ARCHIVES
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STPs - A Dagger Pointed At The Heart Of The NHS
The effects will be devastating, with the closure of beds, of key units including paediatric, maternity and cardiovascular and of whole A&E departments which are now bearing the brunt of the cuts elsewhere in the NHS. Entire hospitals will close in The Black Country and in Leicestershire, while many others including Cheshire and Merseyside will have ‘fewer beds’. Diane Abbott speaking in Westminster debate, 14 Sept 2016 (links to article & full speech in Huff Post) |
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Junior Doctors announce strike action protesting Government imposition of new contract
The Government's attempt to impose seven-day working without the resources to fund it. Current resources are insufficient to adequately fund the so-called five-day NHS. The mantra that the NHS must do more with less has become “the NHS must do much, much more with less”. |
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North East London Sustainability & Transformation Plan (STP) (aka Slash, Trash & Privatise plan). Still secret, by order of NHS England.
The local NE London plan is one of 44 covering all England. It is secret, by order of NHS England. The NE London plan involves three parts:
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NHAP: Over 28000 junior doctors cast their vote in the BMA's ballot about whether proposed industrial action over the proposed new proposed contract. The result was unprecedented and could not be clearer: 98% backed strike action, 99% backed some kind of industrial action in opposition to this contract. Junior doctors have been left with no choice but to take industrial action. The Government has not compromised on its crystal clear agenda to force junior doctors into working more hours for less pay, so that it can drive through its nonsensical "enhanced seven-day services" manifesto pledge in the face of a £22bn NHS efficiency savings program.
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We junior doctors must strike—but for the right reasons
Open Democracy: Our NHS article Neil Singh 6 October 2015 Our strike must make demands for broader systemic change in our health service—meaning better working conditions for all health workers, better care for our patients, and a rejection of privatisation—and couple itself to ongoing and future actions by other health workers. |
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The NHS is headed for a devolution iceberg - whilst MPs argue about deckchairs Greg Dropkin 22 December 2015
As private firms gather in the Titanic Hotel to discuss the profit opportunities arising from NHS devolution, only a few MPs are raising concerns in parliament about the coming healthcare lottery for the rest of us. |
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Support NHS nurse training - save nursing bursaries (Unite campaign).
The Tories plan to cut student nurses bursaries and replace them with loans. After August 2017 nursing courses will be fee paying, leaving students with more than £50,000 of debt if they undertake a three year degree. Saddling students with a lifetime of debt – which most of them will never be able to pay off – will massively deter those wanting to enter nursing and the other health professions covered by the bursary. It will affect people studying a range of professions including nursing, speech and language therapy, radiology, occupational therapy, mental health nursing and midwifery. |
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London NHS devolution - "It's obvious to all but gullible, power-grabbing councillors - this is about dumping blame for closures"John Lister 18 December 2015
Osborne's plans for London "devolution" look likely to lead to more hospital closures - and even less say for local people. |
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Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) co-sponsored the NHS Bill – based on the NHS Reinstatement Bill – the bill with have its second reading on 11 March 2016..
“It’s our NHS. Let’s not just protect it from being further destroyed but let’s take it back and ensure it’s completely publicly run and publicly accountable. Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege.” Jeremy Corbyn, March 2015 Lobby your MP now to demand support for this Bill. Help create an overwhelming demand for an end to NHS marketisation and privatisation and support for a reinstated, publicly provided and accountable NHS. |
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Labour must clean up the mess it made with PFI, and save the health service Jeremy Corbyn
'We have a duty to implement the democratic will of our party and remove the toxic burden of the private finance initiative from our NHS' |
NHS privatisation soars 500% in the last year, finds in-depth new study Paul Evans 30 April 2015
Don't be misled by one line denials of NHS privatisation based on old figures. The first in-depth analysis of the true impact of Cameron's health Act paints a shocking picture.
Don't be misled by one line denials of NHS privatisation based on old figures. The first in-depth analysis of the true impact of Cameron's health Act paints a shocking picture.
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BMA: We believe that a publicly-funded, publicly-provided service delivers the best patient care
Support the British Medical Association campaign to defend the NHS from attacks by politicians of all major parties. Click above to support. |
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The privatising cabal at the heart of our NHS: Tamasin Cave 31 March 2015
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Support the proposed NHS Bill from Allyson Pollock and Peter Roderick
(RENAMED from the NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015) Click link above to email MPs and parliamentary candidates to ask if they will support this Bill. Compare the NHS Reinstatement Bill with Labour / Clive Efford MP's proposals: click here |
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Drop the NHS Debt has been launched to campaign against PFI debts in the NHS. The Department of Health has 118 PFI schemes with a capital value of £11.6bn. However repayments on these contracts will amount to a staggering £79.1bn. Locally, Barts and the London have a PFI valued at £1.1bn with repayments of £7.1bn.
