‘Drop the Bill’ campaign launched in Worcester
Posted by Admin (matt) on Dec 06 2011
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‘Drop the Bill’ campaign launched in Worcester
 
Joy Squires, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester, is calling on Worcester residents to support her campaign to get the Government to drop its unwanted Health and Social Care Bill. She is urging people to add their names to a respected GP’s online epetition calling on the Government to drop its plans. Over 15,000 people have already signed the petition which was launched just over a week ago.
 
Joy held a meeting with Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham to discuss the spiralling costs of the Government’s controversial NHS reorganisation here in Worcestershire. Labour’s Health Team has revealed that Worcestershire Primary Care Trust has set aside £33,368,093 to meet the costs of the reorganisation.
 
Commenting on the revelations, Joy Squires said: “This is a staggering amount of money to be diverting from patient care. We already know that A&E waiting times in Worcester are increasing. I have also found out that 5 per cent of patients are waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment. Times may be tough but it is unacceptable to play fast and loose with people’s health in this way.
 
“ People in Worcester did not vote for this reorganisation and doctors, nurses and health professionals across the country are really concerned about the damage already being caused. The Health Bill going through Parliament, which Worcester MP Robin Walker has voted for at every stage, will result in the break up of the NHS and an unfair postcode lottery. With no national standards, there will be a widespread variation in the treatments available on the NHS. It is possible that in Worcester people will be forced to go private to get services available for free elsewhere.
 
“The Government must drop this bill before any more money is wasted. That is why I am calling on Worcester residents to join over 15,000 people who have already signed the epetition ‘Drop the Health Bill’ at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670

 

 
 
Labour’s top five reasons for opposing the 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 £3.44 billion on a reckless re-organisation when the NHS needs every penny it can get for patient care. Nearly £1 billion is being wasted on pay-offs for managers, only for many of them to be re-employed as consultants.

Last changed: Dec 06 2011 at 8:34 PM

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