WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT – your involvement in any (or all) of these upcoming events / activities is welcomed.
Info here about: KONPNE questioning local Councils / KEEP TRUMP AWAY FROM OUR NHS / LIVI privatisation / SIGN and circulate four petitions / ACCESS information / WATCH incisive films / JOIN the next KONPNE meeting / FOLLOW decision-making at local Council meetings / KEEP IN TOUCH with KONP North East
NHS PRIVATISATION: QUESTION TO FULL COUNCIL MEETINGS
Prompted by the recent growth in “outsourcing” (aka NHS privatisation) by North Tyneside CCG, members of KONPNE are putting questions to local North East Councils about NHS privatisation in their area.
First up was Gateshead Council, with KONPNE supporter Tony Dowling putting a question to the full Council and then, a week later, Sunderland KONP’s Laura Murrell and Dr Pam Wortley presented a question for the attention of Sunderland City Council.
Plus more to follow – Northumberland County Council meeting (4th November) and then Newcastle City Council meeting (also 4th November), and information and questions also sent to key Councillors in North Tyneside, South Tyneside and County Durham – links to follow…
OUR NHS NEEDS OUR HELP. Donald Trump and Boris Johnson are keen to work out a trade deal, US / UK discussions are well in progress. and the Trade Bill is currently passing through Parliament. The dangers are very clear –large-scale take-oversby US private companies,reduced access to medication(US politicians have already made it clear that they want to”pressure” the UK through trade negotiations to “pay more” for drugs), theharvesting of our UK patient databy US firms (many US corporations are keen to develop global business models for new markets) and thelowering of standardsin medication, technology, and the numbers / skills / pay and conditions of staff (all could be lowered to make our NHS more profitable to US corporations).
The Bill has passed through the Commons earlier this year, and is currently (September 2020) being considered by the House of Lords. Thereafter, it will return to the Commons for further consideration before being enacted.
There is now a need for urgent action, and much that you can do. Please get involved – info is at the Trade Bill pagehere
LIVID – North Tyneside on the slippery privatisation slope
The private firm Livi has been awarded a contract to carry out virtual consultations in Primary Care in North Tyneside. Whilst this is claimed to be a pilot scheme, and it is to be seen as an addition to the usual GP clinical work, it is undoubtedly part of a very slippery privatisation slope.
WE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE… wherever you live in the NE…
Click our privatisation in primary care page here for an update on developments and information about how to join in.
PETITION 1 > Scrap the contracts for Serco and Sitel
Privatised track and trace has been a 2020 disaster that is costing lives.
It’s time to put local public health teams in charge of the whole system. They have the tools and the local knowledge they need to do this vital work before any second wave this winter. Now they need the money. Hancock needs to scrap Serco and Sitels failed contracts now instead of renewing them. The government must give the £528 million allocated for these contract extension to local authorities and Public Health England teams instead.
Despite the massive threat posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, the Governments response has been exceptionally poor. This is doubly alarming given that our NHS is working following a decade of under-funding, under-staffing, and undermining.
PETITION 3 > Private Test and Trace is failing – hand it back to the NHS
‘NHS test and trace’ is not run by the NHS. The testing side is run by private companies such as Deloitte, and it’s clear that it is failing. A partnership between local authorities and public health, primary care and NHS labs is needed to ensure a successful testing system. Please sign this petition calling for testing to be rooted within NHS structures and given the necessary investment.
As information comes to light, it is clear that there were huge gaps in the country’s preparedness for COVID 19 including delays to locking down, inadequate supplies of PPE, policies of discharging into care homes and more. They have all been identified as having contributed to the level of the death toll. It’s heartwrenching to know that some of the deaths could have been prevented if only this had been handled better.
Despite this, the government continues to refer to its ‘apparent success’ and being ‘proud’ of its record.
ONLINE SOCIAL CARE CONFERENCE: 10th October 11 am to 1pm
The pandemic has exposed the neglect, injustice and exclusion in our Social Care system. Lives have been casually devalued. Large, often remote residential units or chains, designed to max profit rather than provide what people need and want have heightened risk; while what fragmented, severely rationed support at home remains after wholesale privatisation and 50 % cuts to Local Authority budgets falls dangerously short of meeting even basic needs.
