Press release
22 January 2015
SNP Back NHS Reinstatement Bill
In a move which confirms the need for the NHS Reinstatement Bill and affirms the aims of the bill’s Campaign, SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon has made plain her party’s determination to stop NHS privatisation in England as well as Scotland, and to form alliances with English parties and organisations who want to see the current dismantling of the NHS stopped.
There is growing political opposition to the effects of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 in England, which is leading to marketization and the withering away of NHS funded services. The SNP’s statement and Nicola Sturgeon’s comments on national media describe clearly how the SNP would vote to support any legislation which stopped marketization of the NHS in England as well as in Scotland.
In a press statement the SNP said:
“The SNP are indicating support for the Campaign for an NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015 being pursued in England by, among others, Professor Allyson Pollock, Professor of Public Health Research and Policy. It proposes to abolish competition and the purchaser-provider split, re-establish public bodies and public accountability, and restrict the role of commercial companies. The Campaign also states that their proposed Bill would reinstate the government’s legal duty to provide the NHS in England.”
In an interview for Channel 4 News Scotland’s First Minister said:
“I’m signalling today that if there are votes in the House of Commons after the general election that would propose halting the privatisation of the health service we’re seeing in England, that would propose restoring the health service as a fully public service, then SNP MPs would vote for that because that would help us protect our own budget in the future. It would also be part of our progressive alliance with others in England who also want to see a halt to NHS privatisation.
“The NHS Reinstatement Bill aims to restore the Secretary of State for Health’s duty to provide core NHS services throughout England, overturn the split between the health organisations providing care and those paying for it (the ‘purchaser-provider split’), and end the wasteful practice of compulsory tendering for services. The only way to stop the abolition of the NHS completely is to change the law.”
Professor Allyson Pollock worked with Peter Roderick, a lawyer, on the NHS Reinstatement Bill:
“The SNP have taken a crucial stand in defence of universal health care and against the destruction of our NHS in England. The Campaign for the NHS Reinstatement Bill is non-partisan, and we welcome support for the bill from all parties. The SNP’s comments have given us the clearest signal yet that this must happen to restore the NHS and prevent its wholesale destruction.”
[Ends]
Editor’s Note
The Campaign for the NHS Reinstatement Bill is a non-partisan campaign and has a wide range of support across the political spectrum. It encourages the public to contact prospective parliamentary candidates in their constituency, determine their views on the Reinstatement Bill, and gain their support for it wherever possible.
The Campaign’s press officer is Alan Taman
07870 757 309
healthjournos@gmail.com