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Newcastle University Public Lecture series has secured Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England, to speak at tonights event – an excellent opportunity to hear from, and to question, the person at the top.

The University writes: In this lecture our speaker will discuss how the evolving needs of the public, as well as advances in science and technology, will shape both the demand on, and capabilities of, the NHS over the coming decade and beyond.  Amanda Pritchard leads one of the 10 largest employers in the world, responsible for £150bn of annual funding. She has worked in the NHS since 1987, including in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, and speaks about the service at a time of unparalleled pressures and demands, as it wrestles with demographic change and political challenges.

And KONPNE writes: Speaking to a packed auditorium at the Herschel Building, Newcastle University, Amanda Pritchard structured her presentation through an emphasis on the importance of viewing the NHS as a diverse team, charged with the three-fold need to recover (from the pandemic),  to strengthen (the workforce, through recruitment, training and retention, and by being open and fair to all staff) and to transform (into a joined up, person-centred service through innovation and integration).

So far, so good.  But what of the cuts, closures, underfunding and privatisation?  Of course, this evening demanded strong attendance from KONPNE, and we were successful in having two questions attended to in the short post-lecture question slot:

“In order to reduce waiting lists the NHS is frequently paying for treatments from private companies. How do you justify the increasing use of public money to fund profit making companies and their shareholders,  resulting in less of that money being available to pay for healthcare? “

and 

“I am a member of Keep Our NHS Public North East, and I am interested in what you just said about privatisation. There is, this week, a piece in a national newspaper which reports  that 10% of elective care is now provided by the private sector. Additionally, here, in the North East, an increasing number of private companies are gaining huge contracts to provide health care. One private healthcare group has the contract to run the Urgent Care Walk In Centres, which are located within our NHS hospitals throughout the North East. These take overs are not widely known, and this secrecy is compounded by the private companies concerned being allowed to use the NHS logo in their publicity….it may be argued that private companies are hiding behind the trusted NHS logo and that the public are being hoodwinked.  What is your view on this?”

It has to be said that the responses to both questions were underwhelming. It was astonishing that Amanda Pritchard insisted that “private healthcare provision is small”. Really??!!  Fact check called for. And even more astonishing that she expected the audience to believe her claim.  We believe otherwise.  She went on to speak of her personal agreement with the ideals of Bevan who, in 1948, described the NHS as a milestone in history, a civilised step, free at the point of delivery, available to all, funded through taxation…fastforward to 2024 and Amanda Pritchard made no mention as to who would provide it, what would be provided and where.

And so – all in all, a very mixed bag.  Time was called in the windy cloisters of Newcastle University, but not without final opportunistic conversations in the foyer…always the last to leave, KONPNE had a final word with Amanda Pritchard about the Peoples NHS campaign hosted by the national office of KONP, and provided her with her own personal copy of the newly published and detailed “Restore the Peoples NHS” brochure, which she agreed to read.  Much food for thought. 

Thank you to Newcastle University for arranging and hosting this event as part of the Public Lectures series – excellent to have a local opportunity to hear and question key speakers.

The Peoples NHS Campaign is hosted by National KONP, and centres around 5 Core Demands: 1) A publicly provided NHS – end private involvement 2) An NHS funded to succeed – not defunded to fail  3) Respect, recognition,  and decent pay and conditions for all health workers  4) Re-invest in public health and tackle health inequalities  5) Rebuild, restore and expand our NHS

CLICK HERE

for info about the Peoples NHS campaign

Important discussions with people from both Blyth and Cramlington

A change of location from our usual rally or campaign actions at Grey’s Monument! As part of the KONP National Day of Action last week, members of KONPNE were out and about in Northumberland,  spending time talking with people from both Blyth and Cramlington, inviting messages on postcards to the local MP, and providing info about the new Peoples NHS campaign….much activity, interest and much support – THANK YOU!!   We agree that we urgently need to END private involvement in our healthcare and ENSURE that the NHS returns to being universally accessible, publicly delivered and accountable. Thank you, Blyth and Cramlington for your warm welcome.