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Click for EU Citizen's campaign against TTIP
If TTIP passes, companies could sue our government if it passed laws to renationalise our NHS, or protect our health. This has already happened in other countries with similar deals. Slovakia was sued for trying to nationalise part of its healthcare service. And Australia is being sued for trying to introduce plain cigarette packets. TTIP isn't a hypothetical threat. It could destroy everything we've fought for. And it gets worse. If companies wanted to sue our government, they can do so in a secret court. There will be no public outcry about what they're trying to do because in most cases, we won't know it has happened until it's too late. This deal is so secretive, and the consequences so potentially far-reaching, that the Guardian labelled it 'a gunpowder plot against democracy'. If we don't get this deal debated in the open, we may never know the full scale of the havoc it could wreck. And we have to act now. Another round of negotiations is scheduled to happen next month. We have to make sure we can get a debate before much more progress is made. We're just 150,000 signatures short. Please sign the petition today and let's get TTIP out in the open. http://action.peoplesnhs.org/eu-ttip-debate |
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At what cost? Paying the price for the market in the English NHS. Feb 2015
The recurrent, annual costs of the market can be estimated (conservatively) at £4.5 billion. It is possible to have patient choice and high-quality health-care without the market. This Feb 2015 report by Calum Paton, Professor of Public Policy at Keele University explains how. |
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Hinchingbrooke Hospital: collapse of UK's first privatised NHS hospital deal. Jan 2015
In January 2015, Circle announced that it is pulling out of its flagship contract to manage this former NHS hospital. The contract for a private healthcare provider to take over an NHS hospital was the first of its kind. Circle blames a £5 million loss- despite sacking many nursing staff to reduce staffing costs - and an NHS crisis. However Circle were also facing a highly critical CQC report on standards of care, patient safety and inadequate medical care. Read Caroline Molloy's excellent article about the collapse here. This venture was termed a “mutual”, because the original “Partnership” structure gave consultants and GPs just under 50% of the “Partnership”. Recent restructuring of the company (“Project Reset”) mean that now “staff” only own 25%. Ultimate control, however, always resided with an offshore Holding Company majority owned by private equity firms. See article below on NHS mutualisation for more information. Click here to read letter to the Guardian from Hackney KONP's Marion Macalpine |
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Pathfinder Trusts: NHS Mutualisation: privatisation with a cosy name.
"The biggest denationalisation of health services ever announced by a health minister" Richard Blogger 17 December 2014 More hospitals - potentially all of them - will be run outside the NHS as so-called "mutuals", the government announced in the week before christmas. The recently announced list of ‘pathfinder trusts’ to explore mutual status, includes seven FTs. Hinchingbrook Hospital - see above - was run as a 'mutual'. Read Richard Blogger's account to see what that meant - and Caroline Molloy's article above to see the disastrous results for the NHS, patients and staff. |
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Hackney is set to run a London NHS Devolution pilot scheme
NHS campaigners are concerned that devo NHS will hasten privatisation. Devo will make it much easier for the government to cut funding for the NHS by making local councils rather than central government take responsibility for hospital and service closures. Despite ending the sharp 'purchaser' - 'provider' split, it will not end the market in NHS services. On the contrary, the NHS Regulator, Monitor, will demand that more and more services are tendered. And devo will carve the NHS (and social care services) up into local chunks that will be particularly attractive to giant US healthcare corporations. more information here: |
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The NHS Bill second reading: Friday 11th March central London The is Bill sponsored by Caroline Lucas MP. Talked out by fillibustering Tory MP. But many campaigners made our views known.
9.45 am handed in petition at Richmond House, Whitehall 11-1.30 Rally outside Parliament |
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Why it’s a problem that Labour didn’t show up to support the NHS Bill (National Health Action Party article, March 2016)
This is a story of corporate capture of our democratic processes. United Health, McKinsey, KPMG, PwC and others are making the decisions about our NHS. Three things MPs say about the NHS Bill - and why they are wrong CLIVE PEEDELL 25 March 2016 Open Democracy Our NHS article |
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NHS cuts - are we in it together?
