HAFSON is joining a nation-wide day of action where NHS supporters are rallying l
in their localities to support the NHS. Join us at LYRIC SQUARE, HAMMERSMITH, W6 on Saturday 26th Feb, from 11.30am. Leaflets, banners, posters (bring your own), musicians and speakers including Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter.
WE DEMAND
- APPROVE EMERGENCY FUNDING of £20 BILLION to save lives this winter
- INVEST IN A FULLY PUBLICLY OWNED NHS and guarantee free healthcare for future generations
- PAY STAFF PROPERLY: without fair pay, staffing shortages will cost lives
For more details of SOS NHS see: sosnhs.org
AN NHS EMERGENCY
We need to safeguard NHS services for patients and local people, boost staff morale and tackle the mental health crisis among health and care staff and the general public. Emergency funding must be secured now.
- There are more than 6 million people currently waiting for treatment – and this will rise for at least 2 more years!
- Many of our local hospitals are old, crumbling and in need of rebuilding or refurbishing.
- Mental health needs are not being met in a timely way and many people await beds, often far from home.
- We have a bed crisis. Despite a rising population, bed capacity has been cut by 44% in recent decades.
- We have a GP crisis – GP numbers are falling steadily, are going to get worse as more GPs near retirement and as demand for GP services grows.
- There is a staffing crisis across the NHS at every level with about 100,000 vacancies at present including a shortage of 40,000 nurses.
- Drastic cuts to local government funding have meant damaging cuts to social care, increasing discharge problems for hospitals and patients.
- During the pandemic we have seen billions of pounds diverted to the private sector – government cronies have wasted money on failed Track and Trace, protective equipment which didn’t protect anybody etc etc.
- Private hospitals were paid multiple millions a month to relieve pressures on the NHS – and failed to provide any services.
The Government’s Health and Social Care Bill will not tackle any of the fundamental needs of the NHS or of Social Care – and may divert even more money into the private sector.
To tackle this crisis we need emergency funding, planned long-term funding and proper pay to retain staff – and we need this now!