Posted On February 8, 2012 Leave a Comment

NHS: We used to ask ‘Can you trust the Tories with the NHS?’ Now we ask ‘Do the Tories agree among themselves?’

8th February 2012

Not many Seacombe residents could afford to pay twice for health care – once through the state insurance deducted from their wages, and then again for private health insurance on top.  So it will come as no surprise that we have heard of nobody in our ward who looks favourably on Tory plans to introduce ever more privatisation to the NHS.

Is it any surprise that Tory Health Secretary Andrew Lansley came under more pressure today as a senior source from inside 10 Downing Street is reported to have accused him of “messing up” the ConDems’ disasterous plans to “reform” our well loved NHS?

Seacombe Cllr Chris Jones is a NHS Ward Manager with strong loyalty to the NHS

Reports say that some Lib Dem peers have come to their senses and are planning to revolt when the Health and Social Care Bill returns to the Lords today.  And what was being reported in the press?  Here are some links:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/andrew-lansley-labelled-a-disaster-over-677268

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/andrew-lansley-labelled-a-disaster-over-677268

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-cuts-leaked-document-reveals-675744

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-college-of-gps-urges-prime-673979

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/andrew-lansley-u-turn-on-nhs-hidden-661075

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/scrapping-the-tories-nhs-bill-would-659180

The British Medical Association,the Royal College of Nursing, and the Royal College of GPs, are publicly campaigning against the Tory proposals.  But is this Tory-led government too arrogant to listen to the health professionals who run the NHS every day, and the ordinary people of this country?  Are they hearing only the rich?

Seacombe has an older than average population, and many families on low incomes – with much shorter life expectancy than in wealthy areas.  For Seacombe residents Labour’s National Health Service is of massive importance.

The Tories fought against Labour’s  creation of the NHS in the first place.  Now, it’s increasingly clear that ’privatisation’ plans are causing conflict even in the ConDems’ Tory-led government.  So when are we going to hear the Wallasey Tories speaking up for people living around here, to oppose what their government is trying to inflict on the NHS?

It would be nice to hear from them.  We are not holding our breath.

 

Posted On January 30, 2012 1 Comment

NHS “safe” under a Tory-led ConDem government? Chris updates her report.

30th January 2012

Just over a week ago I posted the report below because I am so consciouse of the effects that the Tories’s approach to the National Health Service could have on the low and middle income people I represent in Egremont, Seacombe, Poulton and Somerville.    Things have certainly moved fast in a week – and not very well for the Tories.  The newspapers are increasingly open about the damage to its own popularity the Tory-led government is creating for itself.

The Bill seeking to change Labour’s NHS so fundamentally is back in the Lords on 8th Feb.  The Government seem to be on the defensive.   ”Yougov” has just published the results of a new survey on public attitudes to the NHS and its reforms, with a sample size of 1884.   Here are some of the highlights:

36% trusted the Coalition to deliver high quality NHS services, but a startling

57% didn’t trust the government “much or at all”.

Could you?

A full breakdown by political party support, gender, age, social group and region is available at:

http://cdn.yougov.com/today_uk_import/YG-Archives-Life-Sun-NHS-190111.pdf

A higher percentage of the British public opposes the Government’s plans to restructure the NHS than supports them, and faith in the Coalition’s ability to deliver NHS services is sinking.  After all didn’t the Tories go into the general election with slogans that they could be ‘trusted’ with the NHS?  Who believes that now?

Cllr Chris Jones gives her opinion of the government’s NHS proposals

On 22nd January Chris reported:

Following years of neglect under Tory governments, Labour invested heavily in replacing crumbling buildings and increasing nurse and doctor numbers to rebuild the National Health Service.   Most residents of the Wallasey Riverside area, covering from Seacombe to New Brighton, would agree that we are now well served with excellent local medical practices, backed up by top class Wirral hospitals.  But we have not yet met anybody on the doorstep who believes what this Tory-led government is now doing to the NHS is acceptable.

