Sell-Off film trailer - what's really happening inside the NHS

[PhilipDay]

Sell-Off Film Trailer

Many people on mumsnet have experienced first-hand the impact of cuts, closures and general chaos in health services since the Health and Social Care Act (2012) was introduced, but most people are less aware of what is happening behind the scenes.

The truth is that the NHS is being privatised by stealth, with devastating consequences.

A brave few doctors and health academics are speaking out by making a film that describes what is really happening inside the NHS. The full film is coming out soon, you can watch the trailer here:
Sell-Off Film Trailer

Please support the project by sharing the trailer link, and donating if you can.

I met Mumsnet Head of Campaigns Rowan Davies recently, who advised I should post on here. Many thanks to Rowan and all at Mumsnet for your support.

Philip Day

[PhilipDay]

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What can we do about it?

There are lots of volunteer organisations fighting back, both nationally and locally.

There is a petition calling for a moratorium on hospital closures until after the general election.

National campaign groups and movements include:

• Reinstate the NHS Bill 2015, co-authored by Prof. Allyson Pollock and Peter Roderick.
  
• Keep Our NHS Public
  
• NHS For Sale? – tracking the extent of privatisation and its impact.
  
• National Health Action Party – founded by some of the doctors in the film, and standing candidates in the 2015 General Election against Cameron, Hunt and others.
  
  I live in west London and first became involved through the Save Our Hospitals group there, campaigning against a wave of hospital closures in NW London. Closure of the maternity unit at Ealing Hospital is one particularly harmful aspect, along with 4 of 9 A&Es and effective closure of 2 major hospitals (Ealing and Charing Cross). Map here.
  
  There are many others like these across the country, who urgently need your support.

[Malena49]

I thought it was a shame that there's been no comments on this thread so felt moved to add something. As a new Mumsnet user I did wonder if the thread subject is the right heading. So will continue also on one I saw on 'NHS privatisation'.
Friends say the NHS is going to be privatised whether we like it or not. My response is do we just sit back and accept it. Privatisation and fragmentation of services will destroy the NHS. So we need to ask ourselves, whether we like it or not, are we happy for private companies to make profits from anything from maternity to end of life care. Do we want to drift to a US-model of health care where you receive a bill for having your baby in hospital (as my daughter has experienced) or your ambulance service asks you for your insurance policy details before you’re taken to hospital (as my son-in-law was asked after being involved in a motorbike accident)? For me this is a fight not just for ourselves but for my daughters and grandchildren too.
Then friends say but "ah but ... the NHS can’t cope with demand".
In 2011 the NHS ranked best in the world for quality, access and efficiency and yet we spend less on healthcare (just £2,008 per head) than Germany, France, Netherlands, Canada, US (which has a very inefficient health service) - www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/17/nhs-health. Since 2010 £30 billion has been cut from the NHS. The debate we should be having is are we prepared to spend more to meet demand?

This is a useful link nhap.org/join-us-nhs-fightback/facts-fingertips/start another

[Malena49]

Oops! Sorry correct link should have been nhap.org/join-us-nhs-fightback/facts-fingertips/

[PhilipDay]

Thanks for your comment Malena.

Average cost of childbirth in the U.S. is $30k ($50k for C-sec).
www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/health/american-way-of-birth-costliest-in-the-world.html?hp&_r=0

More immediately, across the UK since 2010, dozens of hospitals, A&Es and maternity units have closed or been downgraded, or are planned to be:
nhap.org/hospital-ae-maternity-closures/ inc map
www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11184912/The-list-of-66-AandE-and-maternity-units-being-hit-by-cuts.html

This list includes 17 midwife units planned for closure or downgrading, on top of 19 already closed or downgraded.

Can mumsnet help stop any of this happneing?... perhaps we should start another thread?...