Save the NHS

Signed.

Me too

and me

And me!
Why will the government not listen to the very people they are supposed to be working for?
We are currently trying to save coastguard stations that for some inconceivable reason the government seem to think we can manage without.
With the NHS and the Coastguards I find it amazing that 'experts sat behind desks' know better than the people actually doing the job. Unbelievable!

After 30 years of working in the NS wriring and conducting public consultations I can tell you they will do what they want with it- not signing - futile!

susiecb I quite understand why you think it's futile to sign the petition, I used to think that way myself. However, I've campaigned vigorously in recent years on a number of issues and almost all have had at least some measure of success. At the very least I can say that I tried to effect change.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" is a quote usually attributed to Burke, but what he actually said is: "when bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."

Sadly, the people behind all this can probably afford private health care. But what we must do in this country is make people more accountable for their own health, and by that I mean in a diet, drinking, exercise sort of way. The NHS can't afford to pick up the pieces when people abuse their bodies regardless of the consequences.

A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost- Sartre
Agree with GrannyA!

Looks like you were right after all susiecb, how depressing.

Annobel what's the latest on the petition?? Has it been presented?

I see this am in the press that today there is to be a debate in the commons about the Hillsborough disaster and this is down to an epetition containing over 100,000 signatures which I believe to be the required amount for this to happen. So it seems that epetitions could be the 'vehicle' to get things discussed. The big problem is the publicising and the motivating people to become involved. It seems that this is a specific area of marketing. To garner support a large amount of dedicated work is required with plenty of 'pushy' people involved.

After writing the above ofcourse I realise that an epetition wouldn't have done in the case of the NHS as something fairly instant was needed to intervene in the bill's progress!!

I guess it's too late, but if I hear any more, I will let you know.

In fact, the petition got almost 170000 signatures, but the Lords simply ignored the wishes of so many people. Wonder if it will be different when (if) they have to be elected.

I have noticed that this thread has not been used for a year.
I have today put an epetition online to have an enquiry to look at the connections between govt. ministers and private healthcare companies.
The link is epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40126

I hope to get more signatures than Branson got for his bid to keep the Westcoast Mainline.
How many of you know whether your GP surgery is half owned by Virgincare, or Richard Branson?

jen why not just look at ministers' declarations of interest yourself?
Why demand a public enquiry at enormous expense to the taxpayer when you could just make a Freedom of Information request?
I would rather have fewer cuts to education and other public services than spending our money on public enquiries when the information sought could be obtained much more cheaply.

I agree with you about cuts to public spending.
However, I know the answers to my question, but most other people do not.
My local GP surgery is half owned by Virgin Care. So are most of them in Durham.
Look at the Virgincare website, to see how much else he owns.
I find out all the information I want from the Green Benches, False Economy, 38 Degrees, the Patients Association, and lots of other campaigning websites.

Most other people do not know. I collect my grandchildren from school, and mention this to others picking up their grandchildren They do not know that Branson gets millions from the NHS and puts it into his accounts overseas, not keeping it in the NHS. Look at the Green Benches website for information on this.

If over 100,000 people sign up to this petition, it will be looked at in Parliament. That is the only way this can be looked at. What's the point of me doing an FOI? What do I do with the information then?

Did you know that , when the Westcoast Mainline was in danger of being taken away from Branson, a petition was set up which was signed by over 170,000. We know what happened next.

The problem with the earlier petition last year was that it was a 38 degrees petition, which I signed by the way.
38 degrees is considered a left wing group, although it has no political affiliation whatsoever.
That is why it could be ignored by the government.
If you sign up to an e-petition on the government's own website you sign as an individual, not as a member of a group.
Do you not want to know who gives money to all the government ministers to affect the outcome of the NHS?
Do you want the NHS to become private?
An e-petition stopped the government killing off badgers this year. It also stopped the government selling off the national forests.

On yesterday's news it said that 300 GPs have decided to end their association with Virgin/Branson because of conflict of interest.
If we had all done FOI requests instead of campaigning perhaps this would not have happened.
I am not sure what the actual outcome of this will be, but there are lots more conflict of interest situations in the NHS. I am also sure that many of the patients of these GPs did not know there was an association.
Stiill need the e-petition.
Branson isn't the only one taking money from the NHS and giving it to the Tory party. Look at the Green Benches website for information.
218 signatures on the website. Only need another 170,000 to catch up with Branson's for the Westcoast Mainline.

signed - just think if we had private health insurance I would never get cancer cover and now my OH would never get cardiac cover or at least we couldn't afford it. The care my OH has been receiving over the past 10 days from the NHS has been nothing less than superb - what it has cost boggles the mind.

Signed.

Done

Done it - has it been shared on Facebook?

But the NHS is unsustainable in its present state so what is the answer?

Thank you all. My 19 year old granddaughter has shared it on Facebook, whatever that is. She's studying drama at university so needs a Facebook account to get work, she says.

The answer is to keep up the pressure on the government to stop all the privatisation of the NHS. Although the GPs have now stopped their links to Virgin care, Virgin still has a lot of NHS contracts. NHS money goes to Virgin then gets sent to off-shore accounts where they pay no tax on NHS money.
Virgin have given over £1m pounds to the Tory party. This is just plainly wrong. Virgin directors have given money to Cameron. Wrong again.
The Green Benches website has all the information on Virgin.
Have to go and pick up two grandchildren now, so back on this later.