Video from the event
- video/mp4 30M
Video from the event
- video/mp4 22M
Video from the event
- video/mp4 20M
The NHS reforms are going to be bloody!
Volunteer doctors - Lansley might just feel a small prick
A beautiful banner
http://oimc.blip.tv/posts?view=archive&nsfw=dc - where your IP address will be logged] The campaigners, from Oxfordshire Keep Our NHS Public [1] and Oxford Save Our Services [2] are opposed the the government's proposed reform of the NHS [3], and other cuts to public services, including huge reductions in budgets for adult social care services that prevent 'bed blocking' where people that cannot get care in their local communities end up using hospital beds.
As well as seeing the 'big society hospital' operations, members of the public were asked to contact their local MP, sign the on-line petition to Save Our NHS [4], and to get a coach from Oxford to the March for the Alternative in London on March 26 [5]. Graham Campbell, who was handing out leaflets at the demonstration, said “This is a once in a generation opportunity to save the NHS. If we don't do everything we can now, it might be too late. We've had amazing support from the public so far, and if we can keep up the pressure and get more people involved, I'm confident we can win.”
Alison Wright, a member of Oxfordshire Keep Our NHS Public said:
“These are the biggest reforms proposed since the NHS was set up. It opens the door for the wholesale privatisation of the 'National' Health Service. It will result in the cutting of front line services, the closure of local hospitals, and care for patients replaced with care for profits.”
“Nobody voted for these changes. The BMA [British Medical Association] and RCN [Royal College of Nursing] are opposed to the changes. The coalition government said that there would be no top-down reorganisation of the NHS and that health spending would increase. They are doing the opposite – imposing £20 billion of cuts and a massive restructure of the NHS.”
Sarah Collins, a resident of East Oxford, said:
“I'm really scared about the changes. I have rheumatoid arthritis and rely on the NHS to support me to manage my condition. This support means I can work, and contribute to our society. I'm worried that this support will vanish because it's not profitable. And I'll just end up on the scrapheap – not able to cope, and not able to play a part in my community.”
James Reid, a campaigner with Oxford Save Our Services said:
“All of our public services are vital. None more so that the NHS. We've always been promised care 'from the cradle to the grave.' But that promise is now under threat. The government tells us that health care will be available from 'any willing provider.' But the privatisation of the NHS may well mean that nobody is willing to provide care unless there is a profit to be made. And what then?”
Oxford based author Philip Pullman has previously said:
“The NHS was set up as the morally good way of providing health care. The care of the sick should be a matter of doing what is right, once you admit the principle of selling health care for money, you relegate their needs into second place behind the greed of the shareholders. ”
/ENDS
Notes to editors
[1] Oxford Keep Our NHS Public campaigns to protect the NHS from further privatisation and fragmentation. The are affiliated to the national Keep Our NHS Public campaign. More information at
http://www.keepournhspublic.com/ [2] Oxford Save Our Services are a group of local who have come together to challenge the public sector cuts being implement by Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, and the UK government. More information at
http://oxfordsos.org.uk or by email at 
oxfordsos@ox4.org. [3] Health and Social Care Bill 2010-11 -
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/healthandsocialcare.html [4] Organised by 38 Degrees. See
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition#petition [5] The March for the Alternative has been called by the TUC. More information at
http://marchforthealternative.org.uk/. Coaches from Oxford are available - more details at http://falseeconomy.org.uk/travel/south-east/OX/t1.
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
A failure to credit may cause offence when what we ned is a serious defence
20.03.2011 10:50
Neither BMA or RCN have funded coaches to the march 26th demonstration from Oxfordshire (RCN has 2 for the whole South East region) whereas Unite and UNISON have paid for 6 of the 19 going to London to help mobilise people. UNISON Health also paid for the 10,000 colour leaflets and 2,000 posters that have enabled activists in Oxfordshire unions and campaigns to have access to free materials well in advance of March 26 to be able to build one of the best mobilisations in the country. The remaining 5,000 were produced by Oxforshire Anti Cuts Alliance with money provided by UNISON Health and other unions and donations from the public.
The 2 key people coordinating the coaches are both Oxfordshire UNISON health branch members. We know the numbers of UNISON, BMA and RCN members signed up to the coaches, and it is frankly insulting to ignore UNISON's superb efforts.
UNISON health branch activists have consistently written to, rung, leafleted and held stalls in hospitals to boost the turnout for March 26th in defence of the NHS - yet none of this is credited. At least one UNISON health retired member took part in Saturday's event and 2 UNISON health activists visited the stunt event - one to provide the local colour leaflets that carried the local transport details for March 26th (that were missing!) and another to help leaflet the public - both purely by accident! More would have been possible if notice had been circulated round the UNISON Health branch.
