Keep Our NHS Public- protest against Virgin carve up of NHS

Richard Branson’s Virgin Group want to build and administer NHS health centres using sub-contracted GPs. Virgin will be quite prepared to offer “incentives” to GPs in order to break into what it sees as a potentially lucrative market where profit can be made.

Branson’s plans are a real threat to traditional GP surgeries. Other services ( laser eye surgery, physiotherapy, dentistry, podiatry) which people do have to pay for will be part of the building and this is how much of the profit is made. It seems GPs are promised 10% of these profits.

Oxfordshire Campaigners beat off plans over 2 years ago to privatise control over NHS spending in the area. Local people chose not to use the mobile cataract service provided by NETCARE, a private South African Company and Oxfordshire PCT have been forced into selling off the rest of the contact to other areas. Now VIRGIN are planning to provide a new GP surgery in the ‘M4 corridor’. Dr Ken Williamson retired GP and chairman of Oxfordshire KONP said ‘local people want to see tax payers money to be used to in order that their own local GP surgeries open more hours and provide more NHS services. They don’t want to see it funnelled into Richard Branson’s pockets.

Virgin are holding a meeting on Monday 17th March at St. Hugh’s College Oxford OX2.

Keep our NHS Public and Oxford and District Trades Council have called a demonstration.

Demonstration Monday 17th MarchMeet at 6.30pm St.Hugh’s College Canterbury Road Entrance OX2 6LE

Picket 6.30 -7.30pm

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with us at the Rose and Crown , North Parade from 7.30pm onwards

National conference for NHS campaigners

On 20th January in London there will be a national conference for NHS campaigners organised by Keep Our NHS Public and NHS Support Federation

Across the country local campaigns are starting up to protect local NHS services. The conference is an oportunity for NHS campaigners to come together to find ways to urgently intensify the pressure on the government to change its approach to the NHS.

Oxford Respect Chair and health campaigner John Lister (pictured above) will join other leading activists, including Tony Benn, Jacky Davis and Sally Ruane, to provide an overview on the political situation and discuss what we have learnt from the campaign so far, along with workshop sessions where campaigning ideas can be developed in smaller groups.

For more information see:
http://www.nhscampaign.org.uk/active_issues/campaigners_conference_20_jan_07.html

For more info on the local Keep Our NHS Public campaign see the link top right.