Open Democracy article CAROLINE MOLLOY 23 March 2016 Downing Street was accused by another former minister of “massaging” NHS cuts figures this week – just as locally NHS bosses propose more sweeping cuts that are beginning to look like the worst ‘reorganisation’ yet. ...... Cash-strapped local health bosses there have suggested that they may in future no longer fund a wide list of procedures on the NHS for many patients, including hearing aids, cataract ops, vasectomies, and hip and knee operations. |
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Junior doctors are fighting for the NHS's life - as the Tories try to silence ALL health workers.
Open Democracy article Greg Dropkin 10 November 2015 Picture: Hackney KONP members supporting Homerton Hospital junior doctors on strike on 10 Feb 2016 Doctors and campaigners will picket outside Homerton Hospital on 26th & 27th April 2016 |
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Hackney KONP at Homerton Hospital supporting junior doctors strike, January and February 2016
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Wed 22 April 2015 Hackney KONP
NHS election hustings 7pm, Halkevi Centre, 31-33 Dalston Lane, E8 3DF. Chair: Jim Kelly (Chair, Unite London & East) Speakers: Diane Abbott MP: Labour, Hackney North Dr Gary Marlowe (C&H CCG) Heather Finlay: Green Party candidate Simon de Deney: Lib Dem Candidate Amy Gray: Conservative Brian Debus: TUSC |
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Day of action: Barts & The London PFI deal.
2.15pm Saturday 25th April 2015 Barts Health’s future is in the balance and this is our last chance to make a noise before the election. The Department of Health has 118 PFI schemes with a capital value of £11.6bn. Over time, the sum total of repayments will be £79.1bn. According to one calculation, two hospitals could have been built for the cost of just one, had public sources of finance been used. Barts and the London have a PFI valued at £1.1bn with repayments totalling £7.1bn. Come down to the Royal London Hospital on Whitechapel Rd for 2.15pm on Saturday 25th to welcome the open-top bus carrying the anti-PFI message. The bus is starting from Whipps Cross Hospital, going via Newham and then into Tower Hamlets to the Royal London Hospital (one of the main hospitals used by Hackney residents). Click here to sign the 38 degrees petition: |
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How Come We Didn't Know
Marion Macalpine (of Hackney KONP)'s photographic exhibition about NHS privatisation Last shown in Hackney at : Hackney Central Library (next to Hackney Town Hall) Reading Lane, E8 1GQ 18th-28th February 2015 For more details of the exhibition and information about other places in the UK where the exhibition has been shown, click here |
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The People's Convention for the NHS
Click to book tickets
Saturday, 11 April 2015 from 10:00 to 16:00 Emmanuel Centre; Marsham Street, SW1P 3DW The People's Convention for the NHS is an umbrella organisation supported by a number of groups including the People's Assembly, Keep Our NHS Public, People's March for the NHS and various trade unions and community campaigns. |
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A night of comedy at the Hackney Empire
28th March 2015 at 6.45pm With Stewart Lee, Wendy Wason, Francesca Martinez, Mark Steel, Lucy Porter, Rufus Hound, and a very special one off appearance from Spitting Image! More to come... click here for link to NHS in stitches short video |
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Tuesday 10th March 2015 7.30pm
Defend London's Health Service Public Rally: Hammersmith Town Hall, King St W6 9JU The Rally aims to make our demands to defend the NHS a key election issue. Bringing together people from across the capital including patients, health staff, campaigners and trade unionists can undermine divide and rule tactics of playing one hospital or service against another. Speakers include clinicians, campaigners and politicians serious about defending our NHS with more than warm words. Discussion will highlight campaigning action in the run up to the general election to win the fight to defend our health services. londonkeepournhspublic@gmail.com https://defendlondonsnhs.wordpress.com/ |
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NHS community voice: forum for City & Hackney NHS patients
Care.data Renewed proposals to share confidential NHS patient data Speakers: Robin Burgess: NHS England & Phil Booth: Med Confidential 25th February 2015: 6.30-8.30pm Well Street Surgery: 28 Shore Road, London E9 7TA Light refreshments will be provided |
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the Reinstate Charlotte campaign and others are sponsoring an evening conference on the topic of Raising Concerns and The Right to Speak Out. Open to all but you must book in advance (click for link to booking form)
February 12th, 6.30 for 7.00 start, BMA House, Tavistock Sq London WC1H 9JP. This meeting will hear from NHS whistle blowers and union reps who have been targeted for speaking out. Speakers: · Polly Toynbee, Guardian Columnist · Dr Kim Holt, Paediatrician and founder of Patients First · Tracey Boylin, Past NHS Trust HR director · Experts from NHS Employers and NHS Trade Unions |