We believe in a radical reform of social care provision in Britain.
This event is hosted by Keep Our NHS Public (national office) and The Socialist Health Association and supported by Reclaim Social Care, Health Campaigns Together, GMB, National Pensioners Convention, Reclaim Our Futures Alliance of Disabled People’s Organisations.
Click herefor links to documentaries about the NHS: The Great NHS Heist (Drew McFadyen and Bob Gill, 2019), Sell Off (Peter Bach, 2014) and Sicko (Michael Moore, 2007) – all are timely reminders about why we do not want an American healthcare system.
JOIN the next online “Keep Our NHS Public North East” meeting
We look forward to meeting with you in October via Zoom – ALL WELCOME. Zoom log-in details will be posted here shortly; please log in for 7pm for introductions and notices….thank you.
It has been a very busy year so far, and the Campaign continues with our current focus on the Trade Bill, the privatised Track and Trace fiasco, and the recent news that North Tyneside CCG has contracted the private company “Livi” to provide some interventions in Primary Care. Our meeting will update on all of these developments.
Like all KONPNE meetings, our meetings remain open to all who support a publicly funded, publicly accountable and publicly provided NHS, and new supporters are very warmly welcomed. The zoom log-in details will be posted above, and on our social media and also on our regular mailings. Notes from our past meetings are posted here. If you are not familiar with zoom, we have found it very easy to use and intuitive…many thanks to XR Midlands for the attached very useful guide: Zoom User Guide
FOLLOW decision-making at Council meetings –September and October 2020
KONPNE are keen for people to follow decision-making at local Council meetings – either by tracking Council minutes online or by attending as an observer. It is crucial that we are aware of discussions at specific meetings (the “Health and Wellbeing” and the “Health Scrutiny” meetings) so that we are able to keep up-to-date with CCG and Council decision-making regarding “Integrated Care Systems.
Please click our page here if you are interested in finding out more….
KEEP IN TOUCH with KONP North East…and tell your family, friends and contacts
All of our regular face-to-face monthly meetings are, of course, cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we are now holding meetings via zoom. Details of all scheduled zoom meetings are posted above and in our social media – it would be good to see you and hear from you!!
We circulate a regular campaign briefing by email – If you would like to add your email address to the circulation list, then please contact us at konpnortheast@gmail.com (stating that you would like to join our secure KONPNE mailing list, and that you understand that you can unsubscribe at any time), and….job done.
Also, we host lively facebook and twitter platforms…please help the Campaign by liking, following, commenting, sharing, tweeting, retweeting….and all other electronic manoeuvrings…Our social media is updated daily and works well….so long as it is shared….. find us atfacebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEastandtwitter.com/KONPNorthEastWe are always on the look out for help with our social media – let us know if you have time to assist.
And finally, please let us know what you are doing….we like to be kept in touch – contact us at konpnortheast@gmail.com
At this time, we offer our gratitude and MASSIVE respect to all health workers and keyworkers.
Take lots of care and keep in touch – all at KONPNE xx
Why wait? There are many things you can be doing NOW. In addition to the above suggestions, please also check out the work of other health campaign groups and organisations – all local groups are on our links page here, the nationalKONP website provides much information here, and Health Campaigns Together website is here
…and FINALLY…!!!
Please also see these five minute videos, which summarise some of the campaign activity throughout recent years:
Finally, we are happy to provide information about meetings and upcoming events by email – please provide your name and email address to us at konpnortheast@gmail.com and we will be pleased to add your name to our circulation list. We keep a record of your name and email address only – this remains confidential and secure, and we never share this information with anyone else. We will send an NHS Campaign email to everyone on an approx monthly basis and you are able to unsubscribe from the list at any time.
“Keep Our NHS Public North East” takes consent and confidentiality very seriously and these arrangements are to comply with data protection regulations.
