Campaign group EveryDoctor is calling for MPs to step up to fix the NHS. The group has built a manifesto with the input of hundreds of doctors. This blueprint spells out a series of urgent actions the new government must now make to mend the UK’s ailing health services and stop NHS privatisation.
Already, the campaign group has engaged with over sixty MPs, but there’s still more work to do to get the rest – including the new Labour government – on board. So, it urgently needs help to get more to sign up for the next steps in its campaign.
EveryDoctor’s campaign to rebuild the NHS and fight privatisation
EveryDoctor is currently running its #RebuildTheNHS campaign calling on the new Labour government to take action to do just that.
First, the group sought out the views of as many doctors as possible to get their opinions on the most urgent priorities for the government to implement. It has culminated these into a powerful new manifesto to rebuild the NHS.
Crucially, the campaign rails against NHS privatisation – and presents the real problems – and solutions – that doctors are up against after fourteen years of Conservative governments destroying the NHS. Naturally, the campaign is also in response to the Labour government’s plans for the NHS. As the Canary has previously pointed out, so far it has been Tory privatisation 2.0. The latest sign of this trajectory is health secretary Wes Streeting officially welcoming Blair-era architect of NHS privatisation Alan Milburn into the fold at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Alongside its manifesto request for doctors, it has been calling on people to contact their MPs. Through its letter tool, over 3,000 members of the public sent off an email to their representatives in parliament. It asked politicians to turn up to EveryDoctor’s first parliamentary briefing on 10 October.
This was the first in a series of sessions it intends to hold to engage MPs over its manifesto. And thanks to those over 3,000 members of the public sending out these letters – as well as volunteers telephoning the offices of every single MP – 63 MPs have already engaged.
Cross-party support but where’s the Labour government?
It has garnered cross-party support – publicly, Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, and Plaid Cymru MPs have engaged. After the first session on 10 October, EveryDoctor founder and Canary columnist Dr Julia Grace Patterson announced the names of some of the MPs who’ve done so:
56 MPs are now engaging with our @EveryDoctorUK #RebuildTheNHS campaign. An astonishing start😮💙- here are some of their names! Please RT to encourage others to get involved! 💙💙 pic.twitter.com/fhE9Sl2QGs
— Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 (@JujuliaGrace) October 10, 2024
So far then, this includes:
- Labour: Simon Opher, Ian Lavery, Richard Baker, Matthew Pennycock, John Trickett
- Liberal Democrat: Steve Darling, Anna Sabine, Sarah Gibson, Angus MacDonald
- Conservative: Mike Wood
- Plaid Cymru: Ben Lake
- Independent: Ian Byrne
Obviously, many more have engaged with the campaign – but have yet to declare publicly or confirm their support. To date though, only one MP from the government – housing minister Matthew Pennycook has publicly confirmed his support for it. Notable absences then, include health secretary Streeting – or indeed any minister from the DHSC.
Tell your MP to turn up for the NHS
However, this is all just the beginning of EveryDoctor’s campaign. It has three more meetings planned.
At these, the campaign group will put forward the priority issues within its doctors’ manifesto for the NHS. It also intends to host NHS doctors to provide powerful testimony about the situation on the frontline.
Patterson and the EveryDoctor team have been thrilled to see the appetite for improving the NHS among MPs. She said that they’ve:
been blown away by their engagement in the campaign so far. We have a lot of work to do, but feel hopeful that we will achieve much-needed change together.
So, Patterson said that:
The NHS is in a state of absolute emergency, and our new government is not moving quickly enough to avert disaster this winter. We desperately need things to be safer for patients and more supportive for staff. EveryDoctor will do everything we can to assist MPs to create change to safeguard lives in the NHS.
Over 800 people have called on their MPs to attend these already – but EveryDoctor needs all hands on deck to get as many MPs as possible to come along to its vital sessions. You can send a letter to your MP here and tell them to turn up to rebuild the NHS.
Featured image via EveryDoctor
