Cllr Catherine West, Leader of Islington’s Labour Council, today joined Islington’s two local MPs Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Corbyn to deliver a petition to the Department of Health.
The 1600 signature petition calls on the Tory-led Government to “Drop the Health Bill” – and coincides with the House of Lords votes on the highly controversial proposals.
Cllr Catherine West, who organised a rally to save the NHS last year, is determined to continue the fight and persuade Tory Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to drop his disastrous idea.
She said:
“Our community deserves quality care and wants a health service that isn’t broken up, sold off and privatised. Instead we have a Tory-led government intent on wasting billions on reckless reorganizations that won’t help patients and will leave our healthcare at the mercy of private companies.
“Today is about sending a message to this government to scrap their dangerous plans and protect our NHS.”
Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South & Finsbury, said:
“David Cameron says this Bill is not about privatisation – so why will it allow 49% of beds at UCLH and the Whittington to go to private patients?
“The government is pushing ahead with a risky and reckless plan which will break up our NHS and put profits before patient care.
“The Lib Dems could have stopped this Bill by voting with us. But they have refused to do so and by their failure to stand up to the Tories, they are putting the future of our NHS at risk.”
David Cameron’s Health & Social Care Bill will break up the NHS – turning our health service into a commercial market, pitting hospital against hospital and putting profits before patient care.
Islington Labour has been campaigning against the Government’s risky and reckless Health and Social Care Bill from day one.
And 163,000 people from across the country have signed an online petition calling for the Health and Social Care Bill to be dropped – but the Government has refused to grant a debate on the issue.
The House of Lords is voting on the Health and Social Care Bill today. But the Tory-led Government is refusing to listen to the chorus of opposition, including 65% of NHS staff, who believe the Bill should be dropped, and pushing ahead with the legislation.
Five Reasons Why Labour Opposes the Health Bill
1. The Bill will break up the NHS and create an unfair postcode lottery. With no national standards, there will be widespread variation in the treatments available on the NHS. In some areas, people may have to go private to get services available for free elsewhere.
2. The Bill risks rises in waiting times and a two-tier NHS. It scraps the cap on hospitals treating private patients at the same time as watering down guarantees on NHS waiting times. This means local hospitals will be free to treat more private patients and make NHS patients wait longer.
3. The Bill turns the NHS into a full-blown commercial market, putting competition before patient care. It allows private companies to cherry-pick quick profits, potentially forcing local hospitals to go bust. Hospitals could even be fined for working together.
4. The Bill undermines the bond of trust between doctors and patients. It creates conflicts of interest where financial incentives could interfere with medical decisions. GPs could even get a bonus for rationing your care.
5. This Bill is wasting money and creating bureaucracy. It is unforgivable to spend £3.5 billion on a reckless re-organisation when the NHS needs every penny it can get for patient care.
