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From The Socialist newspaper, 13 November 2019
NHS in critical condition
Save our NHS, photo Mary Finch (Click to enlarge)
Clare Wilkins, Nottingham Socialist Party
"It was never-ending, there were more and more patients being wheeled in." This was the comment of a man whose 88 year-old mother-in-law spent six-and-a-half hours waiting to be seen at the A&E Unit at Queens Medical Centre (QMC), Nottingham.
That day QMC declared a 'critical incident', which meant its ability to deliver critical services was threatened.
This is one level up from OPEL 4 ('black alert') which had been reported for several days previously - defined as an inability to deliver comprehensive care, placing patient safety at risk.
The 88 year-old woman, a retired NHS worker said, "this isn't a winter crisis, it's a Tory crisis.'
The BBC discovered that in 2018 two NHS trusts spent more than 120 days at OPEL 4.
A&E is the point at which the crisis in the NHS shows most starkly. It is a symptom of all cuts to the NHS and social care.
The crisis is a result of closures and underfunding that has worsened since 2010. One in six A&E and maternity units have been closed or downgraded or are earmarked for it.
The NHS is 100,000 staff short. 94% of NHS bosses say that buildings endanger patient safety. The Private Finance Initiative which was used to build £12.6 billion worth of hospitals, is costing the NHS £80 billion in repayments.
18% of NHS work is already privatised and it is in danger of being destroyed by a US trade deal after Brexit. The Tories refuse to sign an election pledge to say that it will not happen.
Labour, on the other hand, has promised to end all privatisation in the NHS as well as increase funding.
The NHS must be fully funded, fully staffed, public and free at the point of delivery, under the democratic control of NHS staff and users.
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
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In The Socialist 13 November 2019:
What we think
Attacks show elite fear a Corbyn election win
News
Strike, protest, vote - Kick the Tories out
Labour MP targeted by right wing stands as independent
Green Party offers no alternative for young people and climate change chaos
International socialist news and analysis
Bolivia: Right-wing coup ousts Morales
Kshama Sawant reelected in Seattle
Workplace news
'McStrikers' demand £15 an hour
UCU strikes: Union means business in fight against employers
Postal union determined to resist bosses' attacks
PCS union general secretary election: Enthusiastic support for Marion Lloyd
Frimley NHS Trust strikes: Health workers walkout against privatisation
Bradford libraries and museums: Unite members escalate action against cuts
RMT union members at SWR to walk out in December
Transport for London - Justice for cleaners!
Education
Save education - Kick out the Tories
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Leicester campaigns to save our NHS
Fighting for free education, jobs, homes, and a future worth living
Socialism 2019 rally: "Socialist change needed to end climate change"
Trade union conference to force secret police disclosure
Barking: protest brings pledge to remove dangerous decking
Help socialist ideas spread this election: donate!
We saved Chatsworth Ward - two years on
Readers' opinion
Readers' opinion: Twitter's banning of political ads threatens workers' voice
Theatre: On Bear Ridge - an examination of loss, set in a post-apocalyptic world
Socialism 2019 - what you thought
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