Oppose NHS cuts & £billion black-hole, says NHS campaign to Labour ahead of day of action
Campaign group Keep Our NHS Public Greater Manchester has a message for Labour in the city region – when other Labour councils are opposing the Tory-driven NHS cuts, why won’t you? On Saturday a national day of action against the “Sustainability & Transformation Plans” is taking place, with campaigners in Manchester city centre 11am-12.30 on Market Street.
The STPs have been renamed “Slash Trash & Privatise” by their opponents because that is the real effect of these plans on the NHS. Increasing numbers of Labour-led local authorities are coming out against the STPs, and refusing to sign up to them – the latest being Liverpool city council on 1 December. Yet in Greater Manchester, Labour councils are pressing ahead with the STP despite a £1billion black hole in its funding.
Spokesperson Hugh Caffrey said:
If Labour elsewhere can oppose the Tories’ Slash Trash & Privatise scheme, why won’t Labour councils in Greater Manchester? They estimate there’s a £1billion-plus black hole in the funding for health and social care, and have no idea of how to fill most of that gap.
Rather than admit they were sold an under-funded pup by ex-chancellor Gideon Osborne, they’re pressing ahead with these plans, which pose a terrible threat to hospital beds, departments, services and staff right across Greater Manchester.
These plans should be abandoned, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority should demand the government cough up the shortfall in full, and a real consultation be held with the public and workforce about how to rebuild a fully funded, publicly-owned and run health and social care system.
We are calling on Labour’s prospective metro-mayoral candidate Andy Burnham to clearly condemn the Greater Manchester STP scheme and call for its abolition.
Keep our NHS public Greater Manchester 