Have your say on NHS shake-up
8:51am Friday 18th January 2013 in News
A PUBLIC meeting has been organised so people can have their say on controversial plans to restructure health care across Greater Manchester.
The Healthier Together proposals have led to fears among unions that up to seven accident and emergency departments in the region, including Bolton’s A&E, could close, although bosses behind the scheme insist no decisions have been taken.
People will be able to learn more about the plans at the meeting between 6pm and 8pm on Thursday at the Albert Halls.
Dr Raj Patel, a GP and medical director at NHS Greater Manchester, which is leading the programme on behalf of the 12 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), including Bolton, said: “Heal- thier Together is in its early stages, and no decisions have been made about what the changes might involve. We have already started the conversation with NHS staff, pat- ients and the public and these events will give people another chance to hear firsthand about our vision for Greater Manchester to provide the best health and care in the country, and to tell us what they think best care looks like. We want to give as many people as possible the chance to shape the way that health services are offered to future generations, and we are committed to working alongside local people and staff to ensure the NHS in Greater Manchester can provide safe, high quality services.”
Meetings have taken place across Greater Manchester. Last month, more then 250 people took part in a rally in protest at the plans and job cuts at the Royal Bolton Hospital. To book a place visit healthier togethergm.nhs.uk email healthiertogeth er@manchester.nhs.uk or call 0161 920 9684.
n See The Bolton News tomorrow when we take a look at the Healthier Together issues.
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Comments (3)
9:22am Fri 18 Jan 13
oftbewildered2 says...
2:31pm Fri 18 Jan 13
Hulton Park says...
It is barely five years since the NHS realised that GM was meaningless as a strategic planning area, and scrapped it. Now it's back. Why? Because it feeds the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's idea of a "Health Commission" - another job-for-the-boys for seconded local councillors.
7:50pm Sat 19 Jan 13
Puffin-Billy says...
You can kiss goodbye to the NHS, and say hello to private health companies and private health insurance, and here's why.
As of May 2012 over 200 parliamentarians had financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare at the time of the Health and Social Care bill being debated and voted on in both houses.
1 in 6 Labour Peers and 1 in 6 Crossbench Peers have financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare.
79% of MPs who have links to companies involved in private healthcare are Conservative.
333 donations from private healthcare sources totalling £8.3 million have been gifted to the Conservative Party.
Two companies, part of a venture capital group in the private health sector, have donated a total of £970,000 to the Liberal Democrats since 2004.
Last but not least are the 23 organisations which make up the NHS Partners Network, which was formed in 2005, to provide a voice for private health companies, seven of which have financial connections to MPs, Lords or former MPs.
Monitor, who appointed David Wakefield as NHS Trust chairman at Bolton, claim that their role is ‘...the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts.’ I would argue that Monitor is far from being independent.
An internal memo written by NHS Partnership Network director, David Worskett reveals that both he and Monitor chief, David Bennett met during the Health bill 'pause' under the auspices of the free market think tank, Reform.
I think it is more than a coincidence that David Bennett was a former senior partner at a company who were the architects of the £20bn so-called ‘savings’ that are now decimating our NHS.
I believe that our NHS defines and marks Britain out as a caring and civilized nation; I also believe that nothing less than a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience is now capable of saving our NHS from the clutches of the above listed vested interests.