Dear All,
My name is Geraldine and like you I’m part of 38 Degrees. I live in Sheffield. This Friday, I am going to deliver a copy of the Save Our NHS petition to my local MP – Nick Clegg.
In the next few weeks, Nick Clegg has to decide whether or not to dig his heels in to block dangerous changes to the NHS. This is our chance to put pressure directly on him.
I want to show him that there are hundreds of thousands of people standing behind me, urging him to stand up for the NHS. Can you help by adding your name to the petition now?
You can add your name here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-nhs
Like for so many of us, the NHS is very important to me. I have a type of epilepsy that means I could have a seizure at any moment. Thanks to the care and professionalism of NHS staff, I live an active and happy life.
On Friday I’m going to tell Nick Clegg my story, and explain that I’m scared because Andrew Lansley’s plans will destroy the NHS. We never know when we might get ill. But we all know that countless families and lives depend on the NHS every day. We need to protect a health service that delivers the best healthcare to everyone, for free, whenever we need it.
So many doctors, nurses, and health charities are warning that Lansley’s NHS plan could mean the end of the NHS as we know it. Just this week GPs warned that Lansley’s plan would mean we’re “moving headlong” towards a more US-style health system based on “an insurance-type model”.
I’ll tell Nick Clegg it’s time to listen to these real experts and stop Andrew Lansley rushing through these massive, untested, changes.
My local printers will print all our comments and signatures at Friday lunchtime. Then on Friday afternoon we’ll present the massive petition. Please add your name in time: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-nhs
I know that if enough of us work together, we can stop these dangerous NHS plans. In the last few months we stopped government plans to sell off our forests. We persuaded them to sign up to Europe-wide plans to tackle human trafficking. And we stopped the country’s first US-style mega-dairy being built in Lincolnshire.
An amazing 300,000 of us have signed the Save our NHS petition so far. This is our chance to send Nick Clegg a clear message and push him to stand up for the NHS.
If enough of us join in, I know we can protect the NHS for future generations.
Please add your signature, and your voice today. Sign the petition at: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-nhs
Thank you,
Geraldine O’Connor, 38 Degrees member
Here are some good articles about the NHS plans:
A list of some of the groups who are worried about the NHS plans: http://38degrees.org.uk/pages/save-our-nhs-who-is-worried
Guardian: NHS to lose 50,000 jobs, including doctors and nurses http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/23/nhs-to-lose-50000-jobs
Guardian: NHS reform is a ‘slash-and-burn approach’, says doctors’ unionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/oct/01/nhs-reform-slash-burn-bma
BBC: Health unions query speed of government NHS reforms http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11463625
Guardian: Health chiefs issue stark warning over damaging effect of NHS reformshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/15/nhs-confederation-attacks-reform-plans
The Mirror: Warning over ‘damaging’ NHS reforms http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2010/10/01/warning-over-damaging-nhs-reforms-115875-22599689/
BBC: NHS job cuts could endanger lives, says nurses’ leader http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12080056
Sky News: Lib Dem Revolt Over NHS Cuts Govt Majority http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Lib-Dems-Labour-Challenges-Liberal-Democrats-To-Speak-Oout-Against-Tory-Led-NHS-Reforms/Article/201002215988051?
BBC: Government fights off Labour challenge to NHS plans http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13329031
