The Government is soon to vote on passing a bill in the House of Lords which will mean the sell off of our NHS. An NHS that brings envy to most countries around the world. An NHS that is here to serve and protect the People. An NHS that does this not for profit or greed but exists in order to bring medical care to every part of society no matter if you can afford to pay for it or not.

On October 9, 2011, please come to Westminster Bridge, London at 1pm and show your support for our NHS. We the People intend to block the bridge and remind the Government that they are here to serve us the People. Its time to show the Government that we will never give in. The NHS is not for sell!!

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

The government is just weeks away from destroying the NHS forever. This is an emergency. On Sunday October 9th, join UK Uncut on Westminster Bridge and help block the bill.

Free coaches available! See here for more information
Posters/flyers available here
Call a Lib Dem/Crossbench Lord and explain how you’re willing to Block the Bridge to save the NHS!

On one side of Westminster Bridge is Parliament. On 7th September, MPs in the Commons voted for the end of the NHS as we know it. Yet the coalition’s Health and Social Care bill was not in the Lib Dem manifesto. It was not in the Tory manifesto. None of us voted for this. On the opposite side of the bridge is St Thomas’ Hospital, one of Britain’s oldest medical institutions. If the bill passes, hospitals like St Thomas’ will be sold to private corporations, the staff put on private payrolls and beds given over to private patients. Despite the government’s lies, this bill represents the wholesale privatization of the NHS and, with it, the destruction of the dream of comprehensive healthcare provided equally to all. On October 12th, the Lords have a chance to vote down the bill, and a huge Liberal Democrat rebellion is brewing. We have one last chance to save our NHS.

On Sunday 9th October, just three days before the Lords vote, join UK Uncut in a spectacular act of mass civil disobedience to block the bill. By blocking Westminster Bridge we symbolically block the bill from getting from Parliament to our hospitals. Yes, it will be disruptive. Yes, it will stop the traffic. But this is an emergency and we have to shout as loud as we can. Get to the middle of Westminster Bridge shortly before 1pm. When Big Ben strikes one, pick one of the tactics below and help block the bridge:

■Bring some fake blood and play dead
■Bring hospital radio to the bridge with some music and comedy
■Bring a nurse for a resuscitation skill-share
■Dress up in scrubs and perform an operation
■Enjoy a picnic overlooking Parliament
■Share stories about the the NHS
■Invite a friend from across the pond to describe the reality of a privatised healthcare system
■Invite older generations to describe a time before universal healthcare
■(if you’ve got other good ideas, email them to ukuncut@gmail.com)

Invite everyone you know to the Facebook event, and make sure you click ‘attending’ – the action will only go ahead if 1000 or more people plan to attend. We’ll be in close contact with St. Thomas’ before and during the protest to ensure access for emergency vehicles. (1300 attending this event as of 25/09/11) –

http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/block-the-bridge-block-the-bill

NHS reform bill must be resisted, leading doctors tell royal colleges

September 11, 2011

More than 150 scientists, surgeons and doctors have written to NHS professional bodies calling on the medical establishment to demand that the government withdraws its controversial health bill. Co-ordinated by the NHS Consultants’ Association, the medics have written to presidents of the royal medical colleges urging them to stop co-operating with the government’s proposed NHS reforms. The move comes as the British Medical Association begins to mobilise a public campaign against the bill, and coincides with the suggestion of Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, that family doctors hire lawyers to cope with the conflicts of interest they would face over the commissioning reforms. The letter says the health bill, devised by the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, is not supported by the majority of the medical profession and is not in the best long-term interests of either patients, doctors or the royal colleges.

The plan would, the doctors argue, lead to “marketisation and privatisation” of the English NHS, as well as promote competition with a new regulator, and remove the health secretary’s duty to provide a comprehensive health service. The letter highlights a poll of more than 1000 doctors from the British Medical Journal, showing 93% want Lansley’s bill withdrawn, and suggests there is a lack of democratic legitimacy. The government needs to “reform its reforms”, following the public and professional backlash this year, and the changes have been expensive, the writers say: savings from the changes would bring in £4.5bn over the next four years, £700m less than the government first envisaged. The doctors are also concerned at the emollient tone of some royal colleges. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges told MPs there were too “many disadvantages” in delay, while Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said his body largely backed “the aims of the reforms to modernise the health care system”. The letter claims “colleges are out of touch with the views … of the majority of grassroots doctors”, and accuses them of failing to safeguard their own principles, a key role being to “promote the underlying principles of medical professionalism and leadership”.

