Yesterday the New York Times published a full page letter from the CEO of Starbucks. It asked US politicians to stop wrecking the country through their bipartisan behaviour and to come together to sort out the country’s problems. It threatened withdrawal of commercial funding for political parties if this didn’t happen.
We need such an open letter from the leaders of our profession and we need it urgently. Tomorrow sees the third reading of Lansley’s odious Health Bill, which the majority of the profession wants scrapped. This weekend the news broke that the DoH is in negotiation with Helios, about the takeover of up to 20 NHS hospitals. Helios apparently turns around failing hospitals ‘largely by cutting staff or wage levels’.
In the papers, McKinsey warned the Department of Health not to bundle off all the hospitals to the private sector at once and instead start from a mindset of ‘one at a time’. The consultants told officials to be mindful of the ‘various political constraints’ associated with privatisation.
In other words, this is the road we’re going down but gently does it as we don’t want to frighten the horses.
So here we have it in black and white, on the eve of the Bill which will allow it to happen. Where is the protest from the profession? The BMA, mandated by its own council to run a campaign to have the Bill withdrawn, is confining itself to Twitter, which pretty much describes its behaviour thus far and is hardly a full blooded campaign.
We need a full page letter in the papers, stating unequivocally that the doctors of this country are not - as Cameron lied - on board with this legislation. That it will do irreversible damage to the NHS and our ability to care for our patients.
Unison and Unite are campaigning openly against the Bill and would surely join us as co-signatories. The RCGP, openly critical of the Bill, must be invited to sign.
This Bill is on its knees and could be dealt a death blow by such a public statement from health professionals. Come on chaps, what are you waiting for? If Starbucks can do it, so can we.