Why we support the cross-party NHS bill

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/04/why-we-support-the-cross-party-nhs-bill

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NHS services and assets, including blood supplies, nurses, scanning and diagnostic services, ambulances, care homes, hospital beds and buildings – which the British public own – are being handed over to UK and foreign private companies. This is being done without a public mandate. Privatised services cost the NHS and taxpayer far more than when provided by our publicly owned and publicly run NHS. That is because public health systems don’t seek profits. They don’t need to pay dividends to shareholders. They don’t have the added costs of private sector loans. And they don’t have privatisation’s heavy and unnecessary marketising costs of contracts, billings and all the extra administration involved.

The huge commercial costs and chaos caused by the ongoing NHS fragmentation are the direct result of privatisation. This is endangering the quality and safety of our public healthcare. That is why we need the National Health Service bill.

The cross-party NHS bill to bring back the NHS in England as a national universal service and to get rid of the expensive, chaotic internal and external market is due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday 11 March. It is supported by thousands of individuals and by Labour, Green, SNP and Lib Dem MPs, including Caroline Lucas, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. We urge MPs to do everything they can to make sure the bill is debated, and to vote in favour of it so that it proceeds to the next stage.Joanna Adams Founder, 999 Call For The NHS campaign groupSarah Alhulail GP trainee and junior doctorJoan Bakewell Broadcaster and writerDr Melissa Baldwin CT2 Anaesthetics Julian Barnes AuthorHannah Basson Specialist podiatristGlen Baxter ArtistAlan Bennett AuthorNatalie Bennett Leader, Green party of England and WalesChristopher Birt Honorary clinical senior lecturerJan Birtwell Coastal West Sussex 38 Degrees NHS groupDr Kambiz Boomla GPWilliam Boyd Author Melvyn Bragg Author and broadcasterJean Brant University lecturer in public healthHilary Burgess Social workerDarcey Bussell Prima ballerinaDr Kailash Chand Ex-chair of Tameside and Glossop NHS trustAileen Clarke Professor of public health, Society for Social MedicineStephanie Clarke Registration Authority manager, NHSDr Jacky Davis BMA CouncilCara Delivingne Actor and modelPoppy Delivingne ModelJohn Drewery Benefit officerDr Youssef El-Gingihy GP, author of How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy StepsAndrea English Advanced nurse practitionerSir Richard Eyre Film, TV, theatre and opera directorPaul Evans Director, NHS Support Federation Emergency Peter Fisher President, Doctors for the NHSAndrea Franks Consultant dermatologistStephen Frears Film director Dr Patrick French Consultant physician Dr Clare Gerada GP, ex-chair Council of the Royal College of GPsDr Yannis Gourtsoyanis BMA junior doctors committee executiveRoger Graef TV/film producer and directorDr Sarah Hallett Co-chair, South Thames BMA junior doctors committeeDavid Lascelles Film and theatre producerKatie Hill NurseJulie Hotchkiss Consultant in public healthHugh Hudson Film directorDr Louise Irvine GP and chair of Save Lewisham Hospital campaignAnne Jeavons Clinical psychologistDr Coral Jones GPHelena Kennedy Barrister Keira Knightley ActorNic Lee Social workerDamian Lewis ActorDr John Lister Secretary, Keep Our NHS Public, director of healthKen Loach Film-makerMary Lyons Senior lecturer in public healthJohann Malawana Chair, BMA junior doctors committeeJohn McCarthy Writer and broadcasterDr David McCoy Public health doctor and academicHelen McCrory Actor Clare McIntyre Health visitor and research nurseSienna Miller ActorJonathan Miller Theatre and opera directorDr Kitty Mohan Junior doctorAdam Moliver PsychiatristCaroline Molloy Editor, OurNHS openDemocracyMarion Morris Head of health improvementDr Tony O’Sullivan Consultant paediatrician, co-chair, Keep Our National Health Public Lord David Owen Former health minister and neurologistDr Suzella Palmer Lecturer in applied social studiesDr Clive Peedell Leader, National Health Action PartyDr Tomasz Pierscionek Psychiatry trainee and junior doctorProfessor Allyson Pollock Professor of public health research and policy; co-author of the NHS billTricia Priestley TeacherAlexandra Pringle Group editor-in-chief, Bloomsbury PublishingProfessor Sue Richards Professor of public policyJonathan Pryce ActorJames Righton ActorPeter Roderick Barrister; co-author of the NHS billAnnie Rothenstein ArtistProfessor Wendy Savage President, Keep our NHS Public Alexei Sayle Writer and comedianDr Alex Scott-Samuel Joint chair, Politics of Health GroupCllr Sarah Sharp Chichester SouthMichael Sheen ActorMaureen Shepherd NHS managerDr Ron Singer President, Doctors in Unite (MPU)Tanya Smart Family therapistClive Stafford Smith International human rights lawyerHarry Leslie Smith Writer, Great Depression survivor and activistCam Stocks Medical student and Medsin alumniRick Stroud Author and film directorTom Sturridge ActorRaymond Tallis Emeritus professor of geriatric medicineStuart Tilbury NHS data managerDr Eric Watts Consultant haematologist and chair, Doctors for the NHSDr Jeeves Wijesuriya Junior doctor and GP traineeNigel Williams Novelist and playwrightNicholas Wright Playwright

And more than 250 others. See the full list at nhsbill2015.org

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