The bill, the letter says, cannot pass without the medical profession’s support. “The colleges have a rare opportunity to make a stand for the NHS, medical profession, and patients. We therefore call upon the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to act in the public interest by publicly calling for the withdrawal of the health and social care bill.” Clive Peedell, a consultant oncologist and BMA council member, who worked behind the scenes to circulate the letter, said that though the bill had passed through parliament there was a groundswell of medical opinion against it. “We are saying that the bill may have been passed by MPs but doctors are against these changes and we have to mobilise to stop it.”

BMA Council agrees next steps on Health Bill

September 21, 2011

BMA Council today (21/9/11) agreed its next steps on the Health and Social Care Bill ahead of its second reading in the House of Lords. A programme of lobbying, local events and further campaigning activity is planned to highlight doctors’ major concerns about the Bill and to support doctors in improving care in the best interests of patients and the public.  Council also today expressed its full support for its Chairman and fully endorsed his handling of BMA policy on the Health and Social Care Bill as agreed at the BMA’s 2011 annual representative meeting and subsequent Council meeting.  This statement of support followed motions passed recently by one1 of the BMA’s ten regional councils that criticised Dr Meldrum for not promoting strongly enough the BMA’s concerns on the Bill. Commenting after the morning session of Council, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of BMA Council said:  “The clear view of BMA Council is that the Health and Social Care Bill remains deeply flawed and should be withdrawn or at the very least significantly amended.  “The BMA will continue to publicly and vigorously highlight the concerns of doctors and patients, particularly to peers who have a real opportunity to protect the NHS by addressing the damage that could be done by many aspects of these reforms.”

E-mail sent to un-elected officials of the House of Lords – Crossbench Party

http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in regards to the NHS reforms bill that you now have in front of you. If you care for our NHS then please vote against this Bill on October 12th. The majority of the People do not wish for any part of the NHS to be given over to private business. Not only are the People against this Bill but so are a majority of health workers including many doctors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiLhJrZOkAU (Dr Ron Singer, retired GP from Edmonton, North London)

This October 9th I intend to take part with hundreds if not thousands of people in blocking Westminster Bridge. This action will be one of many steps taken to inform the Government that the People are not going to stand by and allow the Government to sell off the NHS, not even 1% of it. Please come down to the bridge on this day and offer your help and support if you are interested in helping save the NHS. We the People will never give in, never, never, never.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=277040145648345 (Over 1300 people attending)

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250679404975283

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=287733427919847

http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/block-the-bridge-block-the-bill

 (LIST OF VIDEO LINKS LISTED BELOW SENT ALSO)

List of officials this E-mail was sent to:

Adebowale, Lord
Afshar, Baroness
Alton of Liverpool, Lord
Armstrong of Ilminster, Lord
Best, Lord
Bichard, Lord
Bilimoria, Lord
Birt, Lord
Burns, Lord
Butler of Brockwell, Lord
Butler-Sloss, Baroness
Cameron of Dillington, Lord
Campbell of Surbiton, Baroness
Carswell, Lord
Clancarty, Earl
Coussins, Baroness
Craig of Radley, Lord
Dannatt, Lord
Dear, Lord
Deech, Baroness
Elis-Thomas, Lord
Erroll, Earl
Finlay of Llandaff, Baroness
Freyberg, Lord
Fritchie, Baroness
Greenfield, Baroness
Greengross, Baroness
Greenway, Lord
Grey-Thompson, Baroness
Hall of Birkenhead, Lord
Hameed, Lord
Harries of Pentregarth, Lord
Hastings of Scarisbrick, Lord
Hayman, Baroness
Hennessy of Nympsfield, Lord
Hoffmann, Lord
Howarth of Breckland, Baroness
Howe of Idlicote, Baroness
Hylton, Lord
Inge, Lord
Janvrin, Lord
Jay of Ewelme, Lord
Kakkar, Lord
Listowel, Earl
Low of Dalston, Lord
Mar, Countess
Martin of Springburn, Lord
Molyneaux of Killead, Lord
Murphy, Baroness
Neuberger, Baroness
Newby, Lord (Lib Dem)
Nicholls of Birkenhead, Lord
Northbourne, Lord
O’Loan, Baroness
Ouseley, Lord
Oxburgh, Lord
Palmer, Lord
Patten of Barnes, Lord
Prashar, Baroness
Ramsbotham, Lord
Richardson of Calow, Baroness
Sandwich, Earl
Skidelsky, Lord
Stair, Earl
Stirrup, Lord
Sutherland of Houndwood, Lord
Tanlaw, Lord
Tombs, Lord
Walker of Aldringham, Lord
Walpole, Lord
Warnock, Baroness
Williamson of Horton, Lord
Wilson of Tillyorn, Lord
Woolf, Lord
Young of Hornsey, Baroness

http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/

Past Actions