We have now collated the responses from Blyth and Cramlington residents into one document and have forwarded this document, together with the original written responses, to Tory MP Ian Levy. These written responses from Blyth and Cramlington constituents reflect years of underfunding from central Government, with the subsequent cuts and closures of services. Constituents identified issues around primary care, dentistry, hospital waiting lists, staffing levels, underfunding and privatisation. We will see what Ian Levy makes of this valuable feedback from constituents about their concerns regarding health provision under this Government….and these constituents deserve a comprehensive response from him.  

CLICK HERE

to read the document which collates the responses from constituents 

Levy, a newcomer to Parliament at the last General Election, does not have an auspicious record in his dealings regarding the NHS. He first voted in favour of passing the Trade Bill which was subsequently enacted in January 2021 – this Bill exposes the NHS to many dangers including the risk of large-scale take-overs by US private companies, reduced access to medication (US politicians made it clear that they want to ”pressure” the UK through trade negotiations to “pay more” for drugs), and the harvesting of our UK patient data by US firms (many US corporations are keen to develop global business models for new markets).

A year later, Levy hit the NHS a second time by voting in favour of the Health and Care Bill which was subsequently enacted in April 2022. Despite strong opposition from health clinicians, organisations and campaigners across the country, this Bill operationalised “Integrated Care Systems” – KONPNE has consistently highlighted a number of major concerns regarding this change to NHS provision, including reduced local democracy; increased central control; a shift of focus for the NHS from the provision of universal, comprehensive care towards ‘demand’ management; the increased presence and influence of private companies; and the fragmentation of services. This, all wrapped up in what the Government calls an “integrated care system”, sounds cosy – but in reality, it means cuts and closures of NHS services.

So, in this lead up to the General Election, we call upon Ian Levy to do much better and, now, to STAND UP for the NHS.  We have provided information relating to the Peoples NHS campaign to Ian Levy, and we will be back in both Blyth and Cramlington in the near future. 

CLICK HERE

for info about the Peoples NHS campaign

Opportunity Knocks?

NOW is the time to stake our claim for a return to publicly-provided healthcare  – we have a right to it, and it belongs to us.  

We’ve just celebrated 75 years of advances and innovation in healthcare, and we unreservedly thank all NHS staff for their commitment and dedication, not least during the time of covid.  But is it all about celebration?

What was once a healthcare service which ranked as the best in the world has now, since 2015, fallen to 10th place globally. We are faced with cuts, closures and downgrading of departments.  Outsourcing continues – private companies are milking millions in profits from NHS contracts, with shareholders laughing all the way to the bank.  And we have a major staffing crisis with over 132,000 staffing vacancies, and over 7 million on waiting lists. The long-awaited NHS Workforce Plan published earlier this month magics up numbers of newly qualified doctors and nurses – but they take years to train, and the same document pays scant regard to how we are to retain staff once qualified. And can we trust this Governments plan in the first place?  We’re still waiting for those 40 new hospitals.  So, all in all, no wonder our NHS staff are either leaving their professions or striking to save their pay and conditions. Our doctors and nurses need to be treated with more respect.

So – is the NHS failing? Or is it more accurate to state that the NHS is being failed?  We see a managed decline which is politically driven and reflects political ideals and a drive to a two-tier health system, underpinned by health insurance and with shareholders creaming off profit.  We see a strategic, planned, long-term, politically driven, intentional run-down of a publicly-provided and publicly-funded healthcare system to enable a growth in the private sector. Most of the people in the UK can see that. And that is why everything points to the tories being out of office next year – very soon we will, most probably, have a different Government and this brings with it an opportunity.

Now, in this pre-election period, it is vital that we stand together to defend our NHS from those who seek to undermine its core values. Now, more than ever, we need to state very clearly what we want in the future, and we need to make this crystal clear to ALL political parties who are busy drafting out manifesto, in prep for the ballot box. We need a fully public NHS –  publicly funded and publicly provided. This isn’t time to ‘reform or retreat’, it’s time to return to founding principles.

