NHS and health
Drug companies should be publicly owned
Submitted on 25 August, 2008 - 18:25
The chair of the Government's official medical drugs-regulating body, has said that “the drugs are so expensive” because of the pharmaceutical companies’ drive for profits.
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Human need not profit
Submitted on 14 July, 2008 - 13:57
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Demonstration to save the National Blood Service
Submitted on 8 April, 2008 - 14:01
Demonstration! Watford, Friday 11th April
STOP SLASHING THE BLOOD SERVICE!
Protest at the NBS bosses' HQ
The bosses at the National Blood Service want to close labs and slash 600 jobs in the NBS. Now they are hiding the
findings of a review into whether or not this is safe to do. Join us at this protest to demand the review findings are
fully revealed, before it's too late to stop these dangerous cuts.
Assembly point:
Watford Junction Station, 12pm
Demonstration supported by:
- Stop Haringey Health Cuts Coalition
- The Healthworkers Union (IWW-IU 610)
For more see here and the Save our Blood Service website.
Save our Blood Service: demonstration on 12 April
Submitted on 8 April, 2008 - 13:51
Dear comrades,
I am an activist in the IWW union, writing on behalf of the Save Our National Blood Service campaign of which the IWW is a part to ask if you or people you know could help with a demonstration the Watford Blood Service HQ on Friday the 11th of April. The proposed cuts to the Blood Service will close labs all over the country to consolidate them into just 3 ‘supercentres’. This is a small part of the current attack on the NHS, but just as dangerous as any other. As well as 600 job losses, all of us that use the NHS will be put in danger by this irrational move - which has been roundly condemned by medical experts and health workers alike.
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A profitable way to “happiness”
Submitted on 7 March, 2008 - 20:25
The recent survey of all the existing evidence for the effectiveness of the anti-depressants of the type made famous by Prozac has demonstrated how easily drug companies can get away with cherry picking studies that highlight the effectiveness of their drugs whilst hiding any negative results.
The survey revealed that none of these drugs had an effect better than a placebo in any but the most depressed patients.
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Targets shape future Ambulance Service
Submitted on 13 December, 2007 - 16:25
Recent reports in the press about Ambulance Trusts sending single handed response cars to emergency calls instead of ambulances came as no surprise to those working in the service.
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"Make the unions fight" - leaflet for 3 November NHS demo
Submitted on 1 November, 2007 - 15:27
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NHS: Make the unions fight
Submitted on 28 October, 2007 - 15:40
Two events over the next few weeks could put new impetus into the campaign to defend the NHS.
Firstly the release of the film Sicko, by US documentary filmmaker Michael Moore will help
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The past, present and future of the NHS
Submitted on 27 October, 2007 - 19:45
Next year is the 60th anniversary of the foundation on the NHS. Two generations of British peoples’ lives have been affected by the NHS in one way or another — as health workers, patients or carers. It’s difficult to imagine a time in the past without it, or a future with it gone.
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NHS Scot-free
Submitted on 26 October, 2007 - 20:01
The 23 October edition of the Daily Mail featured a rant by the odious High Tory Max Hastings, the boldface of the title screaming “How much longer will we put up with the Scots spending so much of our money?”
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“Sicko” exposes the profit system
Submitted on 26 October, 2007 - 19:44
Healthcare has become a hot political subject in the US, and even more so since Michael Moore’s film Sicko went on general release. It is now due to be shown in cinemas around the UK from 26 October.
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A guide to the “modern” NHS
Submitted on 26 October, 2007 - 19:43
Talk about the NHS “reform agenda” and you end up knee deep in a flood of acronyms and abbreviations. Below we try to define what some of them mean. Our definitions are hopefully more to the point than DoH (Department of Health) circulars which prefer to hide the detail of what’s going on by using a private language of “modernisation’
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3rd November NHS Demo
Submitted on 12 October, 2007 - 08:10
The 3 November demonstration in defence of the NHS will be the focus for the growing tide of anger at government attacks on the health service.
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"NHS Together" trade union demonstration
Submitted on 30 August, 2007 - 17:00
Assemble at the Embankment, London
Smoking ban: New Labour doesn’t care about workers' health!
Submitted on 24 August, 2007 - 23:51
By Sofie Buckland
Sunday 1 July saw the introduction of the controversial “smoking ban”, outlawing smoking in “enclosed public spaces” (train station platforms as well as buildings, for example) and workplaces. As a smoker it’s a little irritating to no longer be able to enjoy a smoke with a pint, but there’s little justification socialists can give for not supporting a ban — passive smoking is really quite obviously harmful, whatever the tobacco company sponsored research might say, and workers shouldn’t be subject to it on the job.
