Scroll down this page for:
1: Join the online Peoples Covid Inquiry; alternate Wednesday evenings until June 2021
2: Log on for the next KONPNE meeting – all welcome; Thursday 29th April 2021
3: National Demonstration: Saturday 26th June 2021
4: Our NHS staff deserve better – a 1% pay rise is not good enough.
5: We strongly oppose the “Integrated Care System” White Paper – find out why, and take action
6: Stop the privatised Test and Trace chaos
7: Campaign against privatisation in North Tyneside Primary Care
8: Centene Corporation takes over more GP practices
9: Privatisation in A&E at York – find out more
10: Defend the right to protest – The Policing Bill 2021
11: Stand up for migrants – hospitals should not be a hostile environment
12: Governments response to Covid 19 is a disgrace
13: Update – KONPNE puts formal questions re privatisation to each of the seven North East councils
14: Six of our North East MPs voted AGAINST protecting the NHS in the Trade Bill vote ….read on
15: Access information about the NHS Campaign
16: Link to NHS Campaigning organisations – much going on…
17: Watch incisive films about the NHS
18: Follow decision-making in local Councils
19: Keep in touch with KONP North East
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WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT – your involvement in these upcoming events / activities is welcomed
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1:
“PEOPLE’S COVID INQUIRY”: in progress NOW, and every alternate Wednesday from 7pm – 9pm; 8 sessions – register week-by-week for individual sessions. **ALL WELCOME** – hosted by national KONP
“We’re holding our People’s Covid Inquiry now because we don’t think it’s too soon to start learning lessons about this crisis, especially while so many people are still dying from Covid-19. We believe this level of deaths was avoidable. We all deserve to know how and why this happened” – KONP
“The People’s Covid Inquiry is important because over a 100,000 lives have been lost, many families left struggling and bereft, and honest answers are needed to understand why this tragedy has occurred” – Professor Neena Modi
Session details:
SESSION 1 –Took place on Wednesday 24 February: click HERE to watch Session 1
Covid-19: How well prepared was the NHS?
In Session 1: The People’s Covid Inquiry asked how has policy over the last decade impacted on the resilience of our NHS, social care system and public health systems and its preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic whilst delivering continuity of core NHS services?
SESSION 2 –Took place on Wednesday 10 March: click HERE to watch Session 2
How did the Government respond?
In Session 2: What strategies did the Government employ to bring the virus under control and were they effective? Did it pay due regard to scientific evidence and public health expertise? Was it influenced by ‘lockdown sceptics’. Were there other strategies the Government could have adopted that would have had better outcomes?
SESSION 3 – Took place on Wednesday 24 March: click HERE to watch SESSION 3
Is ‘Zero Covid’ possible?
In Session 3: Amid increasing criticism of the UK Government for its handling of the pandemic and parallel calls from civil society for the adoption of a ‘Zero Covid’ strategy, our inquiry asks: what does ‘Zero Covid’ mean and is it possible, or has the Government really done the best it can? Is it possible to protect the population and protect the economy at the same time? Did the prospect of an effective vaccine side-line effective test, trace and isolate?
SESSION 4 – Took place on Wednesday 7th April: click HERE to watch SESSION 4
Impact on the population 1
Over 140,000 people have now died in the UK of Covid-19. Shockingly, six in ten people who have died have been disabled, and more than 35,000 people have died in care homes. Social care has been stretched to breaking point, and heavy care responsibilities have fallen upon families and loved ones, invariably falling most heavily on women.
Was this scale of death, long-term illness and distress inevitable? Why were Covid-positive patients discharged into care homes on three separate occasions? Was the UK social care sector well-equipped to meet the pandemic, and could nothing more have been done to enable social care workers to protect both themselves and those depending on their care?
SESSION 5 – Wednesday 21 April Impact on frontline staff & key workers
Click HERE for info and to register for SESSION 5
SESSION 6 – Wednesday 5 May Inequalities & discrimination
Click HERE for info and to register for SESSION 6
SESSION 7 – Wednesday 19 May Privatisation of the Public’s Health
Click HERE for info and to register for SESSION 7
SESSION 8 – Wednesday 2 June Impact on the population 2
Click HERE for info and to register for SESSION 8
The format for each session is:
Introduction from Chair (5-8 mins)
Expert witnesses introduce the core issues each for 10-15 mins
3-4 more witnesses give shorter testimony (5 mins each) focusing on personal experiences of the pandemic (frontline workers, NHS staff, parents, relatives, etc.)
Questioning of witnesses by our expert panel (30 mins)
Conclusion: brief summary and timeline of the inquiry
Please donate to support The Peoples Covid Inquiry – click HERE
The People’s Covid Inquiry website
forms an easily accessible repository for written evidence and recordings of the meetings together with additional video testimonials. We also catalogue work already done by others, such as indie-SAGE, Kings Fund, Amnesty, National Audit Office, etc. Our own online survey initiative has been launched to facilitate the widest possible public participation. Once all online sessions and other evidence gathering initiatives have been completed, we will produce a summary making a series of clear recommendations about what is needed to make sure the NHS is both repaired and strengthened for the future. We will share our findings and recommendations widely through all available channels, and make sure our evidence is a valuable resource available to others.
for more info at The People’s Covid Inquiry website
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2:
“KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC NORTH EAST” MEETING: Thursday 29th April 2021 @7pm
BE ACTIVE IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST NHS PRIVATISATION – Join us at the next “KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC NORTH EAST” meeting: Thursday 29th April 2021 @7pm via ZOOM
We look forward to meeting you.
