The backlash over the imposition of devolution to the ten Greater Manchester local authorities, and Clinical Commissioning Groups, has taken another turn as the Greater Manchester Associations of Trade Union Councils (GMATUC) is now calling for people to "do their utmost...to slow down, hinder, obstruct and/or in any other way prevent the implementation of any devolution of central Government budgets and responsibilities, (and especially so in relation to the NHS), without the broadest possible public debate, and a referendum/clear political mandate to do so"...
At a meeting over the weekend GMATUC passed a resolution which noted "with alarm" the devolution of the entire £6bn NHS budget for Greater Manchester "without those proposals...being more fully examined, scrutinised, and debated by the public for whom it is supposed to serve, and by those involved in providing the service."
The resolution also noted that "As Trades Unionists, we can only suspect that the break up, dismemberment, rationalisation and further privatisation of the NHS in England (under the banner of `public service reform') is precisely what it's all about, and is being hurriedly imposed to avoid any such thorough examination, scrutiny and proper public debate of the issue."
As a result of its resolution, GMATUC is calling an NHS Emergency protest rally in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester on Sunday 29th March at 10:30am, which will also advocate an end to other devolution measures without `public debate, scrutiny and a Greater Manchester referendum on those proposals'.
Meanwhile, health campaign groups, medics and the media are also raising concerns about NHS devolution. Recently, the Health Service Journal reported a leaked draft of the Memorandum of Understanding for the NHS devolution suggesting that local Clinical Commissioning Groups and the ten Greater Manchester local councils should "lead the regulation of its provider community, with support from Monitor, the TDA and CQC". In other words, regulate themselves – an incredibly dangerous move in light of recent health exposes and cover ups.
The magazine noted that in the final agreement the wording had been changed to the more vague statement, that they will work towards Greater Manchester having a "clearly defined leadership role in the oversight of its provider community", in "close partnership" with the regulators.
Elsewhere, writing on the Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public website, former surgeon Anna Athow states that devolution is no less than the destruction of the NHS. She bases her assumptions on the `Five Year Forward View' (FYFW) produced by Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England and former President of global health at UnitedHealth, a large American private health corporation.
Athow explains that the `five year plan' is to "impose `new care models' (NCMs), inspired by the US health market. These would replace our current GP surgeries, District General Hospitals (DGHs) and tertiary care".
"The plan depends on a gigantic shift of clinical services out of DGHs and into large new out-of-hospital providers fashioned after American health maintenance organisations, such as Kaiser Permanente" she adds "The remaining hospital care would be divided between dumbed down smaller hospitals and networks of large specialised providers, often using 'prime contracting'. The closure of fully backed A&E departments would accelerate."
Also within the plan, she argues, is an "attack on the national terms and conditions of the NHS public sector workforce, the downgrading of its training, and drastic reduction in numbers employed."
Anna deduces that they will do this by having more patients per nurse, less skilled staff, privatisation, or `outsourcing', of services and a huge increase in volunteers.
"This plan is about destroying our NHS services and imposing NCMs, as attractive investments for multinational corporations, which are already circling like vultures to enter the healthcare market opened up by the Health and Social Care 2012" she concludes...
...And, to prove her point, quotes Part 4 of the official Memorandum of Understanding of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Devolution which states that Greater Manchester, including Salford, is to be a "trailblazer for the objectives set out in the five year forward view".
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"This entire thing is absolutely centrally directed by NHSE [National Health Service England], which will ensure the imposition of all the new market structures, applauded and facilitated by Osborne and Hunt" she writes "No consultation with the population. A disgraceful fait accompli before the election."
If true, Salford City Council and its Mayor, Ian Stewart, along with the leaders of the nine other Greater Manchester Councils will have a lot to answer for...
* The Public Protest about the NHS Devolution will be on Sunday 29th March
at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester 10:30am
* Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public and the Manchester Film Co-op also has a public meeting, discussion and film screening of Sell Off: The Abolition of Your NHS on Wednesday 8th April 6pm-9pm at the Anthony Burgess Foundation, Cambridge Street, Manchester M1 5BY.
Speakers will include Dr Bob Gill of the National Health Action Party and Lucy Reynolds, research fellow at the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, who feature in the film, and election candidates from the Labour Party, Green Party and TUSC (see film clips and more info - click here).
* For further details also see the Greater Manchester Referendum Campaign Facebook group - click here
• Any elected Greater Manchester Mayor will not have power over the £6billion devolved NHS budget, according to Manchester City Council Chief Executive Howard Bernstein. But the huge budget will be overseen by a health and social care chief executive.
* See also previous Salford Star article - NHS Devolution Silence from Salford Civic Leaders - click here
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