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How Come We Didn't Know
Marion Macalpine (of Hackney KONP)'s photographic exhibition about NHS privatisation On show again in Hackney at : Hackney Central Library (next to Hackney Town Hall) Reading Lane, E8 1GQ 18th-28th February 2015 For more details of the exhibition and information about other places in the UK where the exhibition has been shown, click here |
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People v Barts Health PFI Click above for more information about the campaign against the Barts PFI scheme |
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Hinchingbrooke Hospital: letter to the Guardian from KONP's Marion Macalpine:
Dear Editor Tom Levitt blames the NHS for Circle abandoning its Hinchingbrooke Hospital contract (Guardian Public Manager 21.1.15). He spectacularly fails to mention that hours before Circle quit, the Care Quality Commission issued a devastating report giving Hinchingbrooke their worst rating, especially in ‘safety’, ‘caring’ and ‘leadership’. The report details infected catheters, unwashed hands, missing care plans, and vital medication rounds missed (http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/RQQ31/inspection-summary). Staff morale was amongst the lowest in the country (Lesson one from the Hinchingbrooke hospital scandal: beware the ‘mutual David Owen, Guardian,19.1.15) Moreover, Circle claimed to be a partnership with staff (http://www.circlepartnership.co.uk/about-circle). But Circle Partnership is controlled by Jersey-based Circle Holdings, itself owned by six venture capital and hedge funds, whose founders have donated very large sums to the Conservatives. Levitt is merely continuing the spin that falsely promoted Circle as a mutual that was the saviour of Hinchingbrooke. In so doing he is building his post parliamentary career (he stood down in the expenses scandal) as a consultant promoting ‘responsible capitalism’. Marion Macalpine and Diane Langford |
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Save Our Surgeries campaign meeting
7.30pm Wed November 26th Lauriston Primary School, Rutland Rd, London E9 7JS Speakers
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Launch of the People vs PFI campaign with conference on the 1st November 2014
The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was cooked up by the government, banks and corporate accounting firms as way of making a profit by providing public services. It's all about making massive private sector profits from the money WE pay for public sector services. And now PFI debts are killing off our public services. People at the launch will learn the big picture of PFI, practical skills to challenge PFI locally and help plan the beginnings of a nationwide campaign to END PFI NOW. For more about the campaign and how to put pressure on your MP, click here. |
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Britain Needs a Payrise. TUC national demo. Saturday 18th October 2014
KONP delegation will meet outside Temple tube station, on the Embankment side at 11am. (Temple is between Embankment and St Paul's). Look for the big KONP balloon. |
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SATURDAY 06 SEPTEMBER:
999 PEOPLE’S MARCH FOR THE NHS JOIN THE MARCHERS IN London after marching 300 miles 11.45 Saturday lunch in Clissold Park, Hackney (bring food and drink to share with marchers) 14.00 March to Parliament 15.30 Rally in Trafalgar Square |
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Saturday July 5th 2014 Save Our GP surgeries march
Due to NHS cuts, your GP surgery could close! Assemble: 2pm, Saturday 5 July 2014 Altab Ali Park, Adler Street, London E1 Nearest tube: Aldgate East We marched through the streets of east London behind Nye Bevan, founder of the NHS. We had a double decker bus, music and street artists, and a rally at the end. What campaigners did • went to local surgeries to find out what they’re doing and offer to help. • Signed and circulatde the 38 Degrees petition: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/MPIG • Distributed leaflets and get petitions signed in your local area. • Booked coaches to bring people to east London. • Joined us on 5 July! 
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Council election success for Labour candidate and Hackney KONP member, Rosemary Sales
Rosemary gained top votes in the previously safe Tory ward of Stamford Hill West. Congratulations & we look forward to strong opposition to NHS privatisation within the council. Click for full Hackney results Did you know: City of London has a uniquely undemocratic voting system - businesses also have votes, based on the size of their workforce! Click here for more info |
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EAST LONDON SPECIALIST CANCER SERVICES TO CLOSE
proposals to move 5 specialist cancer services from Barts to University College Hospital More information here. |
he means more PRIVATE hospitals!