Zoom meeting ID: 880 6603 9258 / Password: campaign / Please feel free to use these to join the meeting – ALL ARE WELCOME. If you have never attended before, you will find that the meetings are open, and you are welcome to voice your thoughts and ideas, or sit back and listen – whatever suits you best.
The Campaign continues as strong as ever in 2021; the Agenda includes updates from across the NE region, Livi privatisation in North Tyneside, protest work against the Integrated Care System, questions to Councils, and more…. We will continue to fight and stand up for our NHS until it returns to be publicly accountable and publicly provided.
Notes from past KONPNE meetings are posted on our news pages here
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3:
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION – Saturday 26th June 2021
Assemble 12 noon in Portland Place, London
People’s Assembly:
Demand A New Normal: The Covid-19 crisis has shown just how quickly and dramatically society can change. Everything turned upside down; offices shutting, millions on furlough, homeless off the streets. But it has also demonstrated just how incompetent and corrupt our politicians are. £Billions of public money was given to companies with links to politicians who provided useless services or equipment. Thousands have needlessly died because the government chose the economy over people’s lives. Our underfunded NHS has been at breaking point, only surviving due to the incredible commitment of the overworked and underpaid staff.
But it’s not just Covid-19, there has been a growing crisis for many years under successive governments who have privatised and underfunded our NHS and education system, let greedy landlords get away with extortionate rents, prioritised the needs of big business while the majority have gotten poorer and or world leaders refuse to act as the climate crisis looms ever closer, the devastating impact of this becoming clearer by the day.
A return to the old normal cannot be an option. Out of any major crisis can be born an opportunity, an opportunity to rebuild a society that is based on cooperation and puts the needs of the majority first. A new normal is not only possible but necessary. Be there on Saturday 26 June.
The key demands of the demonstration: RENATIONALISE KEY INDUSTRIES | DECENT HOUSING FOR ALL | NO TORY CRONY CORRUPTION | PROPERLY FUNDED, FULLY PUBLICLY OWNED NHS | KEEP THE MARKET OUT OF EDUCATION | A GREEN NEW DEAL | SAFE WORKPLACES, SAVE JOBS | END FIRE AND REHIRE | FULLY FUNDED SOCIAL CARE | KILL THE POLICE, CRIME, SENTENCING AND COURTS BILL
Please contact office@thepeoplesassembly.org.uk for leaflets if order is over 200 to promote the National demo.
More information later….
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4:
OUR NHS STAFF DESERVE BETTER – A 1% PAY RISE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH
to sign the 38degrees petition
and …..
to sign the change.org petition
5:
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE “INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEM” WHITE PAPER AND TAKE ACTION
The government have recently announced NHS reforms, and you may have been delighted to see them being discussed as reducing the role of the private sector in England. But the reality is that these reforms will mean MORE American-style privatisation of our health service. These plans will give private companies BIGGER roles in decision-making and MORE contracts without any checks and balances. This government is hellbent on involving the private sector in our health service further. But they know this isn’t popular. That’s why they’re putting this spin on these reforms. It’s smoke and mirrors.
We need to show them that we won’t fall for this: we want an NHS run for the public, not profit. We demand an immediate halt to the rollout of ICSs across the English NHS.
YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED
for our Campaign information about “Integrated Care Systems” and the White Paper, and to sign the “We Own It” and “Keep Our NHS Public” petitions
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6:
STOP THE PRIVATISED TEST AND TRACE CHAOS
Privatised track and trace is a 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. 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.
to sign two petitions and for a straight-forward pro forma letter – it will take you three minutes, but could protect the NHS for a lifetime
At Newcastle Civic Centre (August 2020) and Serco HQ Newcastle (October 2020)
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7:
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 “NHS Privatisation in Primary Care” page for an update on developments and information about how to join in.
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8:
Centene Corporation takes over more GP practices
“We Own It” petition:
Centene Corporation, an American health insurance giant, has recently taken over AT Medics, a primary care provider responsible for 49 GP surgeries and over 370,000 patients in the Greater London area.
Before these new acquisitions Operose Health, Centene’s UK subsidiary, was already running GP practices in Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Luton, Birmingham, etc. totalling 21 surgeries and practices.
With a total of 70 GP surgeries and practices, Centene is almost certainly the largest single provider of NHS primary care in England. Check whether your GP surgery is now owned by Centene.
Even the Daily Mail has called Centene a “profit greedy American health giant”. Sign the petition and oppose the take-over of our GP surgeries by Centene or any other corporation.