So, we celebrate the work of our committed NHS staff, and we thank them, and we recognise the great successes of the NHS in the past. And also, NOW, before next May, is the time to contact our MPs to demand a publicly-provided service fit for purpose for another 75 years and more. 

There is a list of local MP email addresses on our Links page here; alternatively, you can find the name and email address of your MP by entering your postcode here.

Moving on….

Guest blogger SNAPPER, columnist in the mega popular North East events and reviews mag The Crack, puts a way forward…..

A “lame duck administration” could apply to a government who are not made up of the brightest and best. Who let a health service collapse. Who underfund schools and a country’s infrastructure. Who let water companies pollute rivers and seashores with human excrement. Who party and take the piss while the rest of the country locks down and attends funerals. Who travel by air while the rest of us struggle to travel by non-existent trains and grid-locked roads. Who condemn striking workers for the kind of pay rises their mates in the city wouldn’t even get out of bed for. Who are quite happy to invent policies that play to their supporter’s worst instincts and distract everyone else from proper governance. Who are the absolute dregs of arrogance and privilege. Who are the Tory party circa 2023.  Who will limp to a General Election in 2024, utterly bereft of a single credible policy or idea.

The  question is, of course, how the hell are we going to survive until then? Poisoned by shit, unable to access the NHS or travel to a hospital that works. Well, there’s always the lessons of France in 1789 and Russia in 1917, but as we’re a bit of a conservative lot maybe there’s less revolutionary solutions.

How about not paying our taxes? Not paying water rates? How about not paying train fares? How about not working? How about quiet quitting? How about putting Boris Johnson in prison? How about turning off all news media as a way of improving one’s mental health? How about going on marches and protesting against the Tories in any way you can? How about supporting all the striking workers? How about giving Gary Lineker a pat on the back?

The solution to this government lies in our own anger, energy and creativity. We don’t have to follow their lead and be lame ducks too. We can defy them and have fun. What can be better than that?

“The Crack” is a free monthly events and reviews mag, distributed to venues across the North East, and also online at https://www.thecrackmagazine.com/

It’s July 2023, OUR NHS is 75, and we’re at Seaburn beach and then Durham Miners Gala.

KONP North East asks 15 Campaigners what we, collectively, need to do for the NHS to get to 100…..  

CLICK HERE

to watch this ten minute video

Hear from:

Dr Pam Wortley (KONP Sunderland), 

Dr Helen Groom (KONP North East), 

Mark Greenfield (KONP Sunderland), 

Dr John Puntis (Co-Chair, National KONP), 

Laura Murrell (Secretary, KONP Sunderland), 

Roger Nettleship (Chair, Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign), 

Vicki Gilbert (Community Activist), 

Dr Helen Murrell (KONP North East), 

Alec McFadden (KONP Sunderland), 

Prof Allyson Pollock (Newcastle University), 

Mark Ladbrooke (Chair, Socialist Health Association), 

Keith Venables (Health Campaigns Together),

Tony Dowling (Chair, North East Peoples Assembly), 

Mike Forster (Chair, Health Campaigns Together), 

Jude Letham (Co-Ordinator, KONP North East).

KONP North East thanks all fifteen contributors

5th July 2023: KONP Sunderland and District celebrate 75 years of  #OURNHS

The sand sculpture and speeches at Seaburn beach make the situation crystal clear. Happy Birthday NHS – thank you, and may you return to be a publicly-provided and national healthcare system. We stand by you all the way.

Chronicle: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/gallery/nhs-75-birthday-pictures-hearts-27264761

Sunderland Echo: https://www.sunderlandecho.com/health/giant-love-heart-created-on-seaburn-beach-to-celebrate-75th-birthday-of-the-nhs-4208482

Dr Pam Wortley and Laura Murrell, KONP Sunderland

Contact:  https://www.facebook.com/KONPSD

People Not Profit

Johannah Churchill – North East nurse, photographer, and nurse photographer – depicts life in the NHS. No verbal explanation or interpretation required….