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30 May 2014 Today's Headlines
THROUGH THE SMOKE Saving local hospitals? Is Simon Stephens, new head of NHS England, a friend? Have NHS chiefs and government gone soft on NHS shakeup? Sadly, no! : the new push for small local hospitals is just the latest phase of privatisation. It's a way to rapidly introduce hundreds of small private hospitals into the 'NHS family' while greatly reducing local opposition to NHS cuts. Private hospitals get paid a standard NHS tarif - but cherry-pick their patients, leaving the NHS to manage complex cases. Refuse private! |
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Stand Up Against Austerity comedy benefit night at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 7 2014.
The People’s Assembly is holding a “Stand Up Against Austerity” comedy benefit night at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 7. Tickets are already on sale for the gig featuring the country’s best and most influential comics including Jo Brand, Shappi Khorsandi, Francesca Martinez, Kate Smurthwaite, Jeremy Hardy, Stewart Lee, Mark Steel, Jen Brister, Jason Manford, Marcus Brigstocke and Robin Ince. |
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WDM is calling for a national day of action against TTIP on July 12. If you want to get involved, send an email to activism@wdm.org.uk
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People's Assembly March: Demand the Alternative, London 21st June 2014.
No more austerity - demand the alternative National demonstration and free festival to protest austerity and privatisation Assemble 1pm, BBC HQ, Portland Place (Tube: Oxford Circus) NHS contingent: look out for huge white balloon and blue banner. We will march after the NUT, before Unite (red flags) for more information about our campaign links with the People's Assembly, click here For more details of the People's Assembly and march click here. |
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THURSDAY 5TH JUNE 2014 PATIENTS AND CLINICIANS MARCH TO SAVE OUR GP SURGERIES 12 Hackney GP practices face closure as government cuts MPIG funding for GPs in deprived areas. Click for more info about MPIG.
The “SAVE OUR SURGERIES” relay began at St Katherine’s Dock Practice, Nightingale House, 50 Thomas More St, London E1W 1UA at 2.30pm, ending with a rally at Kingsley Hall, Bromley by Bow at 6pm. Hundreds of patients and health workers marched from Tower Hamlets GP practice to GP practice carrying an image of Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS. GP surgeries will have static protests outside to receive the relay and pass Nye Bevan on! click here for link to 38degrees petition on MPIG funding. |
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5 June 2014 NHS staff day of action.
RCN joined with other health unions across the country to take part in a day of action protesting the Government’s unfair decision to refuse a 1% pay rise to the majority of NHS staff, and demanding safe staffing levels on all wards. There were protests outside major London Hospitals, including the Royal London, Whitechapel, and University College Hospital |
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7th MAY 2014: HACKNEY COUNCIL ELECTIONS - NHS PLEDGE & HUSTINGS
NHS Hustings meeting on 7th May. Report on what is happening in the NHS and to hear from candidates in the Hackney council elections what they will do to protect the NHS. Report of this meeting - click here Leading up to the elections, Hackney KONP asked candidates to sign a pledge to campaign against privatisation of the NHS To see the pledge, and names and wards of candidates who signed click here |
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Care.data - a Super PPG meeting for Hackney patients
Tuesday 29th April 2014, 6.30pm; Well Street Surgery, 28 Shore Rd, E9 7TA Are you worried what will happen to your medical information? The ‘care.data’ scheme means information from your GP medical records will be extracted. Many patients, doctors and health groups are very concerned how this information will be used. Come and find out what is happening and why Speakers: Robin Burgess Head of Intelligence for NHS London; Hackney GP, Dr Coral Jone; A Hackney patient WELL Consortium members are; Elsdale St Surgery, London Fields Medical Centre, Lower Clapton Group Practice, Sorsby Health Centre, The Greenhouse Surgery, Trowbridge Surgery, Well Street Surgery, Wick Health Centre KONPH Report of the meeting. Click here |
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Shirley Murgraff, founder member of Hackney Keep Our NHS Public receiving an award for her lifelong campaigning activities
Read report in the Hackney Citizen 9th October 2014 |
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MAY 2014 LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS: NHS PLEDGE
Read the NHS Pledge signed by Labour, Green and TUSC candidates in the election. Conservative and Lib Dem candidates refused to sign. NAMES OF CANDIDATES WHO SIGNED THE NHS PLEDGE Hackney KONP will be working to hold elected members to account for actions to support the pledge. |
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27 SEPTEMBER 2013.
CITY & HACKNEY DOCTORS AND PATIENTS TAKE BACK OUT-OF-HOURS SERVICE City and Hackney Urgent Healthcare Social Enterprise (CHUHSE), wins back the contract to provide Out of Hours care for their patients. |
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