PLEASE READ: Saving the NHS - a petition

[mountaincat]

I'm not sure if this is completely appropriate for this FB group, please take it down if not. I'm posting because Jeremy Hunt is in the US today discussing the future of the NHS with US pharma and medical business groups, and Theresa May is not ruling out including the NHS in a trade deal with Trump. The NHS is not perfect in every way, but it saves lives and gives wonderful care most of the time, and you'll never get a hefty invoice after treatment. PLEASE consider signing and sharing with everyone you know - petition.parliament.uk/peti...

[greygoose]

Signed and shared.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

This is NOT a Facebook group.

[Clutter]

Thanks, have signed and will share.

[nightingale-56]

Have signed and will share when I find the fb 'like'

[wellness1]

I can't find any information about Jeremy Hunt's visit and would like to know more. Do you have any more details mountaincat ?

[humanbean in reply to wellness1]

I couldn't find any info about JH's visit either.

I'm not doubting that such a meeting might have taken place before, or will take place at some point. But I'd like to see something about it in the news or on the news sites.

[mountaincat in reply to wellness1]

I'm having trouble finding it now, but will post when I do. It doesn't seem to come up in Google searches for the last few days so am wondering if it's something I should have double checked actually..

[mountaincat in reply to mountaincat]

OK, looked around for it - I saw it first on KONP's page on Facebook (Keep our NHS Public). It shows a video with JH talking about his meeting at the British consulate in NY; it's quite difficult to share a link outside of facebook, but you can find it there. It has also been on the FB pages of Nye Bevan news, the Green party and others, but have not seen it in any of the major papers. Antonia Romeo (who is the British Consul General to the UK in NewYork and Director-General for Economic & Commercial Affairs USA; and Director-General of TradeGovUK) did tweet about the talks with JH as well, so it's not made up. How you construe the implications of the meeting is, of course, down to the individual.

twitter.com/antoniaromeouk?...

British Consul General @UKinNewYork; Director-General Economic & Commercial Affairs USA; Director-General @TradeGovUK

gov.uk/government/people/an...

[Hidden]

This is politics, not thyroid. There is a great deal I would like to say about the NHS, very far from wonderful, but this is not the place.

[Learner1 in reply to Hidden]

Whether you like it or not, healthcare is very political. We can't just be dumb victims of stupid policy by the rich and powerful. The exchange on this site is useful, particularly with the counterproductive thyroid policy making of the NHS.

Information can be a powerful tool for the masses.

Unless you work for a pharmaceutical or healthcare organization with a political agenda, perhaps, and prefer everyone be in the dark?

[mountaincat in reply to Hidden]

Yes, point taken. this will be a one-off. I just felt it was important

[Mazzahk]

This is a nonsensical petition. Where/when has it ever been said that the NHS will be used as a bargaining tool in Brexit. Scaremongering at it's worst

[mountaincat in reply to Mazzahk]

TTIP was a threat because it allowed the possibility of investors to sue countries if they could argue that their policies interfered with their profits, so many were worried that the UK could be sued simply for having a public healthcare system. A number of pro-Brexit campaigners were worried about it, as it happens. this petition is an attempt to show that we don't want any new deals that have the same threats as TTIP, or that allow foreign investors deals to profit from the NHS. It's not anti-Brexit, it's just that now new trade deals have to me made, we as voters can attempt to have a say in what we feel is important.

Theresa May was asked by journalists if the deal with Trump would involve the NHS, and at first she declined to rule it out. Then, 4 days ago, she said 'the NHS is not for sale and never will be' - which sounds encouraging, but it could come down to a weasel words argument where she offers parts of the NHS (ie certain services) for sale but not the NHS as a whole. Recently various parts of the NHS has been sold off to companies such as Virgin, so you could argue that 'the NHS is not for sale', is not strictly true even right now.

[LindaC in reply to Mazzahk]

Sadly, 'they' will use anything... always would, but now!

[Hidden]

The NHS does not need saving, it needs REFORMING. It is very evident from my experiences of it that there are many dedicated, experienced medical professionals in the NHS but they are desperately short of leadership. This petition simply identifies one additional way in which events could worsen and begs the Government not to meddle with it. The petition will certainly do no harm but we need fundamental improvements to be made to the NHS as it is pretty obvious to all of us that the entire NHS is a shambles.

[Hidden]

Legislate that visitors to the UK have health insurance. Why should taxpayers be funding overseas visitors giving birth to quads/quadruple bypass surgery etc etc whilst we're having to pay for private doctors and pay for our own meds.

petition.parliament.uk/peti...

[mountaincat in reply to Hidden]

Although I understand the anger at certain misuses of the NHS, health tourism's costs to the NHS are quite tiny when you look at the big picture (approx. 0.5% of total annual spend). If there are sensible ways to curb misuse that don't endanger patients, then I wouldn't necessarily be against them, but this isn't the big issue, and the savings wouldn't even come close to the money needed to stop the deterioration of services. the main threats to the NHS are govt underfunding, chunks being sold off (this is already happening), the costs of PFI (I've seen this quoted as costing £22bn a year), and the potential for overseas companies to be given special deals involving NHS services (this is why so many were against TTIP). When TTIP was on the cards, many were worried that it gave US companies the right to sue the NHS for not opening services up to tender - TTIP is done with now, hopefully no similar deals will be struck - tis is what the petition is about.

[Hidden in reply to mountaincat]

mountaincat it's theft pure and simple, how much it equates to doesn't come into it.

It's been mismanaged by many for far too long and personally I've gone past the stage of caring about it. Sorry!

[mountaincat in reply to Hidden]

I care about it because I rely on it myself, as do my extended family. The majority of the UK rely on it as well, and I'd hate for us to change to a US style system where profit making insurance companies decide whether you are or are not covered for treatments, and where you will be invoiced after treatment (something that must make having a serious condition so much worse), and where people forego training, education and other opportunities in order to care full-time for sick parents or other family members because they can't afford treatments or social care costs. I know what you mean about being tired of hearing about the NHS problems though - it is used as a political football.

[lucylocks]

Signed.

[LindaC]

Thank you - missed that one! Were I religious, I'd say 'Lord Save Us'... I'm not so, FFS will have to do. Some of us do not get much approximating health care in any event...

[mauschen]

The petition will now be debated on Monday 23 April at 4.30pm.

You'll be able to watch the debate online at parliamentlive.tv