Shrewsbury Labour is calling for the full restoration the National Health Service and reversal of the privatisation introduced by the Tory government.
Shrewsbury’s delegates to Labour conference will support a motion calling for the next Labour manifesto to include a promise to bring back our fully-funded, publicly provided, comprehensive NHS without user charges.
The motion follows the publication in August by the government of a system of local health contracts through which private providers would take over, replacing the NHS, without a debate in parliament.
Two days later they announced that dozens of NHS sites are to be sold off, 117 of which currently provide treatment for patients.
The motion (below) says the new measures mean a new Act of Parliament would be needed to restore the NHS, and the Labour manifesto must commit itself to doing this. The “contemporary motion” is allowed under the rules if it addresses changes made very recently.
“Labour must commit fully to ending privatisation in the NHS
Conference notes:
• The NHS Accountable Care System (ACS) contracts announced on 7 August impose a basis for 44+ local health services to replace England’s NHS. This has bypassed Parliamentary debate and due legislative process.
• On 9 August, the House of Commons Library revealed a doubling of the number of NHS sites being sold off. 117 of these currently provide clinical services. Like their US templates, ACSs will provide limited services on restricted budgets, replacing NHS hospitals with downskilled community units.The ACSs and asset sell-off are fruits of the 5 Year Forward View (5YFV) currently being implemented via the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs). The 5YFV meticulously reproduces global policy aims formulated by healthcare multinationals.
This Conference congratulates our Party for its manifesto commitment to restore our NHS by reversing privatisation and halting and reviewing STPs. It therefore calls on the party to oppose and reverse not only cuts but also 5YFV policy, which includes:
• creating ACSs
• replacing 7500 GP surgeries with 1500 “superhubs”.
• downskilling clinical staff.
• reclassifying NHS services as chargeable, means-tested “social care”.
• cementing the private sector role, e.g. as ACS “partners” and/or as combined health and social-care service providers.
This CLP recognises this process is too advanced for mere amendment of the 2012 Health & Social Care Act to be effective. It calls for our next manifesto to include existing Labour policy to restore our fully funded, comprehensive, universal, publicly-provided and owned NHS without user charges, as per the NHS (Reinstatement) Bill.”