healthcare

Sunday 21st September 2025 on the North Tyneside 10K 

Before – team talk and stretches sorted! Now the hard work.

All done and dusted, all finished in one piece and twelve ankles untwisted. Amazingly, the sun was beaming for the North Tyneside 10K road race this morning.

Many thanks for all support – you smashed through the sponsorship target with total donations at £1,215  which, in itself, shows the huge depth of support for our NHS.  Half of the money raised goes to the KONPNE campaign funds, and half to the national KONP campaign. This is very much appreciated and we sincerely thank all supporters – this will significantly help our campaigning over the next year.

And, of course, HUGE THANKS also to the elite (?) team of six athletes (?) / KONP supporters who seemed to just glide along that 10K route…. we catch up with them after the race….

Helen:    “We’re running to raise funds for Keep Our NHS Public. Nye Bevan said that the NHS will exist only as long as people fight for it – and fight for it we must”

Lucy:     “OUR NHS =  healthcare for all, from cradle to grave. We must not allow this AMAZING organisation to slip between our fingers. Once its gone, its gone. Keep our NHS public  now and for future generations”

Rob:     “I’m here today because it is NO WAY acceptable to see patients being treated in hospital corridors. We need to fight for more investment in the NHS”

Adam:    “The NHS is sick – and I don’t want to see it die”

Lucy:     “It’s easy to take for granted the sense of security we  get from knowing the NHS is there if we need it. I ran today to say THANKYOU”

John:     “I see the NHS moving towards a privatised system. The next step will be health insurance, a two-tier system, and increased inequality in health. We all have an opportunity now to return our NHS to the world-class healthcare it was – accessible to all, publicly-provided and publicly-funded”

After…voltarol all round

 

---

===============

Concerned about the increasing privatisation of NHS eye care, a KONPNE supporter in Blaydon has recently been in touch with her MP – and received a startling response.

Liz Twist MP (Blaydon and Consett) confirmed in an email on the 2^nd June 2025 that she is “pleased that the Government’s Elective Recovery Plan is already making a difference. Since July, eye care waiting lists have gone down by 24,000 and 2 million more NHS appointments have been given across different specialties. This is welcome news to everyone who has put their lives on hold whilst waiting for treatment”

Ahh – yes – of course.  But there is more to this than meets the eye.

Like – where is the money going…?

KONPNE notes that, not one month previously, research published by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest found that the five main private companies providing cataract surgery and other eye treatments to the NHS in England made an estimated £169million in profit collectively during 2023 – 24.  The five’s average profit margin for NHS work is 32%.  This financial boost from the Government earlier this year will, no doubt, soon be lining the coffers of numerous private firms.  KONPNE is absolutely clear – money allocated to the Elective Recovery Plan should be invested in developing NHS-run capacity and services.

And, as if to emphasise the point, we note that Liz Twist MP writes that she “will always defend our NHS as a public service, free at the point of use, so that whenever you fall ill you never have to worry about the bill”. Absolutely. But, importantly, where is Liz’ commitment to NHS services being PUBLICLY PROVIDED?

KONPNE is crystal clear – services need to be publicly funded AND publicly provided. There is no room for shareholders raking off profits from OUR money provided for NHS healthcare.

We wish the Blaydon resident well.

Coincidentally, members of KONPNE had emailed Liz Twist MP earlier in the year (January 2025) and followed this up with a posted letter and information (March 2025), both requesting a meeting to discuss NHS provision. We would really appreciate the opportunity to discuss and work with Liz Twist MP on these issues. We are still awaiting a response and will keep you updated.

Private Eye is also following these appalling trends in our eye services – see Private Eye 1648 2^nd – 15^th May 2025

 

Information:

https://www.chpi.org.uk/the-outsourcing-of-nhs-eye-care-profit-map

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/04/profits-from-nhs-england-eye-care-outsourcing-same-as-100-pfi-contracts-research-finds

============