A CAMPAIGN group set up on Merseyside to keep the NHS out of private hands has called an emergency public meeting following the announcement that the city region is to be ruled by an elected metro mayor.
Defend Our NHS, which has almost 1,700 Facebook followers, fears the Liverpool area could yet follow Manchester and be handed control of its health and social services budget.
Rather than that being a good thing, the fear is that budgets for health and social care will still be retained by the Government, but services will be run locally. If budgets are squeezed, services will suffer and the blame will be placed on local rulers.
How many people in Wirral, visiting their family doctor, are aware of Richard Branson’s involvement?
The group is also flagging up the lack of scrutiny and public engagement in how our NHS is run and funded.
Organiser and former college lecturer Kevin Donovan told Liverpool Confidential: “Manchester is already being given control of its health and social care budget and the same could still happen in Merseyside. Unfortunately there seems to be such an element of secrecy and we don’t know what is going to happen.
“We already have clinical commissioning groups where public involvement has been minimal. Devolution is happening and people are just being kept in the dark. We already have Richard Branson’s Virgin group in partnership with 20 GP practices and NHS health services in Wirral. How many people in Wirral visiting their family doctor are aware of Branson’s involvement?”
The campaign group, which describes itself as non political, was formed several years ago by local people fearing the NHS was facing privatisation under the Health and Social Care Bill.
One of its early supporters was Margaret Greenwood who earlier this year replaced Esther McVey as MP for Wirral West.
The meeting is to take place in Liverpool city centre on Thursday, December 17 at a venue to be announced later.
In a message to followers, organisers of the meeting warn: “This could be our last Christmas with a national health service. And it’s getting worse.
“We’ve all read about DevoManc – and now DevoMersey. ‘Devolved’ powers and budgets (including health) for local councils. Surely that’s a good thing? Aren’t all our North West councils in favour? We say ‘devo’ is short for DevoDeception. And we fear it will end in DevoDevastation – including for the NHS.”
Another leading light in Defend our NHS is Celia Kelly who said: “I was at the meeting called by the Labour Party at the Devonshire House Hotel last night and questions were asked about what level of scrutiny there would be over a directly elected city region mayor, the responses were unsatisfactory.
“We started with a small group of people concerned about the NHS and as it dawned on people what is happening to our health service we have grown. We are united only in our passion to preserve and save our NHS. Even if the health budget is not devolved to Merseyside now our fear is it will form part of tranche 2 of the deal.”