Your GP’s surgery might be next – wherever you live
to get involved
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9:
PRIVATISATION IN A&E: YORK
Rachael Maskell MP calls on the Government to recognise that the proposal to outsource work done by the Emergency Department of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is ill-conceived, poorly timed and against the interests of patients; to prevent this outsourcing to the private sector; and to revise these plans for York Teaching Hospital only when the Government has published its White Paper and subsequent Bill on NHS reorganisation.
for more information and to sign the petition
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10:
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST – THE POLICING BILL 2021
Through the “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021”, the government is planning to make important changes to the law that will restrict the right to protest.
“The whole point of protest is that it does have an impact and may well cause unease or annoyance to those who do not agree with its aims. The value of our freedom to assemble peacefully and express our views is supremely important, and is protected in law by the Human Rights Act 1998″. National KONP 23rd March 2021
for more information / public petitions
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11:
HOSPITALS SHOULD NOT BE A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
Keep Our NHS Public has campaigned against the introduction of NHS charges for migrants since the introduction of charges in 2014.
Go to our webpage NHS Charges – Fight Racism and Defend Migrants for information about how you can help with the Campaign…..
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12:
GOVERNMENTS RESPONSE TO COVID 19 IS A DISGRACE – SIGN AND CIRCULATE TWO PETITIONS
KONP: Six key demands from NHS staff
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.
National KONP is hosting this petition which puts six key demands to the government. Please CLICK HERE to find out more, and to sign.
Covid Inquiry Now
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.
Please sign the petition COVID INQUIRY NOW HERE
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13:
NHS PRIVATISATION: FORMAL QUESTIONS PUT TO SEVEN NORTH EAST COUNCILS
Prompted by the recent growth in “outsourcing” (aka NHS privatisation) by North Tyneside CCG (see here) , members of KONPNE are putting questions to the SEVEN North East Councils about NHS privatisation in their area.
Questions have recently been presented by KONPNE members to six North East Councils – Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside and South Tyneside – at full Council meetings. Our question will be put next to Durham County Council in March 2021.
To see all of our questions, responses and emails, go to the “Questions to North East Councils” webpage:
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14:
KEEP INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AWAY FROM OUR NHS
Boris Johnson is keen to work out a trade deal with the US, discussions are well underway and the Trade Bill is currently passing through Parliament. The dangers are very clear – large-scale take-overs by 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), the harvesting of our UK patient data by US firms (many US corporations are keen to develop global business models for new markets) and the lowering of standards in medication, technology, and the numbers / skills / pay and conditions of staff (all could be lowered to make our NHS more profitable to US corporations).
Unbelievably, these six North East MPs voted AGAINST protecting the NHS, when the Trade Bill was voted on in the Commons in July 2020 and January 2021: 1) Guy Opperman (Hexham) 2) Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick) 3) Ian Levy (Blyth) 4) Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) 5) Richard Holden (NW Durham) 6) Paul Howell (Sedgefield) .
Read this article from KONPNE member Dr Sarah Walpole, published in The Independent (21st January 2021)
&
for full information
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15:
ACCESS INFORMATION
> Look through our KONP North East website. CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINKS for updates and information regarding….
♦ KONPNE archive – our activity over the past ten years
♦ KONPNE Blog – an opportunity to air your views and experiences – all contributions are welcome!!
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16:
LINKS TO NHS CAMPAIGNING ORGANISATIONS
> The national KONP website provides information and news from all over the country
> The KONP 2020 Vision for Healthcare
> Read the Health Campaigns Together news bulletin to catch up on local and national news and developments.
Click here to access the latest Bulletin, and also back issues
> Check out The Lowdown – superb, free, online health campaigning journal
> An excellent series of 20 virtual meetings, each with expert speakers, hosted by The Peoples Assembly.
For the complete playlist of meetings click here
> Read and circulate issues of “NHS Staff Voices”, the newsletter for staff working in our health and care services:
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17:
WATCH INCISIVE FILMS
Click here for 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.
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18:
FOLLOW DECISION-MAKING AT LOCAL COUNCILS – 2021
KONPNE are keen for people to follow decision-making at local Council meetings – either by tracking Council minutes online or by attending (via Zoom) 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….
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19:
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 busy and lively facebook and twitter platforms…please help the Campaign by liking, following, commenting, sharing, tweeting, retweeting….Our social media is updated daily and works well….so long as it is shared….. find us at facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast and twitter.com/KONPNorthEast
We warmly welcome new members and encourage all to be involved and in and to support the future of a publicly-funded and publicly-provided NHS. People can help in many different ways – involvement in specific Campaigns, practical assistance in organising Campaign work, liaison with other organisations, keeping an eye on Council and CCG minutes, assisting with our social media, etc etc etc – please let us know if you have time to assist and be assured of a warm welcome. There is a role for you!!
And finally, wherever you are in the North East, and whatever you are doing, please let us know and keep in touch 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
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MORE ABOUT KONPNE
Please see these two-minute youtube videos, which summarise some of the campaign activity throughout recent years:
More details? Please click here for updates, media articles and photos relating to our past (2010 – 19) activity and more recent (2020 – current) activity.
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AND FINALLY…
We provide information about meetings and upcoming events through our Campaign email – circulated approx once per month. Please provide your name and email address to 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. 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. 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.
