The national 38 degrees organisation has been again been encouraging people to set up local groups to save the NHS and we are pleased to hear there has been wide take up across the country. We already know there have been 38 degrees groups in Sheffield for other subjects (e.g. Save the Forests). Unfortunately the national 38 degrees office have not until recently kept records of groups already set up and some other 38 degrees supporters of the NHS coincidentally arranged their first meeting at exactly the same time as our November meeting. We are delighted that they have now agreed to join us at Victoria Hall on November 12th at 7 pm and look forward to broadening our campaigns.
The 38 degrees call was to influence CCGS to undertake not to contract NHS services out to private contractors, and if possible to get them to put this in their constitution. However it seems that even CCGs which are sympathetic would not take the legal risk of formalising such an undertaking and this is likely to be true also of Sheffield CCG whose leaders have said publicly that they will not seek out new providers from the private sector unless existing services prove inadequate or they are instructed by the government (e.g. Any Qualified Provider). They also curbed the attempt by the walk-in centre to introduce a charge for whiplash assessment.
However the crunch will come as more cuts bite next year and the CCG finds itself faced with potentially unpalatable decisions. We will be campaigning with all willing parties to save NHS services in Sheffield.
We are a grassroots movement comprising people from all walks of life who are, or will be affected by the government’s austerity measures and spending cuts to NHS Services across England. We also strongly oppose the creeping privatisation of the NHS by successive governments. Privatisation = Profit not Good Patient Care
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