''NHS Together'' is a campaign alliance of the
health service unions in the United Kingdom and staff associations working with the
TUC, which opposes any form of commercial competition with or within the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
. It is made up of several unions, including
UNISON
Unison (stylised as UNISON) is a Great Britain, British trade union. Along with Unite the Union, Unite, Unison is one of the two largest trade unions in the United Kingdom, with over 1.2 million members who work predominantly in public servic ...
and the
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union and professional body for physician, doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA ...
.
About
''NHS Together'' is a group of organisations, largely health service trade unions, opposing any reforms which would involve
privatisation
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
or extension of private sector operation within the NHS. They claim that:
"We want to raise the alarm at what is happening to the NHS and to press the government for honest and open discussion about its reform agenda. The NHS has been getting better thanks to increased spending and the dedication and commitment of NHS workers to new ways of working. But progress is under threat:
* Health trust deficits are causing cuts in patient care and staff jobs
* NHS staff support reform that delivers better patient care, but that has been replaced by untested rapid changes with no staff involvement.
* The fragmentation of the NHS threatens the NHS values that bind it together."
Two main forms of protest that has been organised. One is a petition, calling upon the government to work closer with NHS staff and patients to improve the health service. A rally, entitled "I ♥ NHS" also took place on 3 November in London. About 7,000 people took part on the march, during which London Mayor
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English former politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was Local Government Act 1985, abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of Londo ...
gave a video message giving his support.
Supporters
Other than health service unions, support has been given from other unions such as the
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...
. There has also been support from celebrities including
Sir Geoff Hurst,
Sir Ranulph Fiennes,
Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is a British actress. She is known for both dramatic and comedic roles. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Black Books'', Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Green W ...
,
Arthur Smith and music band
Four Kornerz
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
Evolution of the Hi ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External links
NHS Together Homepage
Labour movement in the United Kingdom
Political campaigns in the United Kingdom
Health campaigns