Stop the Privatisation of our NHS - Lobby North Somerset PCT on 28th November

Next Wednesday could be an important day for the future of the NHS in Bristol, North Somerset and Gloucestershire. 38 Degrees members are getting together to meet the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust Cluster. This get-together will be a chance to lobby the NHS Cluster Group and hand in the local NHS petition to your Clinical Commissioning Group. Could you come along?

Meet at 9.30 am on Wednesday 28th November
Clevedon Hall
Victoria Road
Clevedon
BS21 7RQ

Please click here to join in or find out more:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/bristol-nhs-board-meeting

This campaign is about local 38 Degrees members coming together to stop local NHS services being broken up and privatised.

The government’s changes to the NHS have put responsibility for spending NHS money, and deciding what your local health service looks like, in the hands of groups run by local doctors. These groups are called "Clinical Commissioning Groups" (CCGs).

The CCGs will be under pressure to cut services and hand contracts to private health companies. But if we work together we can persuade them to instead adopt policies which protect our local NHS.

Groups of local 38 Degrees members are well placed to influence their local CCG. CCGs are required by law to pay some attention to local patients. And many doctors involved were opposed to Lansley's changes. They are likely now to be keen to hear ways they can protect services for their patients and block or slow down privatisation.

If we get in early, while CCGs are still being set up, we can get them to write safeguards into their constitutions. These safeguards will help rein in privatisation and protect the NHS.

38 Degrees funded lawyers have prepared watertight wording for CCGs to write into their constitutions. If local 38 Degrees members persuade their CCG to adopt this wording, then we should be able to block or slow down privatisation.

38 Degrees members will be attending the meeting to outline concerns about the consultation process regarding the changes proposed in the NHS locally and some clauses in the draft CCG Constitution