It is very poor organisation that at least some UNISON health branch activists who signed up to the KONP mailing list didn't get notice of the event and that Oxford SOS failed to communicate the plans to the Oxfordshire Anti Cuts Alliance for its support. Such poor communication is no way to build a serious defence of the NHS, especially when the latest communications sent out to over 2,000 UNISON health branch members and Oxfordshire Anti Cuts Alliance members could have encouraged others to support the event on Saturday (we did however publicise the meeting on the NHS Bill in lecture Theatre 1 at the JRII on Tuesday at 5.30pm). This is not about which group calls/organises the event. Right to Work organised coaches to the student protests independant of the OACA it is also signed up to - but they told OACA and as as many other organisations as possible to get people out on the day.
This was a very good stunt but organising it with such a poor attitude to the largest organisation of health Workers in Oxfordshire, whose key activists actually work in the NSH and spend a lot of time opposing NHS cuts can result in both Oxford SOS and Oxford KONP shooting themselves in the foot. If we want a serious defence of the NHS we must work together to build the biggest movement possible.
I also disagree with the SOS analysis that private companies will just cherry pick profitable services. It misses the point that what is intended is that private companies will be able to turn NHS "not for profit" services into profitable ones by undercutting NHS services by promising to run contracts cheaper and still make profit by breaking the national pay agreement, cutting jobs, slashing wages, annual leave and sick pay and not paying pensions. The amount they receive will be fixed by the GPs or consortia buying services (they won't be selling it dearer than the NHS) - their profit comes from then providing the service cheaper than the contract and pocketing the difference.
What is resulting is pressure for a race to the bottom for healthworkers livelihoods...and morale as NHS Trusts prepare for more intense market competition. As private companies win contracts the money will be removed from current NHS services, thereby undermining them. This is why a defence of NHS staff terms and conditions is a central part of stopping the profit motive. If companies know they face stiff resistance by NHS staff to cuts in wages, terms, conditions and pensions these companies will not be able to make their profit and won't bid. The best chance of a defence of the NHS at this moment in time is a joint strike over pensions by healthworkers, and other public sector workers.
If people want to know what happens when staff are demoralised and finance becomes more important than clinical care look at the Staffordshire hospitals scandal. Already the JRII isn't adequately staffing its services resulting in a deterioration in care as it tries balance it's books. The NHS Bill will accelerate this process. More and more funds will be diverted from direct care and support for clinical staff to bidding for contracts making the whole system more inefficient and dangerous.
Ian Mckendrick
Communications officer (pc)
Oxfordshire UNISON health branch
Ian Mckendrick
Homepage:
http://ww.unisonoxonhealth.org.uk
@Ian
20.03.2011 22:13
(A)
a diversity of tactics...
21.03.2011 14:42
I'm one of the small number of people that put together this piece of street theatre, planning it in the evenings around our lives and day jobs. It was just a light-hearted way to engage the public while handing out some leaflets, and we certainly didn't deliberately exclude anyone from communications around it! One of the advantages of this kind of small scale stunt is that it can be hammered together in a short time without having to mobilise huge numbers of people. No 'poor attitude' was intended, a few passing health workers stopped to thank us for showing support for their work and the NHS and that was the message that we intended to convey.
I support the great work that UNISON do, agree that a strike is what's needed and will certainly show up in solidarity to the picket lines if that happens. Please give people the benefit of the doubt if they organise something a different way than you would have, or even overlook something. We're on the same side, after all!
Beth
Beth
e-mail:
onetwo@riseup.net
Homepage:
http://thetopsoil.org.uk
Big or small tactics and legitmacy in the union
21.03.2011 20:28
I doubt I could have organised the stunt better, except to try and alert thousands of healthworkers and anti-cuts campaigners to the fact it was happening, and perhaps involved a few of them and thereby had a greater public impact. I am just trying to make sure the mistake isn't t repeated in the future, unless I have misunderstood and "diversity of tactics" means you don't think it is good to involve organised healthworkers and other committed anti-cuts campaigners in the campaign to defend the NHS beyond meeting some individuals in the street.
Hi A,
I put pc after my position to indicate that the branch hasn't discussed this yet to take a position, but I don't think there would be any real disagreement amongst the branch leadership of a sincere desire to see a greater attempt to involve health workers in any campaign activity to defend the National Health Service.
My description of how private companies want to drive wages, terms and conditions of health workers into the floor is the branch view, and yes the branch leadership has called for action over pensions including a demand that the TUC call a general strike.
Ian
Ian Mckendrick
ians sour grapes
25.03.2011 20:36
The thing was announced on the Oxford SOS website and on here. Why aren't UNISON or the Anti-Cuts alliance checking there?
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