A huge THANK YOU to Johannah:

What a powerful Exhibition.

Thank you, Johannah Churchill, for so accurately portraying the emotional demands of caring for others – shown especially in your photographs taken at the time of Covid. Your beautiful and evocative work clearly demonstrates  that there is no more an important a job as looking after others at their time of need –  and workers in the  NHS do this, day in and day out. Thank you, also, for your spirit of generosity in setting up this extraordinary Exhibition in the first place, and in donating all proceeds to KONP locally.  We picked up, in many ways, a very special empathy and thoughtfulness from the NHS workers in the portraits and, also, the same qualities in yourself behind the camera and in planning and instigating this work.  Thank you from all at KONP North East.

Exhibition notes:

The show features a selection of Churchill’s powerful and emotive NHS worker portraits, exploring art and photography as a means of protest.  This pop-up exhibition was conceived as a public response to mounting concerns over the right to strike in the UK. Amongst the many images featured in the show is Churchill’s iconic portrait ‘Melanie March 2020’ (above) a haunting depiction of a nurse at the beginning of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Exhibition is located at Pop Recs, 172 – 175 High Street West, Sunderland, and the closing date has been extended to (at least) Saturday 1st July 2023.  Pop Recs states that it proudly stands in solidarity with NHS workers.

Two recent reviews:

https://www.culturednortheast.co.uk/2023/06/20/people-not-profit-exhibition-at-pop-recs/

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/whats-on/things-to-do/exhibition-featuring-iconic-images-of-nhs-pandemic-workers-extends-run-at-sunderlands-pop-recs-4197152

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No Profit in Pain – Gruff Rhys

Click here for the track No Profit in Pain – commissioned by National Theatre Wales five years ago, at the time of the NHS 70th Anniversary. It does, of course, and sadly, remain relevant today.  KONPNE can think of no better anthem for the NHS at the time of its 75th Anniversary….. 

I was born in the NHS
And I’ve been wrapped in her bandages
And when my child was born
The janitor sung ‘Oh How Great Thou Art’
Thanks Aneirun Bevan
And William Pryce
Betsi Cadwaladr came to school, split my hair from the lice,
And when I broke my heart,
They gave me a crutch and a leg to stand on,
From cradle to grave,
From the moment I was born you patched me up to stay strong,
Don’t rip it apart,
For some bastard bank to make some money, ripping out your heart.
So if civility is helping out
Then civilisation is what I’m all about
Forget capital
It’s not about profiting on pain,
And when Richard Branson sees dollar bills,
You know it’s time to run for the hills,
As a society,
We’ve got your back and your heart attack.
From cradle to grave
From the moment I was born you patched me up to stay strong,
Don’t rip it apart,
For some bastard bank to make some money, ripping out your, heartfelt anniversary, you’re the
handle on the stairs that keeps me off my knees.
Well I’m NHS born
And NHS bred
And when I die let me be NHS dead
Life’s a tightrope walk,
You don’t want a hole in your safety net,
From cradle to grave
From the moment I was born you patched me up to stay strong,
Don’t rip it apart,
For some bastard bank to make some money, ripping out your, heartfelt anniversary, you’re the
handle on the stairs that keeps me off my knees.
(Shout out to all the ethical bankers)

http://bit.ly/NoProfitInPain

And the elephant – which (almost) remained in the lecture hall

John Whalley, Mental Health Nurse / Psychological Therapist (retired), Newcastle-upon-Tyne

How can we balance increasing costs with delivering a quality service? And what can we do to better support NHS staff?

