I would be interested to hear people's views about the NHS Together demonstration & celebration in London on Saturday. I took part, both as someone who uses health services as well as working in them.
The rally was organised jointly by (it seemed) most of the Unions relating to those employed within the NHS, as well as some professional organisations, e.g. the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal Society for Chartered Physiotherapists.
I was disappointed that the BPS did not appear to be represented and also at the relatively low turnout (The Health Service Journal reported 7000 yesterday). Unfortunately I had to leave before all the speeches had taken place in Trafalgar Square and would be interested to know if anyone else from this list was there and what they made of it.
Has anyone seen anything about this demonstration in the mainstream media? So far, through searching the internet, I have found something from the Edinburgh Evening News and the Scotsman about their local unions supporting it, but nothing has immediately jumped out in, say, the Sunday papers.
The issue at the heart of the rally connects with the statement about public services developed in Birmingham (see below)
Lisa
Public services/Privatisation of the NHS
It is the duty of government to govern in the interests of its citizens, promoting their well being through positive policies and by ensuring protection from threats. This includes a duty to address inequalities through a coherent policy framework that includes effective public services.
The UK network of community psychologists commends important aspects of the track record of the Labour government 1997-2007 in promoting the health and well being of the population. In particular there have been significant advances on child poverty and early intervention, the increased real expenditure on the NHS and joined up strategies to improve local population health and well being, for example through Local Strategic Partnerships.
However, we believe that these developments are lacking in ambition for social justice and they are compromised and threatened by other government policies that favour the private sector and especially big business. Examples of this inadequacy are:
1. Failure to reintroduce progressive redistributive taxation of incomes and to reduce indirect taxation that hits the poor.
2. The creeping privatisation of the NHS that is leading to fragmentation, demoralisation and inefficiency - this last being inevitable since private enterprise has to make a return to shareholders.
3. The failure to effectively manage and constrain those business interests that threaten community health and well-being, including
the drinks and gambling industries
industries targeting children
the car and airline industries
speculative finance capital whose impacts on job security and community life can be devastating
large retail concerns that are driving small local enterprises out of business and threatening institutions (such as the milk delivery and corner shop) that are critical to a neighbourhood based community.
We believe psychologists are well placed to comment on the impacts on health and well being of the current policy mix and we will contribute to the development of a positive alternative people-oriented policy framework, contributing experience, skills, knowledge and evidence to the efforts of groups campaigning for an effective, adequate public policy framework that places people ahead of profit, recognises the value of publicly owned resources and services and that fearlessly tackles vested interest for a better society.
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