Our NHS is on its knees. It used to be one of the best healthcare services in the world and, until recently, it was free for everyone when they needed it – and it worked. After 14 years of deliberate government neglect and politicians’ ‘reforms’, the NHS and its principles have been eroded. The NHS is less accessible – nearly 8 million people are on waiting lists, care is not available when needed, and people are dying as a consequence. Many patients have to pay out of pocket for private care. But we know that the NHS model delivers great care when funded fully and not weakened by outsourced private contracts. We must restore the model we know works and rebuild an NHS that is universal and free for all to access, comprehensive, publicly funded, publicly provided, and accountable to us all.
WHAT ARE THE FACTS?
PEOPLE ARE DYING IN HOSPITAL CORRIDORS. This is NOT the new normal and it is in NO WAY acceptable. Tragically, the Governments plan is to increase the use of the private sector rather than investing in expanding NHS capacity.
GPs are under intense pressure and it can be hard to get to see one
The NHS is no longer always free at the point you need it. Patients now have to pay to access dozens of procedures that have been removed from NHS provision, many of which are clearly beneficial such as earwax removal – this is heightening health inequality
Important sections of the NHS are no longer publicly provided – they are contracted to the private sector, and this has weakened the public NHS
The 2022 Health and Care Act has fragmented the NHS into 42 ‘Integrated Care Systems‘, increased a lack of accountability, taken decision-making from local communities
Commercial confidentiality prevents public scrutiny of private companies operating within our NHS
Private hospitals have been shown to be unsafe, despite cherry picking low-risk patients
Free health care is denied to over 1 million of the population, categorised as ‘undocumented’ people (including 200k children) leaving them without access to hospital and mental health care, except immediate emergency treatment
PLEASE READ THESE FOUR DOCUMENTS:
1
CLICK HERE
for the national KONP “Restore the Peoples’s NHS” campaign brochure
2:
CLICK HERE
for feedback from members of the public in the North East
3:
CLICK HERE
for an analysis by Dr John Puntis, Co-Chair of National KONP
4:
CLICK HERE
for 2024 Oxford University study which links hospital privatisation to worse patient care
konpnortheast.com 