Follow the link below to read Angela’s summary in November. The latest developments show her view was spot on.

http://www.angelaeaglemp.co.uk/news.php?id=242

Labour created the National Health Service during the economic aftermath of Hitler’s war when Britain faced economic re-construction with burdens greater even than the Bankers’ gambling-debt crisis we are all now being forced to pay for.   It was created in the face of dogged opposition from the Tories.  So what’s changed?

Health is the most important element of every person’s ‘wealth’.  Isn’t there something fundamentally unwholesome about the privatisation of health provision into profit inspired businesses?

Last week the pressure on Lansley increased when official health department data revealed that the number of patients not being treated within the 18-week time limit has soared by 43% since the Tory/LibDem coalition took office. Led by the Doctors’ organisation “The British Medical Association” a meeting has been called of all 20 members of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.  Along with the nurses’ and midwives’ unions, these health professionals are calling loudly for the bill to be scrapped.

The meeting comes as one of Downing Street’s advisers on the NHS, Professor Chris Ham, King’s Fund health thinktank chief executive, warns that growing disquiet across the medical establishment “could become an NHS version of the Arab spring”.

Despite the Tories’ attempts to personalise politics, with rather silly jibes at individuals, we believe the people of the UK will no more forgive the collaboration government of LibDems and Tories, for their policies towards the NHS, than they will for their closeness to the bankers who plunged the world into its present economic chaos.

This ‘Health Policy Insight’ article provides excellent information, well worth reading for anyone who believes in the NHS

http://www.healthpolicyinsight.com/?q=node%2F1313

We will be interested to hear your views.

Posted On January 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

Central Park – Walled Garden restored to the public.

16th January 2011

Central Park, standing at the edge of Seacombe and Egremont on the one side, with Liscard on the other, is a key public asset.

Cllr Adrian Jones & Mrs Di Ledder met Council Officers, who came up with remedies at a meeting this morning.

When the Tory/LibDem collaboration, in control of Wirral until last May, sought the reduction of some 1100+ council jobs our Central Park Ranger, who left early under one of the schemes of ‘encouragement’ to go, was among them.  He was popular and dedicated, well known for working far beyond the call of ordinary duty; we all wished him well for his early retirement, but we certainly miss him.

The public were left with the impression that the deletion of such posts would occur only if they did not adversely affect front line services.  But were people under the care of  Social Services  in Central Park not ’front line’?  Following the deletion of our Ranger’s post they found themselves without organised means to open the buildings they were using, in the morning, or to secure them afterwards, or even to have the lavatories cleaned.

This picture of Mrs Di Ledder was taken in the Park, with Cllr John Salter, when the improvements to the children's playground were being done.

The attractive Walled Garden was no longer open to the public unless the volunteers, or their carers, or Social Services staff, found ways to get it done.  And with the retirement of our Ranger it was also closed to the public and to visitors on weekends.  Not exactly good news for the ‘Leisure Peninsula’?
With no Council arrangements put in place  for the lavatories to be cleaned that, too, fell by default to Social Services Staff and volunteers.  Whoever else felt it was acceptable, it was not acceptable to your Seacombe Labour Councillors.
“What”, readers might ask,  “was the rationale for not making arrangements for the buildings and the Walled Garden to be unlocked and secured, and for the lavatories to be cleaned?”     That would be for the previous administration to explain.  Your Labour Councillors are just getting on with the business of having it put right.
Happier times are back again

 Meanwhile, the privatisation shadow has been lifted and our Parks have returned happily to public maintenance, with our professional officers able once more to arrange for the buildings to be opened for the volunteers and Social Services Staff to work unhindered; for the lavatories to be cleaned, and for our Walled Garden  to be re-opened to the residents of Wirral who, by the way, own it.

 

We will not publicly name Council Officers, not even in a ‘good news’ story such as this, but with great pleasure we can report our sincere thanks to them for the professional manner in which they were able to put remedies in place at a meeting in the Town Hall this morning.  No such thanks would be complete without recognising the wealth of advice given by Mrs Di Ledder, who chairs the Central Park Partnership.

 

 

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