Brent Kennedy, Carlisle Socialist Party
Carlisle Socialist Party recently held a very successful protest stall to defend the NHS, with people flocking to sign our petition, and well reported in the local media.
Labour had announced a new target for 92% of routine NHS appointments and operations to be completed within 18 weeks by March 2029 – over four years away.
But the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital doctors, warned that without more resources and staff to drastically improve devastated NHS urgent and emergency care services, the plan is “doomed.” They also fear that concentrating on a target for just one part of the health system will mean cuts in other parts, such as A&E, community care, and mental health.
We responded by upping our campaign for the 130,000 staff vacancies in the NHS to be filled, with more training places for doctors and nurses, and scrapping student fees. We also highlighted the dire state of the social care system, and the cynical neglect of its workers.
It will be impossible to solve the ongoing problems of an underfunded NHS without employing 165,000 more, better-paid, and better-trained social care staff in publicly owned care homes and services.
Our petition therefore also supports a substantial pay rise for all health and care workers to make up the standard of living they have seen eroded in recent years, a precondition for much-needed recruitment and retention.
Another demand opposes further undermining of our universal health system by creeping privatisation, instead calling for renationalisation, under the democratic control of health workers and patients, of all privatised or outsourced services.
Already private profiteering health companies carry out up to 20% of operations on NHS patients in some parts of the country. Labour health secretary Wes Streeting wants a two-tier system, which only benefits a wealthy minority.
All our demands were explained in the local paper, also the online version, getting our socialist message across to thousands of Cumbrians.
