hawking attacks government moves towards US-style health system
Very widely reported, as was Hunt’s accusing Prof Hawking of dealing in a ‘pernicious falsehood’: the Secretary of State called a Nobel laureate an underhand liar. In a tweet. Not Trump. Hunt. Astonishing. Even for the arrogance we have come to associate with Jeremy Hunt. Hawking’s speech was the keynote address concluding a one-day conference organised at the Royal Society of Medicine by Discourse, the group formed specifically to achieve this event. Ben Hunt has provided the following links for coverage on the day, reproduced here with thanks:
Guardian (exclusive) https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/18/stephen-hawking-blames-tory-politicians-for-damaging-nhs
Guardian Hawking opinion piece https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/18/nhs-scientist-stephen-hawking
Radio4 Today show (top headlines) Episode Link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0923vsf
BBC Online “Hawking worried about the future of the NHS” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40967309
Independent “Hawking attacks the Tories for moving towards privatising NHS” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-tories-conservatives-nhs-theresa-may-jeremy-hunt-funding-a7901176.html
Independent “Hunt says Hawking is wrong” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/stephen-hawking-jeremy-hunt-scientific-nhs-reform-weekend-tories-a7901586.html
Independent “Hunt launches fresh attack on Hawking” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-hunt-stephen-hawking-twitter-7-day-nhs-scientific-evidence-a7902511.html
Guardian “Hunt accuses Hawking of ‘pernicious falsehood’ ” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/aug/19/jeremy-hunt-says-stephen-hawking-is-wrong-on-the-nhs
Sky “Hunt in fresh attack on Hawking” http://news.sky.com/story/jeremy-hunt-in-fresh-attack-on-stephen-hawking-over-nhs-10996309
Sky “Don’t Insult a National Treasure”
http://news.sky.com/story/lessons-for-jeremy-hunt-dont-insult-national-treasure-hawking-10997154
Huffington Post “Hunt spars with Hawking” http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-hunt-stephen-hawking-nhs_uk_59981ecde4b01f6e801ee228
Evening Standard “Hunt to Hawking: you’re wrong” https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/jeremy-hunt-tells-professor-stephen-hawking-youre-wrong-about-scientific-research-behind-nhs-reform-a3615381.html
Evening Standard “Hunt attacks Hawking pernicious falsehood” https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/stephen-hawking-jeremy-hunt-attacks-physicists-pernicious-falsehood-in-nhs-row-a3615551.html
Telegraph “Hunt mocked for trying to school Hawking” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/19/jeremy-hunt-twitter-row-stephen-hawking/
Times “Hawking NHS crisis due to ‘abuse’ of evidence” https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/stephen-hawking-says-nhs-in-crisis-due-to-abuse-of-research-7jcqbgtg5
City AM “Hunt hits back at Hawking” http://www.cityam.com/270519/jeremy-hunt-hits-back-stephen-hawking-over-nhs-after
BBC “I wouldn’t be here without the NHS” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-40990288/stephen-hawking-i-wouldn-t-be-here-without-the-nhs
Newsthump (news satire) http://newsthump.com/2017/08/19/we-dont-listen-to-people-in-wheelchairs-tories-tell-stephen-hawking/
Daily Mash (news satire) http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-technology/hawking-discovers-new-super-dense-black-hole-20170819134289
Belfast Telegraph “Hunt says Hawking is wrong” http://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/jeremy-hunt-says-stephen-hawking-is-wrong-on-scientific-basis-of-nhs-reform-36048189.html
The Sun “Hunt attacks Hawking” https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/4280839/health-secretary-jeremy-hunt-blasted-stephen-hawking-nhs-claims/
MailOnline “Hawking says NHS in crisis” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4804682/Stephen-Hawking-attacks-Tories-NHS.html
Metro “Hunt accuses Hawking of wrecking his beloved NHS” http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/18/stephen-hawking-accuses-tories-of-wrecking-his-beloved-nhs-since-2010-6863386/
Express “Wrong! Hunt takes on Hawking” http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/843235/Professor-Stephen-Hawking-NHS-Health-Secretary-Jeremy-Hunt-Twitter
Channel 4 News “Hawking attacks conservatives over NHS fears” https://www.channel4.com/news/stephen-hawking-attacks-conservatives-over-nhs-fears
ITV “Hunt denies Hawking claims” http://www.itv.com/news/2017-08-19/hunt-denies-hawkings-claims-he-cherry-picked-research-to-justify-nhs-reforms/
PoliticsHome “Hunt accuses Hawk https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/health-and-care/nhs/news/88369/jeremy-hunt-accuses-stephen-hawking-pernicious-falsehood-nhs”
Telegraph – Hunt opinion piece
Reuters https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-health-hawking-idUKKCN1AZ08F?il=0
LBC/Owen Jones http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/owen-jones/owen-jones-the-nhs-is-our-proudest-institution-but/
LBC/Beverley Turner http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/beverley-turner/beverley-turner-gives-jeremy-hunt-both-barrels-in/
Chicago Tribune, Ledger Enquirer, The Herald (AP story), Charlotte Observer, Settle Times & many other US state papers
Gulf Times http://m.gulf-times.com/story/560762/Hawking-blames-UK-govt-for-NHS-crisis
IB Times http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stephen-hawking-attacks-conservatives-underfunding-privatising-nhs-1635733
Evolve Politics https://evolvepolitics.com/jeremy-hunt-literally-just-said-stephen-hawking-wrong-scientific-basis-nhs-reform/
Varsity “Hawking says Tories to blame for NHS crisis” https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/13400
The Poke http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2017/08/19/jeremy-hunt-said-stephen-hawking-got-science-wrong/
Cambridge News “Hawking says Conservatives are to blame for NHS crisis” http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/stephen-hawking-nhs-crisis-conservatives-13498706
… and “40+ radio stations”
‘Well done’ seems insufficient. One of the group’s aims was to attract a lot of publicity for a single national event by getting a ‘celebrity’ to speak out. Well, clearly job done! The group is planning to build on this success with an even larger ‘pull’ to get public attention.
NHS ‘Never’ events on the rise
Telegraph – which does include the point that the rise could be down to increased awareness in staff triggering greater reporting.
Managers on more than £400 K a year at failing NHS trusts
The management-consultant gravy train continues to pull away – with our tax money, as NHS staff are saddled with yet another year of below-inflation pay increases and nurses lose their bursaries. If you wanted a specific number to label health inequality with, this is yet another. The disgusting face of marketization. Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/19/managers-400000-year-failing-nhs-authorities/
21 August
Private hospitals cashing in on tax breaks as NHS trusts struggle with tax hike
Calls for NHS trusts to be given the same definition as charitable organisations to stop this iniquitous interpretation of business rates. Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/private-hospitals-cashing-52million-business-11023257
The conspiracy to destroy the NHS is no ‘fake news’
Youssef El-Gingihy’s opinion piece in Pulse
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.
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