Your NHS in grave danger

26.05.11 - Len McCluskey, Unite the Union

The coalition government's NHS reforms are "unworkable", "destabilising" and "could destroy key services".

Those are the words of the Prime Minister's own health specialist. Yet despite the pause in the NHS reform Bill, our healthcare system is still in very real and mortal danger.

While David Cameron may profess his "love" for the NHS, his government's Health and Social Care Bill could be the death of the service. His own Chief of Policy, Oliver Letwin, reportedly observed that in five years' time the NHS will cease to exist.

We must come together to stop this. Make sure you and everyone you know understand what's at stake - watch this film now:

If we do not stand up for our NHS and fight this Bill now, this will happen:

1. Your GP will become an accountant, juggling budgets as well as your health needs.

2. The body meant to regulate the new regime, Monitor, will be compelled to put competition before your care. Private healthcare providers will cherry-pick the easy services looking to make a profit from your health needs. Hospitals will compete with one another and many will close.

3. The Government's historic duty to provide universal healthcare, free at the point of use, will go.

4. Senior doctors fear social insurance will inevitably follow as patients find they must pay more to get the care they need.

Don't be fooled into thinking the Lib Dems will somehow save the NHS. Their amendments will still leave the door wide open to privatisation.

Our short film tells you everything you need to know about the true consequences of the NHS Bill - watch, then share it with everyone you know.

http://nhs.unitetheunion.org/fight-for-nhs

At Unite, we know how important the NHS is, and we will never give up the fight to protect the NHS for everyone - but we need your help.

Time to save it is running out. Already waiting lists are spiralling and 50,000 frontline NHS jobs have been lost.

We firmly believe this Bill must be scrapped. The debate about how we safeguard the service for the future must be started from scratch.

Watch this video to find out the full scale of the threat to the NHS, then join our fight against the Bill.

http://nhs.unitetheunion.org/fight-for-nhs

The fight for our NHS is quite possibly the most important issue facing our country today. For sixty years the NHS has helped generations of working people raise their families without the fear that decent healthcare was beyond their means.

Unless we all fight for it, the NHS we pay for and rely on will disappear. Please, please play your part in saving it.

Yours sincerely

Len McCluskey

Unite General Secretary