NHS and health

25,000 march to save Lewisham A&E - what next?

The local demonstration to save Lewisham hospital, in south London, on 26 January was far bigger than many national demonstrations. 25,000 people, mostly workers, marched to protest against the closure of the accident and emergency, maternity and complex and emergency surgery services - substantially more than marched on the last mass demonstration at the end of November. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will make a decision by 1 February and probably make an announcement soon after. Despite the turnout today, it is very likely he will decide for closure. This is a test case - both for the Tories...

Lewisham: a test case for the NHS

The plan to close maternity, A&E and other services at Lewisham Hospital, and to dissolve the South London Healthcare Trust, is a test case for the government in its plans to dismantle the National Health Service. If the Tories are able in south London to get away with dissolving entire local trusts, reallocating essential services to other trusts or putting them out to tender for private companies, as well as shutting large sections of a heavily-relied-upon local hospital, they will feel able to carry out similar attacks elsewhere. The Trust Special Administrator Matthew Kershaw admitted in...

Save Lewisham Hospital, save the NHS!

Matthew Kershaw, the Special Administrator brought in to reorganise NHS services after South London Healthcare Trust went bust, has made his final recommendations. There are no surprises. He recommends SLHT be dissolved, with services being taken over by other Trusts, and that Lewisham Hospital’s A & E and maternity units be axed. He offers no answers on how 125,000 annual patient visits to Lewisham A&E will be accommodated or how the 4,365 births in Lewisham maternity unit will be adequately supported. Three quarters of million people will be left with one A & E. Kershaw’s cuts will cost...

Learn from Spanish health workers

In summer 2011 I was on holiday in Barcelona with my partner when I got a stomach bug. Unable to access a doctor, I decided to go into the local hospital. The area we were staying, Nou Baris, is a working-class suburb of Barcelona with a high number of Latin American migrant workers and a traveller population. Walking up to the hospital we noticed that there were banners draped out of the local flats and shops, all opposing the closure of the hospital. On arrival at the hospital we saw that there were some tents outside and a stall with several people doing a petition, giving out leaflets...

How profit is trashing public services

Private companies are being given access to ever greater swathes of public services, buying the right to run for profit what ought to be socially provided to meet human need. The Tories’ “Big Society” scheme was supposed to be privatisation with a friendly, local face — public services being run by local businesses and third-sector organisations as well as larger companies. In reality, only the big have prevailed in the “Big Society”; a handful of multinational capitalist firms dominate the provision of privatised public services. Serco, a global corporation with revenue of over £2 billion (to...

Lewisham hospital fight: march on 26 January, build for a work-in!

On 8 January, the Special Administrator released a response to the public “consultation” over his proposals to reorganise south London health services — including closures at Lewisham Hospital. It acknowledged that it had encountered 96% opposition to the closure of the A&E department... but pledged to carry on with the closure regardless! The people behind this plan have an undisguised contempt for the people of Lewisham. We cannot let them shut our services. On 4 February, Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt will make his announcement in response to the recommendations of Trust Special...

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