Hosted by Newcastle University, an evening of debate and discussion about the future of the NHS was promised for 5th June 2023, with panellists comprising Professor Clare Bambra (Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University), Dr Guy Pilkington (GP and Chair of the Prevention Board for the North East and North Cumbria ICS), Dr Benjamin Ajibade (Assistant Professor, Nursing, Midwifery & Health, Northumbria University) and James Duncan (CNTW NHS Trust). The panel was chaired by Jane Robinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engagement and Place, Newcastle University.  

Sadly, reality overshadowed promise and, to me at least, the evening was typified by 75% lack lustre and unremarkable comment. What could have been a springboard to searching and frank questioning and debate was, in fact, very different.  In addition to one or two surprising comments (one panellist outlined his support for the use of the private sector in tackling the waiting list, but without acknowledging any associated compromising issues with this, and another panellist advocated the primary need for the NHS to look to ways of actually saving money, but without acknowledging the savage financial cuts to some services…), there were a number of unsubstantiated  platitudes. One or two panellists made nebulous commitments to the future of “Our NHS” but, given that the NHS is on the back foot, it would have been good to hear what they were actually doing about it (although, in fairness,  it was a debate rather than a hustings or campaign meeting or political rally).

The nitty gritty was clearly pinned down by one panellist in extra time. The elephant (aka NHS privatisation) remained in the lecture hall, unacknowledged, until sanity was preserved by Professor Clare Bambra, who specified her view that, as far as the Government and the future of the NHS is concerned, it is clear that all is on the table (ref: recent trade agreements – readers will remember The Trade Act 2021 which makes provision for the implementation of international trade agreements, in effect opening up the NHS to further large-scale takeovers from international corporations) and that the NHS is at a potential turning point (re significant further privatisation and contracting out). Thank you, Professor Bambra, we agree whole heartedly. We all know that, over the past decade, Government policy has placed the NHS in a precarious and dangerous position, now moreso than ever, and this fact and reality needs to be spelled out and placed centre-stage in all conversations and discussions – and debates.

The Newcastle University video of the debate may be viewed here.

Members of KONPNE were in the audience, two of our questions were received by the panel, these were tackled but lack of time negated full responses from the panel. We repeat these here – for further repeating and placing centre-stage.

“Labour Party policy appears to advocate the use of the independent sector to bring down waiting lists. This involves using NHS-trained doctors and nurses, and has an impact on staffing in the NHS. Your thoughts?”

“I am a member of Keep Our NHS Public North East – campaigning against the privatisation of our NHS, We’ve been present in the North East for the past twelve years. Quite rightly, there has been much talk tonight about the prevention of ill health, people taking their own responsibility for health, an aging population, the care sector, better financial management by services. All of these are important – but, with respect to the panel, we are ignoring the elephant in the room.  Does the panel agree that the issue is mainly politically driven, and reflects political ideals, a corrupt “chumocracy”, and a drive to a two-tier health system, underpinned by health insurance and shareholders creaming off profit. Does the panel agree that what we are seeing is a strategic, planned, long-term, politically-driven, intentional run-down of a publicly-provided and publicly-funded healthcare system to enable a growth in the private sector. THAT is the main issue”.

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Open?  Transparent?  Collaborative?  Full engagement?  Maybe NENC ICS need to walk the walk, as well as talking the talk

John Whalley, Mental Health Nurse / Psychological Therapist (retired), Newcastle-upon-Tyne

“North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System” (NENC ICS) has been responsible for commissioning all health care in the region since July 2022. There are, of course, major difficulties with this organisational system, and these are identified on our webpage here.

The Board of the ICS meets every two months and, on reading the Agenda and papers for 28th March 2023 Board meeting, members of KONPNE were shocked to see the number of services in the region which, following CQC inspections, “require improvement” and, also, the required overall “efficiency” target of £48.4 million – all evidence of underfunding and the Governments strategic run down of NHS provision. Click here for the “Integrated Delivery Report” – scroll to item 8:1 on page 96

>> OUR QUESTION: With regard to this important issue, we submitted the following question to the March 2023 ICS Board meeting:

“Keep Our NHS Public North East (KONPNE) is a group of people who strongly believe that the NHS should remain a public service.

