Students lobby Labour over plans for NHS

Over 100 campaigners gathered outside the Labour Party Conference in Manchester to lobby for a reversal of NHS cutbacks and privatisation.

They were also calling for Conservatives’ controversial Health and Social Care Act to be repealed if the Labour Party is elected.

Campaigners included students, trade unionists and activists from the ‘Save Trafford General Hospital’ campaign – a local hospital facing closure.

Sarah Webster, a PhD Sociology student said: “For students, the new Health and Social Care Act will likely limit access to free and important sexual and mental health facilities – like the Hathersage Road walk in clinic.’

Suzanna Dickson, a 3rd year Neuroscience student and member of the ‘Save Our NHS’ campaign said: “The NHS has always been the sole reason I’ve been proud to be British. Now that care services are being sold off to private companies, it means care will be poorer and waiting times longer.”

Mike Tippett, a medical lab assistant from St. James’ hospital in Leeds said: “We’re facing 700 job losses within our Trust. Our cytology department is having to compete with a private service, meaning the NHS service might be put out of business. If they get the contract it’ll be because they work faster, even though the actual quality of care is poorer.”

At a time of huge spending cuts it’s often the cheaper provider – rather than the higher quality provider – who gets the contract. The NHS Partners Network, (the representative for private NHS providers) claims that the Health and Social Care Act could lead “to a race to the bottom on price that would almost certainly threaten quality.”

Mike Tippet went on to say that in Leeds: “13 community mental health teams have been cut down to just three, which means less time for each patient and a potentially increased risk of suicide.”

Cat Gray, Wellbeing Officer at the Students’ Union said: “Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust admits to spending the lowest amount in the country on community services, but is cutting its spending by 20 percent. At least 1 in 4 students experience mental health problems, so these cuts will seriously impact student wellbeing.”

Andy Burnham, the Labour Shadow Secretary for Health, passed by the demo and reassured activists that “It is absolutely the position of the party to repeal the Health and Social Care Act.”