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Eastbourne campaigners fighting for your NHS
Campaigners fighting for your NHS were at the NHS SOS National Day of Action on Feb 26th. On this day at least 80 events took place in towns and cities across the UK including Eastbourne. These events were to raise the alarm about how the very survival of our NHS in now threatened. After 12 years of underfunding and the introduction of private healthcare companies to the NHS, lives are being lost unnecessarily
We wanted to provide people with information, and to listen to their concerns. We also ran a petition which was calling on Caroline Ansell to support three demands which we were making that day. These demands are the absolute minimum that must be done to help maintain adequate healthcare in the UK and keep people alive. They were:
- Emergency funding of £20bn to save lives this winter.
- Investment in a fully publicly owned NHS and a guarantee of free healthcare for future generations.
- Fair pay for all NHS staff as without fair pay staff shortages will cost lives
If you didn’t get a chance to sign our petition you can sign the national petition here calling for these three demands to be met.
The crisis affecting our NHS
The crisis in our NHS today is an abuse of human rights. Our right to healthcare is enshrined in the International Declaration of Human Rights. It is also inhumane. Many people spoke to me about how the NHS has let them or their families down. Rising waiting lists, reduced access to GPs, inadequate mental healthcare support and treatments no longer available on the NHS were all issues affecting Eastbourne residents. The suffering in our town alone is unacceptable for a country that pupports to be in the developed world and is the sixth richest nation.
Waiting lists nationally are over 6m now and locally East Sussex CCG, rated as 75th out of 97, has over 60,000 people waiting for treatnment (these figures are for Dec 2021). Sajid Javid has said he believes waiting lists will continue to grow for another two years before they come down. We cannot excuse these figures as being due to the pandemic because waiting lists stood at over 4m befre the pandemic started.
Please don’t excuse these failures
We must not start making excuses for this failing Government when its failures are costing lives. I am shocked to hear people say: “Boris is trying his best, its not easy being a prime minister during a pandemic”. He may be trying his best but his best is not good enough. Boris Johnson needs to hand over to somebody who can do the job. We must remember he is a prime minister, not a four year old, and many people’s lives depend on him getting it right.
Caroline Ansell – is the NHS really in her DNA?
Caroline Ansell has repeatedly talked about how the NHS ‘is in my DNA’. But she is supporting a party that has overseen a continous attack on healthcare in the UK since they took office with the Lib Dems in 2010. She is supporting a party that has led us into a situation where one in three children are living in poverty. And, one in six have a diagnosable mental health condition. Their handling of the pandemic has led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and has been described as misconduct in public office. I have repeatedy asked her how she believes the next big restructuring of the NHS will solve any of the crises that now beset the service. I have received numerous replies from her yet, she still hasn’t answered my question.
Heroes wear capes – NHS staff are professional, highly trained, concientious people who are at breaking point
As well as the lives of people who are sick in our community we must not forget the NHS staff. NHS staff sent me comments about their work life when I was writing a column for Eastbourne’s Bournefree Live. I found it overwhelming and deeply shocking. But, knew I could not use many of them as people would find them too horrific. Politicians are abusing their commitment to providing the best care possible. They feel overworked, stressed, undervalued and abused. This is despite all the clapping each Thursday evening on our doorsteps and the sentimental statements about NHS ‘heroes’. Our Government is allowing them to suffer inhumane working conditions. And we are letting them. NHS staff are dedicated to fighting for our lives, can we not do the same for theirs?
It’s down to us now to get Britain back on the right track
There are too few people in parliament who we can trust to respect all our human rights. Corruption and lies have become the norm in Westminster and so few of our MPs seem to care. Our very survival as a community now rests upon the actions of the people. It is no longer possible for us to trust that Westminster will work to help Britain return to prosperity and good health. The only way that will happen is if we make it happen.
They need our co-operation to run the country and our support to keep their jobs. The latter may be the more powerful motivator but it still gives us a means to influence Government policy. Our community needs to be brave. We need to acknowledge that people’s lives depend on us being able to make Westminster respect our right to healthcare. It is vital we stand up for what we believe in and make sure we believe in something. We need to reject hollow words and empty gestures. Not fall for them and give our vote to somebody skilled in how to get votes.
Believe in humanity
But most of all we need to believe in humanity. In the value of compassion, understanding and respect. Because those things are far the most important qualities we possess. And certainly not someting we should ignore. This country’s history has reached a critical point. If we take the right turning now, it will be hard work, but the rewards immeasurable. Will you stand with us in fighting for what is right?