Members of KONPNE are very concerned to read in the North East North Cumbria ICB: Integrated Delivery Report February 2023 (Agenda Item 8.1) that a number of services within the ICS are inadequate, according to the CQC. We are aware that the Board have noted this. 

Please detail, specifically, what the Board’s plans are for addressing this situation, given the requirement for the ICB to meet an overall efficiency target of £48.4 million”

>> THE VERBAL FEEDBACK to our question at the meeting was astonishing in both content and brevity. The person who made the response (we remain unsure who it was, as no surname or role was provided) seemed keen to assure that there was nothing to see here, as follows:

No services were rated as OVER-ALL inadequate; North East Ambulance Service was rated inadequate in part and a support package has been put together to look at elements of that (yes – but our question asked for specific details, which  we need to know about)

There is a need for Enhanced Surveillance of some services (yes….details…?)

KONPNE notes that CQC rated a number of other services as “requires improvement” (this issue wasn’t developed in the response – it would have been a good opportunity to update on the actions regarding these services, instead of closing the question down)

Apparently the requirement to bank £48.4million in efficiency savings (flowery name – we know this as BUDGET CUTS) won’t affect the budgets of the services which require improvement (- so end of subject there, apparently no need to expand on that point….)

And the so-called “efficiency savings” / cuts will be made on “prescribing and CSE packages of care” (information about the effects of this and action plan regarding these services would have been useful). 

Thus, in short, we feel this to be a minimal and superficial reply to an important issue, deserving of a considered and respectful verbal  response. Click here to watch the video of the verbal response – click on the image for 28th March, go to 3:28 on the timer slide at the bottom of the video, and don’t blink.

>> As for the WRITTEN FEEDBACK to our question…. o dear, o dear….  the following, ….err….exceptionally brief written response was received from the ICB on April 23rd 2023, three weeks after the meeting….. what can we say…..:

“Thank you for your question. 

None of the 11 provider organisations in the ICB are rated as inadequate overall. In North East Ambulance Service’s (NEAS) recent inspection, they were rated as inadequate for Well Led but overall as requires improvement. NEAS are being supported by the ICB to work through the actions identified by the CQC.”

>> KONPNE: Obviously, “North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board” need to do better regarding public involvement. We read on the ICB website that “The ICB is committed to providing clear and accessible public information to build understanding and trust….. The ICB will provide good quality accessible information that meets the needs of all people in our communities”.  There’s some way to go, then.  We will, of course, be writing to the ICB regarding their paucity of response and  seeking more information about these issues.

>> PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: And while we’re about it – some issues for the Board to develop around the PROCESS of public accessibility to the Board meeting…. that is, if true public involvement is to be welcomed….

1) We need to know who is speaking? Important for all verbal reports, but especially for the response to the public question!  2) The time period between the publication of the Agenda and the cut off date for the receipt of questions to the Board was NIL for both the November 2022 and January 2023 Board meetings and ONE DAY for the March 2023 meeting.  Given that the Board meets every two months, this window for submitting a question is either non-existant or ridiculously small and is an indisputable barrier to involvement  3) We query why a question from the public to the Board must be based on the Boards’ Agenda?  We require an openness and willingness to engage with the patient agenda regarding Board activity   4) Placing questions from the public at the very end of the meeting gives a message of reduced importance and can, furthermore, add another barrier to engagement for people with certain health or attentional difficulties. It is useful to note that questions from the public are at the start of the local full Council meetings.   5) An option to ask the question in person and a right to reply would be welcomed  6) Space is required on the agenda for receipt of petitions.

We will be contacting the ICB about these issues as a matter of priority.

UPDATE 15.5.23: 

– We have contacted all seven Healthwatch organisations in the NE, so that they are aware of our concerns.

– NENC ICS have been in touch to offer a meeting to discuss our concerns – this is a positive development, we intend to accept this offer and will keep you updated.