
The Socialist 17 October 2007
National Health Service: cutbacks and privatisation kill
National Health Service Cutbacks and privatisation kill
The vultures are circling ever closer
Postal workers waiting to assess Royal Mail deal
Fighting Royal Mail management's attacks
Solid unofficial action in East London
National Shop Stewards' Network meetings
Students on trumped-up charges
Young workers and students need to get involved
"You've got to stick together"
Stop the placement rip-off now!
Trade Union Freedom Bill: Banishing Thatcher's anti-union legacy?
Working longer hours for less pay
ITV2 - making a good deal out of women's bodies
Workers' struggle and political instability sends Polish government into meltdown
Australia: Liberals v Labour - no choice for working people in election
Children's homes at risk of buy-outs
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National Health Service Cutbacks and privatisation kill
Build for the 5 November demo
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NHS demonstrations 3 March 2007., photo Paul Mattsson |
HEALTH SERVICE workers and users in Kent were shocked at news that hundreds of deaths over three years have been blamed on epidemics of illness caused by the bacterium clostridium difficile in hospitals in Maidstone, Pembury and Tunbridge Wells. Up to 345 patients may have died from it, some five times as many contracted it and suffered complications as a result.
Nigel Sheahan and Julian Wilson, Tunbridge Wells and Hastings Socialist Party
The NHS trust covered up the size of the problem for two years claiming only 21 deaths had been caused. Inspectors and bereaved relatives were not informed about the epidemic's scale.
The bug was allowed to spread due to filthy conditions and lack of cleaning staff. The trust was obsessed with reaching financial saving targets and funding a PFI deal instead of looking after patients' health.
A secretly filmed investigation had earlier exposed conditions in Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, described by an inspector as "the dirtiest I have ever seen". Privatisation of cleaning services had led to cutbacks and falling standards. Wards were mopped with the same mops used for the toilets. Patients lay in dirty linen, showers and commodes were not cleaned properly and dirty mugs and plates were left in sinks in isolation areas.
The trust chairperson has now resigned, which followed the departure of the trust chief executive, Rose Gibb, by "mutual consent". She had been promised a £250,000 'golden handshake' despite her incompetence and cover-up, but as the police moved to investigate whether mass corporate manslaughter charges could be brought, health secretary Alan Johnson was compelled to suspend this payment.
This Kent scandal is the tip of the iceberg. Twenty-two of the 67 NHS foundation trusts are falling short of their targets set for reducing hospital-acquired infections. In pursuit of the cuts agenda NHS trusts across Britain seek swingeing cuts in services including closing maternity wards, accident and emergency departments, and entire hospitals, placing patients at greater risk.
Charges for dental treatment and the fact that around half of dentists are no longer treating NHS patients at all, have lead to the recently exposed horror of people resorting to treating themselves – including pulling out their own teeth.
In the government's enthusiasm to turn the NHS into a business, privatising and 'reforming' as much as they can, lives have been lost and many have suffered.
Socialists and health campaigners, together with the NHS trade unions, must continue to expose the government's privatisation and cuts agenda and its many tragic consequencies.
The only way to keep the NHS really safe is to kick out all private contractors and for it to be fully funded and under democratic control and accountability. Keep the vultures of privatisation out of our health service!
In this issue
National Health Service Cutbacks and privatisation kill
The vultures are circling ever closer
Postal dispute
Postal workers waiting to assess Royal Mail deal
Fighting Royal Mail management's attacks
Solid unofficial action in East London
National Shop Stewards' Network meetings
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
International Appeal
Students on trumped-up charges
Socialist Students
National Shop Stewards Network
Young workers and students need to get involved
"You've got to stick together"
Stop the placement rip-off now!
Campaign for a New Workers Party
Trade Union Freedom Bill
Trade Union Freedom Bill: Banishing Thatcher's anti-union legacy?
Working longer hours for less pay
Socialist Party women
ITV2 - making a good deal out of women's bodies
International socialist news and analysis
Workers' struggle and political instability sends Polish government into meltdown
Australia: Liberals v Labour - no choice for working people in election
Socialist Party news and analysis
Children's homes at risk of buy-outs
Home | The Socialist 17 October 2007 | Join the Socialist Party
Related links:
West London Socialist Party: The fight for women's health to be a trade union issue
Boot private companies out of our NHS
NHS white paper: no solution to failed Tory policies
Tories admit market failure - we want our NHS back!
Social care: End privatisation and let workers decide how it's run
Children in care: Privatisation is not working
Protect lives and livelihoods, fight to defend the NHS