NHS
-
We say NO to Care.data
A majority of 38 Degrees members support the idea of sharing anonymised data for life-saving medical research – as long as we can be convinced that the data is kept securely. But we are united in our opposition to this data being shared with profit-making companies, for any purpose. Continue reading
-
Care.data: They never give up
The government is trying to push through the plan that would allow private companies to access our personal medical data and increase privatisation of the NHS. But together, we could stop it. Continue reading
-
The NHS stays centre stage as the political ground shakes By Tony O’Sullivan
As Labour’s newly elected leader throws down the gauntlet on undoing NHS privatisation, the Tory ideological and financial attacks on our health service are escalating. Continue reading
-
care.data equals chaos.data
Absent explicit instruction from the Secretary of State, it is now clear that NHS England is just going to keep on making the chaos worse. 16 months after it was “paused”, care.data is resurfacing in a way that gives some insight into the shambolic mess it is still in. Continue reading
-
No More NHS Privatisation!
A huge NHS privatisation deal has just been announced. £780 million more of taxpayers’ money will now go to private companies for services which used to be delivered by the NHS. Piece by piece, the NHS is being sold off to the highest bidder. But our NHS is precious and belongs to us all. We… Continue reading
-
Save our NHS
Today, 38 Degrees members went out on the streets in Streatham. They added name after name to a petition telling all your local politicians to save the NHS. And it’s not just here – 38 Degrees members were out in hundreds of locations across the country. Continue reading
-
The NHS: Unaccountable!
Could Jeremy Hunt’s NHS executives be wasting millions of pounds of our money? For weeks, NHS England – the people he put in charge of our NHS – have been promising to show how they are spending our money. They said they’d publish their receipts by 1st November, but we’re still waiting. Continue reading
-
Stop distracting us with the ‘health tourism’ sideshow By Kailash Chand
Hunt commissioned research from two firms, Prederi and Creative Research, to come up with the £500m a year figure – but the companies themselves admitted this research was “based on incomplete data, sometimes of varying quality, and a large number of assumptions”. Actual ‘deliberate’ health tourism was estimated by Prederi to cost between £20 and… Continue reading
-
Take our ‘treatment’ or we’ll stop your benefits, Tories threaten mentally ill By Louise McCudden
Proposals to strip benefits from depressed people who ‘refuse’ treatment are unethical, ignore root causes, and are likely to force people into inappropriate treatment or penury. Continue reading
-
“Handing patients NHS cash” is just rebranding cuts By Peter Beresford
Personal health budgets are to be rolled out to many more patients and combined with social care personal budgets, Simon Stevens, NHS England’s new Chief Executive announced yesterday. But as spending on both social care and the NHS contracts, what is the evidence underpinning this massive shift in resources? Continue reading
-
NHS Care.data safeguards jettisoned by govt. By Kelly Fiveash
Vital safeguards for protecting patients’ privacy when NHS England records are shared with companies were scrapped by peers on Wednesday night. A proposed tweak to the Care Bill, tabled by Lord Owen, would have brought in independent, statutory oversight to better protect the handling of patient information across the health service, following the care.data debacle. Continue reading
-
Fourteen questions for new NHS Boss Simon Stevens
The new head of the NHS, Simon Stevens, appears before the Health Select Committee today. Here are fourteen questions OurNHS hopes MPs will ask him. Continue reading
-
Family doctor services “under severe threat of extinction” in Britain By Mark Blackwood
RCGP president Dr. Maureen Baker told the Guardian that the GP health care service, which is the bedrock of the National Health Service (NHS) and accounts for 90 percent of all patient contact is “in crisis”. “GPs and practice nurses can’t keep doing more for less now that funding for general practice in England has… Continue reading
-
NHS Foundation Trusts – a democratic failure? By Richard Berry
10 years ago Alan Milburn launched the first Foundation Trusts. But despite his rhetoric of ‘greater local control’ the reality is apathy and powerlessness. Is it time for a different approach? Continue reading
-
Nuffield Trust report exposes Tory lies on Welsh NHS By Tony Beddow
David Cameron claimed last week that the Welsh border was “the dividing line between life and death”. A new Nuffield Trust report shows such rhetoric is dishonest. In fact a thorough comparison of the UK health systems – published earlier that day by the independent Nuffield Trust – showed that overall, NHS Wales compares well. Continue reading
-
NHS racism: You can’t tackle a problem if you deny it exists, Earl Howe By Roger Kline
Discrimination against ethnic minority NHS staff is rife – and it’s bad for patient care too. The author of a major new report here reveals how the government is misleading parliament by claiming the problem is being addressed. Continue reading
-
Shock U-turn as sell-off of George Eliot hospital cancelled By Caroline Molloy
The planned sell-off of George Elliott hospital has been cancelled, hailed as a victory for common sense by unions and campaigners. Continue reading
-
Key NHS recommendation to “put patients first” rejected by government advisors By Caroline Molloy
Government advisors today rejected the main recommendation of the QC who investigated failings of care at NHS hospitals – to re-write the NHS Constitution to make clear “patients come first”. The central recommendation of the Francis report was today rejected by a secretive panel of government advisors chaired by health minister Norman Lamb. Continue reading
-
Britain: More health services face privatisation By Mark Blackwood and Paul Mitchell
Private-sector companies such as Alliance Boots and Bupa are eyeing the new contracts and have expert teams at hand, well versed at drawing up contracts. They are willing to submit loss-making bids in order to gain a foothold in the market. To meet this competition, existing providers, mainly GP surgeries and health centres, are being… Continue reading
-
Labour’s Andy Burnham moves to strike out “Hospital Closure Clause” By Benedict Cooper
Labour confirmed yesterday that it would be staging a last ditch attempt in parliament on Tuesday to strike out the deeply unpopular “Hospital Closure Clause”. Continue reading
The New Dark Age 