Worcester Against The Cuts

Next meeting

It would be great to see you on: Monday 23rd January @ 7.15pm

The Plough, Deansway, Worcester

Worcester Trades Union Council has organised a march and rally on Wednesday 30^th November as part of national strike action.

MARCH starts at 11.15am from Mealcheapen Street

RALLY starts at 12.30pm at Tramps Nightclub in Angel Place

Please spread the word.

The Workers – “Let’s Work Together”

The Workers come from across the country and right across Britain’s diverse public sector. Their jobs are different, but they share a love of music, and have joined up to record “Let’s Work Together” in solidarity with everyone involved in November 30th’s Day of Action for Pensions Justice. You can buy the single here:

http://www.theworkers.org.uk/

Thursday 24th November @ 7.30pm

St. Andrew’s Methodist Church
Pump Street
Worcester
WR1 2QT

Event organised by Worcester Trades Council

Monday 26^th September  7pm

The Plough
Deansway
Worcester

Please join our demonstration on 25^th August 2011 at 7pm outside the Walk-in Centre on Farrier Street, WR1 3BH to mourn the death of the NHS as we know it.

The health service we know and love is under massive threat. The coalition government claims to have listened to the concerns of the public and made changes to the draft Health and Social Care Bill.  But the Bill will still

• Increase privatisation
• Bring back the postcode lottery
• Increase red tape

Cameron’s revised health Bill is now a dangerous mess of amendments and loopholes. Our MPs will be voting in Parliament on this Bill and the future of the NHS on 6th and 7th September.   They will be asked to vote on the amendments and vote the Bill through (or not) before it goes to the House of Lords.

Do you want this Bill to become law?  If you are as worried as we are, please tell your MP not to vote for the death of our NHS.  You can do so via http://nhsalert.org.uk/ a campaign organised by nurses, doctors and concerned health professionals.

We are absolutely determined to do all we can to try and stop this Bill becoming law.  If you love the NHS, help us fight to keep it.

Why a demonstration outside the Walk-in Centre?

Worcester Walk-in Health Centre provides GP appointments for everyone from 8am to 8pm 365 days a year.  It was commissioned to do so by NHS Worcestershire to improve access to primary care.

The Walk-in Centre is run by Elgar Healthcare Limited.  This company was formed in May 2008 ‘by local GPs to manage and run a variety of community based healthcare services. The company is also supported from investment by 64 shareholders who are all either GPs or Practice Managers in South Worcestershire.’ 

This means that the profit from providing this NHS Walk-in service goes to the shareholders of Elgar Healthcare Limited.

Under the ConDem government’s proposed Health and Social Care Bill, GPs will become the commissioners and decide where NHS funds are spent.  The government will require them to ‘offer choice’ of health service providers.  This will allow them to award more contracts to Elgar Healthcare Limited for their own profit.

Furthermore your own GP will have a financial incentive to refer you to services provided by Elgar Healthcare Limited, rather than to non-profit making NHS providers, because they will be adding to their personal income.

Members of Worcester Against The Cuts will congregate outside the walk-in centre on Farrier Street at 7pm on Thursday 25^th August to demonstrate against the Government’s NHS privatisation plans.

The government say that they have “listened and learned” from the outcry about their NHS plans but the truth is that their proposals have barely changed at all. We still have a lot to worry about – privatisation, worse patient care, and more red tape.

Their plans will make it easier for private companies to make money from NHS hospitals that have been paid for by taxpayers. They will lead to longer waiting times for treatment as hospitals close and merge, and to a postcode lottery that will mean what treatment you can get will depend on where you live.

The House of Commons will soon be voting on the government NHS plans. We are urging residents of Worcester to lobby their MP Robin Walker and ask him to vote against these plans that will effectively privatise the NHS.

Follow this link to the campaigning website NHS Alert where you can email your MP: http://nhsalert.org.uk/page/speakout/will-you-email-your-mp-now