Save NHS - Social & Health Care Bill

"I have recently met with the chief executive and chair of Health for North-East London (the successor body to the four local PCTs) to make clear to them my opposition to the threats to Leyton Green Clinic, King George's Hospital and Wanstead Hospital.

On the Health and Social Care Bill, to radically ‘reform'  the NHS, many of you have asked me what I am doing about the Bill.

I am completely opposed to the changes being proposed and have always made that clear.

You can find the Health and Social Care Bill here:

Only recently I had a debate with the health minister, Simon Burns, about the fact that the government seems to be suppressing certain surveys which show that public satisfaction with the NHS is at or near an all-time high - presumably because it does not fit in with their plans to perform a gargantuan act of sabotage.

The news about the pause in the path of the Bill seemed to indicate that the Prime Minister and his deputy were looking again at their plans, perhaps because they have realised what a mess they may be getting into.

The government is on the back foot on this issue and will have to tinker with the Health Bill. Only recently, an announcement was made that the Bill is going to go back into Committee this will delay it by 6 months. This is unprecedented. We shall have to see what comes out of the Committee. If you'd like to be kept informed about the Health Bill and would like to receive an update about it, please get in touch with my office.

Many of you have asked me what I am doing about the Bill, I asked  you to play your part. Its only by large numbers of the electorate replying to the consultation the Government started and writing to Andrew Lansley, that we'll get this Bill changed. Andrew Lansley isn't going to want to listen to Labour MPs, but he will listen to voters like you.

I wrote to many of you with the NHS Listening Exercise document http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/listening-exercise-how-to-get-involved my office also spent a great deal of time trying to get 38 Degrees (a great activist organisation) to get its members to contribute.

Finally 38 Degrees ran with the Listening Exercise, with only a few days to go before the end of the ‘consultation'. Despite this thousands of people contributed.

And you know what - the future forum seems to have listened. Fancy that! 

The Government have now replied to the Future Forum and Listening Exercise. They have accepted many of the proposals.

Many changes include:

> We will remove Monitor's powers to open up competition by requiring a provider to allow access to its facilities to another provider

> Under the old proposals Monitor would have forced the NHS to allow private companies, contracted by GPs to use their facilities and equipment.

I was made aware about this and took up this issue, working with the Daily Mirror. I've also written to many constituents about this. I am sure that you mentioning this in your contributions to the Future Forum Consultation has made a difference. We've had a victory on this issue.

Despite these changes, I am still opposed to the aims of this Bill. I believe it is unwarranted. You cannot have a situation where services and provision are different in different parts of the country in a national service.

If you'd like to be kept informed of what is happening with the Bill, please get in touch.

Aneurin Bevan said "The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it"
 
I'm asking you to join with me, to fight for our NHS.