Campaigners, trade unionists, and local
residents are set to take to the streets in Huntingdon this Saturday 10th July to
protest against plans to franchise the management of Hinchingbrooke Hospital to
the private sector. Bidding for the franchise is currently underway with 3
private companies in the running after Cambridge University Hospitals Trust
pulled out citing “the huge cost, both in
time and money, of the bidding process”.
The three remaining companies are Circle
Health, Ramsay Health Care, and Serco (who run the notorious Yarls Wood
Detention Centre and the Docklands Light Railway). A report by Dr. John Lister,
commissioned by UNISON Eastern Region indicates that Hinchingbrooke Hospital is
being used as a guinea pig to pave the way for further privatisation of NHS
hospitals. The report quotes Mark Britnell of KPMG, who says that, “more than 20 organisations could follow Hinchingbrooke’s
lead in the next 12 months”.
The privatisation of the management of
Hinchingbrooke Hospital sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the NHS
and public services. As we have seen with the Con Dem “Bankers Budget”, the
public sector is under attack as they attempt to roll back the state and hand
over our schools and hospitals to the vultures of the private sector. The fight
for Hinchingbrooke Hospital could be a crucial battleground for the Tory plans
for the NHS.
Campaigners are calling for the Strategic
Health Authority and Department of Health to step in and halt the franchising
process. Steve Sweeney, Secretary of the Huntingdon and St. Neots Trades
Council, who have organised the demonstration, said:
“This
has proved to be an issue that residents feel strongly about. We have been
holding stalls and petitioning people who are angry at the prospect of the
privatisation of their local hospital. People have been queuing up to sign the
petition which calls for the Strategic Health Authority and Department of
Health to step in and stop this process. This really is a dangerous leap into
the unknown and Hinchingbrooke Hospital is being used as a testing ground for
further NHS privatisation. In many ways, this is a fight for the heart and soul
of the NHS. Since its inception in 1948, it has come under attack from
different governments and working people have fought to defend what was a real
advancement for the health of the nation. Working class people are having to
defend services from vicious attacks by the Con Dem government who want to
consign a whole generation to poverty while their friends in big business rake
in the profits”.
The demonstration is supported by UNISON
Eastern Region, Cambridgeshire Against the Cuts, Keep Our NHS Public, National
Shop Stewards Network and others. Speakers at the rally include Jerry Hicks,
candidate for the General Secretary of Unite. The demonstration will gather
from 12pm at Riverside Park, Huntingdon, leaving at 1pm for a march and rally.
