HUGE thanks to all
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
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Privatisation hiding in plain sight
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 2nd 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 2nd – 15th 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
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Happy Birthday – or RIP?
We recently found this article, written in 2023 by KONPNE member Paul Thompson for the Northumberland community-run magazine The Curious Squirrel. Two years later and now approaching 77 on the 5th July 2025, grandfather Nat remains in need of much nourishment
My grandfather Nat had looked after us all our lives, always being willing to help whenever we needed him. So it came as a great shock when, as he reached his seventy-fifth birthday and I turned to him once more, he told me he could no longer help and that I would have to look elsewhere and pay for assistance instead.
“But why didn’t you warn me that this was going to happen” I asked, “instead of springing it upon me when I need you most? “
“I thought you might have noticed” he replied “I’ve been getting weaker and more frail for years and now I’m exhausted. You all take me for granted, your aunty Teresa and uncles David and Boris haven’t fed me properly and now I have hardly anything left to give”.
This is an experience we may all become increasingly familiar with in the months and years to come.
The Newcastle Journal on 6 June 2023 revealed that “Central funding for the NHS in the North East and North Cumbria fell by £100 million over the last two years and a further £60 million is set for next year” and “NHS England have outlined a requirement for each ICB (our local Integrated Care Board covers the above region) to reduce their running costs by 30% by 2025/6″.
This is likely to lead to more restrictions in services provided by surgeries and hospitals, further staff-shortages and even longer waiting-lists (examples of measures Professor Allyson Pollock Public Health Professor at Newcastle University has described as “conscious cruelty”), resulting in more patients turning in desperation to the ever-burgeoning private health sector.
As the NHS reaches 75 years of age in July we might remember that its founder Nye Bevan is reputed to have said in 1948: “the NHS will last as long as there are folk with faith to fight for it”.
The Squirrel asks – could we celebrate its birthday by showing our faith and supporting campaign-groups such as Keep Our NHS Public North-East ( www.konpnortheast.com ) in the fight?
The Curious Squirrel community-run magazine can be viewed at https://www.curioussquirrel.net/
Many thanks to Paul and colleagues at the Curious Squirrel for allowing us to reproduce this article
Proposed cuts to disability benefits: 3 MPs react…. but only 2 provide helpful ways forward
Tuesday 15th April 2025
⇒ MP 1: Richard Burgon MP (Leeds East)
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East – not in the KONP North East area, but DEFINITELY worth a mention!! – on x (twitter) today states “Tax Wealth – Don’t Cut Disability Support”.
Richard Burgon states:
“We shouldn’t cut a single penny in support for disabled people – we should tax the wealthiest instead. I’ve launched a petition calling for wealth taxes, not cuts – as part of our campaign to get as many MPs as possible to vote down these cuts. A Labour Government should not punish the poorest and most vulnerable. Cuts to support for disabled people aren’t just wrong but completely unnecessary. A 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million would raise £24 BILLION!”
CLICK HERE
to sign the Change.Org petition launched today
⇒ MP 2: Ian Lavery MP (Blyth and Ashington)
Ian Lavery slams Government over proposed £5 billion welfare cuts.
Blyth and Ashington’s Labour MP has called the Government’s planned welfare cuts “a step in the wrong direction” and vowed to vote against the plans in Parliament.
Ian Lavery said the reforms, which were outlined by Secretary of State Liz Kendall, contained “deeply concerning elements”. The Government hopes to save £5 billion by 2030, but the reforms announced have drawn significant criticism. The plans would see the eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) tightened so fewer people would be eligible. PIP is paid out to people under state pension age who have a long-term physical or mental health condition and difficulty with daily living activities or mobility.
Ian Lavery stated:
“The Government’s benefits reform are a step in the wrong direction. While supporting people into employment and promoting workplace flexibility are positive steps, these reforms contain deeply concerning elements. We all want people to have access to well-paid jobs with fair terms and conditions, as well as the flexibility needed for those living with disabilities and long-term illnesses. However, reforming the benefits system should not come at the expense of financial security for the most vulnerable. At its core, these changes are driven by cost-cutting rather than genuine support. Not only do these proposals impose significant financial penalties on sick and disabled people, but they also make accessing benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP) far more difficult”.
CLICK HERE
for the full Chronicle article (20th March 2025)
and….
⇒ MP 3: Liz Twist MP (Blaydon and Consett)
A KONPNE supporter living in Gateshead recently wrote to MP Liz Twist with huge concerns about the cuts to disability benefits….
CLICK HERE
for the very limited response from Liz Twist MP (April 2025)
….who is, shall we say, “following the party line”…..?
At a time like this, we need our MPs to stand up and speak out loud and clear, with no ifs or buts….we need to be taxing wealth, and not reducing support by taking money from vulnerable people in our society.
KONPNE are following this important matter closely and we will, of course, be monitoring and reporting on the voting patterns of ALL of the MPs who represent us in the North East. We are not aligned to any political party, and will be following any and all.
CLICK HERE
for the Statement from Keep Our NHS Public “Labour Party Abandons Disabled People” (21st March 2025)
…and, in the interim, here’s some great advice from Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC): https://www.facebook.com/DPACne
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konpnortheast.com 