How tobacoo firms conspired to kill
Submitted on 13 August, 2007 - 14:09
By Frank Higgins
Where did Coca Cola get its name from? Earlier this century, the “soft” drink included an element of cocaine. In the last century you could buy over the counter a drink called laudanum, which contained opium. Tighter state control of drug distribution and consumption put a stop to such things. Even potent but harmless marijuana was outlawed
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Health workers: Reject the NHS pay offer!
Submitted on 8 August, 2007 - 07:34
Healthworkers in UNISON have produced these leaflets to build a campaign rejecting the latest offer from the Government over NHS pay - the new deal is still worth less than inflation, still less than
Blood service under fire
Submitted on 28 June, 2007 - 12:02
Thousands of blood service workers rallied across the UK on June 15th to protest against a multi-million pound cut in the service. The planned cuts will mean the loss of 800 jobs and the closure of nine out of the twelve regional blood centres serving England and north Wales over the next two years.
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Fiddling the books while the NHS burns
Submitted on 9 June, 2007 - 10:54
By Mike Fenwick
After the fuss made last year about an “overspend” in the NHS budget, the trend has been reversed.
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Vote for a union that fights back
Submitted on 17 May, 2007 - 09:44
Supporters of Solidarity in the health service group of UNISON have produced this leaflet to promote four candidates in the current round of elections to the National Executive Committee: Kate Ahrens, Alison Brown, Paul Harper and Len Hockey are standing for the four health seats on the NEC.
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Unison plans for 13 October
Submitted on 4 May, 2007 - 17:48
By Mike Fenwick
At Unison health conference in Brighton on 22-24 April, the main decision was to reject the 2.5% pay settlement and go for industrial action.
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Health workers angry on pay and cuts
Submitted on 19 April, 2007 - 19:56
By Mike Fenwick
Healthworkers from around the country gather in Brighton on 22-24 April for Unison’s Annual Health Conference. After another turbulent year in the NHS it seems likely that the mood will be angry, but the key question remains, how can that anger be turned into action.
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Irish nurses’ industrial action
Submitted on 16 April, 2007 - 19:46
Nurses in Ireland are taking industrial action over pay and working hours. 40,000 members of the Irish Nurses’ Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association, seeking a 10.6% pay rise alongside a 4-hour cut in their 39-hour working week, are in the third week of working-to-rule, refusing to do clerical or IT work.
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Leicester Keep our NHS Public Protest - 2nd April 2007
Submitted on 2 April, 2007 - 10:51
The local acute hospital Trust (UHL) is planning to cut 200 beds over the next two years. Activists from UNISON, AMICUS and RCN started the financial year with a protest outside one of the three hospitals affected (Glenfield General Hospital).
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After 3 March build for national action
Submitted on 15 March, 2007 - 20:32
Saturday 3 March saw the first nationally coordinated day of action in defence of the NHS for nearly twenty years, organised by the TUC led NHS Together group of unions and professional organisations.
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TUC Midlands - NHS Rally (03.03.07)
Submitted on 5 March, 2007 - 15:19- Login or register to post comments
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Defend the health service
Submitted on 26 February, 2007 - 11:19
By Rachel Harris
Next year sees the 60th anniversary of the creation of the NHS. It was the first time anywhere in the world that completely free healthcare was made available on the basis of equal citizenship rather than wealth.
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Profit From Illness
Submitted on 24 February, 2007 - 09:58
Apparently, private pharmaceutical companies have been ripping off the NHS by over-charging for drugs. No, really. Apparently, they are too keen to make profit. Fancy that, a private company making profits. You’d almost think that’s what they are supposed to do.
Build a national campaign to save the NHS!
Submitted on 23 February, 2007 - 11:34
By Mike Fenwick, Leeds Unison health
Saturday March 3rd sees the first nationally coordinated day of trade union action in defense of the NHS. Events ranging from lobbies of MPs to rallies and marches and, for the more adventurous, an ascent of Skiddaw in the Lake District aim to highlight the crisis in the health service.
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Health Service action: Blood Service, Leicester cuts, Manchester community health
Submitted on 23 February, 2007 - 10:26
Blood Service
Members of Amicus working in the National Blood Service used Valentine’s day as a platform to draw attention to the threatened closure of local centres. There is a plan to move all blood processing and testing to three large centres in London, Bristol and Manchester. Centralising production raises the risk of deaths if there were to be any delays in its delivery.
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