All Campaigns subcategories:
NHS keywords:
Mental health
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: Salford - Mental health - Health - Cuts
It's the system that's ill
Paul Gerrard
Depressed? Anxious? Who wouldn't be, faced with frozen wages, job losses, benefit cuts, rocketing energy prices, etc? One in three people will experience mental health issues over a lifetime. And as austerity stretches into the foreseeable future that figure will rise.
New reports come out almost daily about growing numbers of the mentally unwell, especially among children and young people.
The Prince's Trust recently revealed stark differences in mental health between those young people in employment, training or education, and the long-term unemployed.
10% of the first group had taken anti-depressants but that proportion rose to 26% among long-term unemployed people.
A quarter of those in work or at college had had suicidal thoughts but nearly a third of the unemployed had experienced them.
Even a quarter of those young people who are supposedly 'sorted' have suicidal thoughts! What does that say about insecurity in capitalist Britain?
In the last three years the UK has lost 1,700 mental health beds. Increasing numbers of people admitted to hospital find the only beds are miles away from their homes, often in private hospitals.
Placing patients there means friends and family can't visit, delaying patients' recovery.
It also costs the NHS a fortune, up to £4,000 a week for a private bed. Despite this Greater Manchester West Mental Health Trust, covering Salford, Bolton and Trafford, wants to close 20% of its beds over the next two years.
Meanwhile community care workers employed by Salford city council, who support people in the community and hopefully prevent hospital admissions, have been told to expect redundancy notices in the latest avalanche of cuts.
These Unison members have fought many battles with the council and are determined to fight for their jobs and their service.
Save Mental Health Services in Salford was set up to fight to keep the services. The local Unison mental health branch have funded 15,000 leaflets advertising our 29 March demo going from Eccles in Salford to Meadowbrook where a mental health ward is threatened with closure. Community care workers will steward the march and speak at the rally.
NHS cuts and council cuts make a double whammy for a vulnerable group. Salford, like many working class communities, has higher than average rates of mental illness. 36,000 people have been identified as having some form of mental illness in a population under 200,000.
Mental illness is a symptom of a sick, capitalist society which produces stress, unequal power relationships, financial insecurity, and destroys communities. It's the system that's ill, not us. Fight for a socialist system!
Demonstration to save mental health services in Salford, Bolton and Trafford, Saturday 29 March, assemble 12.30
- Eccles Cross, Church Street, Eccles M30 0DA
Socialist Party public meeting: 'How to fight NHS and council cuts'
Immediately after the final rally.
Hope Inn, 226 Eccles Old Road, Salford, M6 8AG
Speakers: Sally Griffiths and Diane Cawood, NHS workers and TUSC candidates in Salford
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
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.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999