Campaign group vows to fight to keep NHS public
News from the Boston Standard, Lincolnshire: bostonstandard.co.uk, on Twitter @standardboston
A campaign group has been set up in Boston to try to stop any of the borough’s NHS services being transferred into private hands.
A collection of people have got together under the banner of national group ‘38 Degrees’ to raise fears about changes happening in 2013.
On April 1 new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) take over control of allocating funding for health services – part of the Government’s controversial Health and Social Care Act – and the 38 Degrees group wants it to write into its constitution that it will not privatise services in Boston.
They say the reforms leave the door open to private companies taking over some services.
Spokesman Cherry McCormack said: “People realise there was the act but don’t realise the impact of it.”
A spokesman for the Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust, which will be replaced by the CCG, said: “We are absolutely clear – there will be no privatisation of the NHS. The Health and Social Care Act underlines that the NHS will remain free for everyone and open to all on the basis of need, not on the ability to pay.”
The second 38 Degrees meeting takes place on Tuesday at 7pm at the Spirit of Endeavour pub. Anyone can attend.
Group spokesman Cherry McCormack outlined her fears for Boston if services are privatised:
“The more services are privatised the more disparate the service becomes and there is no consistency for patients – with one bit done by one company and one by another.
“Private companies are only here to make a profit.
“I think it would be even more of a postcode lottery of services with all the best ones in the most affluent areas.
“This is definitely already happening without people realising it.”
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Weather for Boston, Lincolnshire
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 35 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 14 C
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