Recent features and advertisements in the Gazette highlight substantial reorganisation taking place in our NHS, despite the fact there was no electoral mandate for any such change.

In fact, this was specifically ruled out in the Coalition Agreement.

The necessary legislation has not even been passed yet, and by the time it has gone through Parliament all the damage will have already been done. The Tory-led Government is determined to turn our NHS into a regulated market, based on the model used for the privatisation of water and telecommunications; although the high cost, high risk reorganisation is on a bigger scale.

This approach is vigorously opposed by prominent health bodies and by NHS clinicians, staff and management.

A gathering consensus supports evolutionary change,whereby the aims of the legislation, generally agreed across the parties, can be achieved without enormous risk and upheaval.

This would secure further improvements in outcomes and in productivity made possible by the major additional investment under the previous Government. Sadly, this has been ruled out because it does not fit with the ideology of privatisation and genuine markets. It will soon be too late to defend our NHS.

Once the proposals to bring the market into the heart of our NHS come into effect, it can never be reversed.

Write to your MP before it is too late – like the forests, our NHS is not for sale.

Tina Dopson
Deputy leader of Labour
Group
Colchester Council
St Peter’s Street
Colchester