NHS protesters on the march

RCN-UNISON lobby of parliament

RCN-UNISON lobby of parliament

THE NHS is under attack. Blair and New Labour are
forcing hospitals across the country to make over £800 million of cuts
to their budgets. But a fightback is starting – last weekend 4,000
people marched in Stroud.
Birmingham Socialist Party’s SEAN MCCAULEY explains what is
happening in Birmingham where preparations are underway for a West
Midlands regional demonstration on 15 July.

YEARS OF Tory underinvestment and a decade of New Labour’s waste of
public resources on pivatisation schemes like PFI are to blame for the
present financial crisis. So Labour’s new solution is to sack health
workers in mass redundancies.

I recently had to take my 12-month-old son to Birmingham Children’s
Hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E). Naturally, the care he got
from the professionals was first class but the wait was horrendous.

We arrived at 12 midnight and didn’t see a doctor until 4am. And now
the service can only get worse.

The Chief Executive has announced that the posts of 50 senior nurses
will be axed and replaced with lower-paid, less qualified staff. Other
Birmingham hospitals have announced redundancies: 800 at the City and
Sandwell Hospitals and 95 at the Women’s Hospital.

This is on top of recent bed cuts across Birmingham and the Black
Country. Waits in A&E and time spent on trolleys before being moved
to a free bed in a ward will get worse.

Health workers, who are already stretched, will be expected to
deliver the same kind of service with fewer staff.

The Chief Executive of Birmingham Women’s Hospital claim these cuts
won’t affect the quality of care for patients but John Adler, top boss
of City and Sandwell Hospitals was more realistic: "It would be
fanciful to say there will be no impact on patient services."

Adler claims the 800 job cuts at City and Sandwell will include no
nursing posts. But the service nurses deliver will suffer badly if other
health workers who provide support are sacked.

Besides, nobody trusts someone who said last year’s 200 job losses
would sort out the financial problems and then comes back for more this
year.

He recently told staff that over 100 compulsory redundancies may have
to be made. Staff will be demanding their unions see there are none
whatsoever.

We think all this is the final straw. It is time to do something to
stop the destruction of the NHS and many people will join us on the 15
July demo. We also want to see health unions like UNISON calling a
national demo.

A successful march in the second city will put more pressure on them
to act now before it’s too late. Unlike the national leaders of the
health unions, we aren’t afraid to embarrass the New Labour government.
Many workers are asking why these unions still give big donations to a
Labour Party which is cutting their members’ jobs, conditions and
pensions.

We need a new party for working people which will fight for us over
issues like this.

Campaign stalls take place every Saturday in Birmingham city centre,
10.30am-12.30pm, outside BHS on New Street.
Come along and help us get more petitions signed and leaflets out.

See also: Rebellion over hospital cuts


Join the demonstration

West Midlands march to defend the NHS

Saturday 15 July

Assemble 11am at City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham.
March to rally in Centenary Square at 1pm.
Posters and leaflets can be downloaded from the following websites:
nhssos.org.uk or stokesocialistparty.org.uk