Labour Party urged to come out fighting in defence of NHS

Published: 12th May, 2011
by TOM FOOT

THE Labour Party was challenged to “get on its soap box” and fight for the National Health Ser­vice at a packed meeting in Camden Town Hall on Tuesday.

Doctors, hospital staff and patients revealed their fears about the break-up and sale of the health service in Camden – a process made possible by the last government and Tony Blair.

The meeting, organised by Camden Keep Our NHS Public, was pitched as a call to arms ahead of next week’s mass march against government plans to accelerate the privatisation process.

Many campaigners hurled criticism at Frank Dobson MP for changes brought in by the Labour Party and the Holborn and St Pancras MP admitted his party had been at fault. 

He said: “It’s true that the internal market in the NHS was introduced by some of my more stupid successors as health ­secretaries in the Labour Party. 

“I remember when Alan Milburn was introducing foundation trusts, he – and I think John Reid – said: ‘If we don’t do this the Tories will.’ I found that a staggering argument, as it sounded like we were introducing Conservative policies.”

He added: “I am hopeful that the Labour leadership will come out quite clearly and say that this mass marketisation must be dropped. 

“The reason I voted for Ed Miliband was because I thought Ed would do this and not – like his brother would have – spend the next five years defending Iraq. I am still hopeful. The problem is that there are still too many über-Blairites moaning about in the background.”

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s controversial Social Health Care Bill will put the majority of funding decisions in the hands of groups of GPs. They will be invited to fund “any willing provider” – putting NHS trusts into direct competition with private health companies.

Nurse Janet Maiden, who has worked for 28 years at University College London Hospital, said: “I started nursing training in 1983, at the Royal Free and UCH – so this is definitely my manor. I never believed I could be ‘productised’ like I am now. The idea that I could lose my job – I am genuinely concerned about it.”

Dr Jacky Davis, refering to an “Orwellian” consultation process, said: “The Bill is about privatisation. We want the whole Bill withdrawn. Nothing less. It is obviously a terrific political opportunity. It is a chance for the Lib Dems to come in and redeem themselves. Otherwise they will be remembered as the ones who destroyed the NHS. ”

Labour councillor Peter Brayshaw said Camden health scrutiny committee, chaired by Lib Dem John Bryant, had sent “hostile comments” to the Government regarding the White Paper.

Green councillor Maya de Souza said the Bill did not feel like a radical change. “We are getting the Labour Party to challenge something they were very much involved in from the start,” she added.

Labour councillor Pat Callaghan felt it was important to concentrate on the Bill, adding: “I call it the over-the-rainbow Bill, because we don’t know where we’re going and what we’re going to find when we get there.

“I am a mother of five children and I was very frightened when I had my first child. I remember how a sister sat with me all night and comforted me. That wouldn’t happen in a private healthcare system – where profit comes before care.”

Regan Scott urged the campaign to widen its scope and “not to ignore people that are not great socialists”, adding: “We fought some very good legal struggles here in Camden – we should do that again.”  

Doctors and NHS staff told the meeting:

• Staff at one of the UnitedHealth GP practices had sent a “terribly ill” man home because they had run out of bandages. 
• Letter dictation at Barts Hospital has been outsourced to India with “absolutely appalling” consequences.
• Hundreds of jobs are being cut in NHS hospitals.

The meeting resolved to make an official call for three surgeries recently sold-off by UnitedHealth to be “brought back in-house”. The firm sold off its surgeries to The Practice last month without informing patients.

Candy Udwin, chairwoman of Keep Our NHS Public, said: “This is a crucial moment for the NHS. It is the biggest problem the government has got. This is an action call.”

The march – which was organised by the Camden branch but has spiralled into a national focus for NHS protest – leaves UCH to Whitehall on Tuesday at 5.30pm.