Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
"45 out of Haringey's 60 GP surgeries threatened with closure"
This from the Stop Haringey Health Cuts Coalition:
Join the Protest/Lobby to Save Our Local Health Services
Wednesday 21st May, 2.30pm - Haringey Primary Care Trust Board Meeting
At St Ann’s Hospital (Unit 6), St Ann's Rd, N15
The Board, which meets in public, will be considering a new 10 year strategy for primary care which, if passed, will result in the gradual closure of most of our local doctors' surgeries - to be replaced by 5 'polyclinics' with a range of services. Many local chemists are also under threat, as is the future of St Ann's Hospital. Please come along if you value your neighbourhood- based health services!
The official proposals (released only late on Friday):
North Tottenham
Currently 16 local surgeries and Lordship Lane clinic. Proposed to be cut to 3 local surgeries (Northumberland Park, White Hart Lane and Broadwater Farm) and a Lordship Lane 'polyclinic' .
South Tottenham
Currently 15 local surgeries and The Laurels and Tynemouth Rd clinics. Proposed to be cut to 4 local surgeries (High Rd near Hackney, West Green, Noel Park South East and Harringay Green Lanes station) and the Laurels and Tynemouth Rd 'polyclinics' .
Central Haringey
Currently 14 local surgeries. Proposed to be cut to 2 local surgeries (Bounds Green and Wood Green) and a 'polyclinic' (no site identified yet).
West Haringey
Currently 15 local surgeries and Hornsey Central Hospital site. Proposed to be cut to 3 local surgeries (Muswell Hill, Highgate and Stroud Green) and a Hornsey Central 'polyclinic' .
A recent poll on this issue found that 95% of people wanted to keep their local GPs.
It should also be noted that the PCT is also proposing to increase privatisation of our services: eg 'The TPCT believes that ‘contestability’ (ie. competitive tendering of services against an agreed specification) is an important vehicle for securing best value and expect it to play an increasing part in how we seek to maximise health benefits from our commissioning spending future.'
An example is the threat of privatisation of CAMIDOC, the 'after hours' service run by GPs in 4 London boroughs (including Haringey), which has recently been 'put out to tender' against the wishes of our doctors.
These proposals are possibly the biggest and most controversial proposed changes ever made to our health services. Now is the time to speak out.
OPPOSING CUTS AND PRIVATISATION
Now is the time for all those who care about our health services to speak out against cuts and privatisation. Over the last 2 years in Haringey there has been public anger in response to the £15-20m cuts affecting our hospitals, clinics and surgeries, and services for family planning, mental health, and the elderly. Staff face cuts in jobs, de-skilling, and increased workloads. Many doctors and dentists are oversubscribed, and some are going private.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN
There have been many anti-cuts protests by residents and health workers - lobbies, rallies, petitions, a local march, public meetings, and tens of thousands of leaflets distributed. This is happening all over the country. As a result the cuts have become a public controversy, some services have been saved or relocated, and some cuts postponed.
The Stop Haringey Health Cuts Coalition are an alliance of local organisations determined to stop health cuts. We're calling on all concerned organisations to let their members and all Haringey's communities know the truth about what is going on. With your active support and involvement we can defend our health services.
SHHCC co-ordinating meeting
Monday 2nd June, 7pm
The Tollgate Pub (at the back), Turnpike Lane N15
Contact us for more details or to be kept informed. We welcome messages of support, affiliations and donations.
SHHCC: Union Office, St Ann’s Hospital, N15
SHHCC secretary: Dave Morris: info@haringeyreside nts.org tel 8211 0916
SHHCC chair: Keith Flett: keith.flett@ btinternet. com tel 07803 167266
Join the Protest/Lobby to Save Our Local Health Services
Wednesday 21st May, 2.30pm - Haringey Primary Care Trust Board Meeting
At St Ann’s Hospital (Unit 6), St Ann's Rd, N15
The Board, which meets in public, will be considering a new 10 year strategy for primary care which, if passed, will result in the gradual closure of most of our local doctors' surgeries - to be replaced by 5 'polyclinics' with a range of services. Many local chemists are also under threat, as is the future of St Ann's Hospital. Please come along if you value your neighbourhood- based health services!
The official proposals (released only late on Friday):
North Tottenham
Currently 16 local surgeries and Lordship Lane clinic. Proposed to be cut to 3 local surgeries (Northumberland Park, White Hart Lane and Broadwater Farm) and a Lordship Lane 'polyclinic' .
South Tottenham
Currently 15 local surgeries and The Laurels and Tynemouth Rd clinics. Proposed to be cut to 4 local surgeries (High Rd near Hackney, West Green, Noel Park South East and Harringay Green Lanes station) and the Laurels and Tynemouth Rd 'polyclinics' .
Central Haringey
Currently 14 local surgeries. Proposed to be cut to 2 local surgeries (Bounds Green and Wood Green) and a 'polyclinic' (no site identified yet).
West Haringey
Currently 15 local surgeries and Hornsey Central Hospital site. Proposed to be cut to 3 local surgeries (Muswell Hill, Highgate and Stroud Green) and a Hornsey Central 'polyclinic' .
A recent poll on this issue found that 95% of people wanted to keep their local GPs.
It should also be noted that the PCT is also proposing to increase privatisation of our services: eg 'The TPCT believes that ‘contestability’ (ie. competitive tendering of services against an agreed specification) is an important vehicle for securing best value and expect it to play an increasing part in how we seek to maximise health benefits from our commissioning spending future.'
An example is the threat of privatisation of CAMIDOC, the 'after hours' service run by GPs in 4 London boroughs (including Haringey), which has recently been 'put out to tender' against the wishes of our doctors.
These proposals are possibly the biggest and most controversial proposed changes ever made to our health services. Now is the time to speak out.
OPPOSING CUTS AND PRIVATISATION
Now is the time for all those who care about our health services to speak out against cuts and privatisation. Over the last 2 years in Haringey there has been public anger in response to the £15-20m cuts affecting our hospitals, clinics and surgeries, and services for family planning, mental health, and the elderly. Staff face cuts in jobs, de-skilling, and increased workloads. Many doctors and dentists are oversubscribed, and some are going private.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN
There have been many anti-cuts protests by residents and health workers - lobbies, rallies, petitions, a local march, public meetings, and tens of thousands of leaflets distributed. This is happening all over the country. As a result the cuts have become a public controversy, some services have been saved or relocated, and some cuts postponed.
The Stop Haringey Health Cuts Coalition are an alliance of local organisations determined to stop health cuts. We're calling on all concerned organisations to let their members and all Haringey's communities know the truth about what is going on. With your active support and involvement we can defend our health services.
SHHCC co-ordinating meeting
Monday 2nd June, 7pm
The Tollgate Pub (at the back), Turnpike Lane N15
Contact us for more details or to be kept informed. We welcome messages of support, affiliations and donations.
SHHCC: Union Office, St Ann’s Hospital, N15
SHHCC secretary: Dave Morris: info@haringeyreside nts.org tel 8211 0916
SHHCC chair: Keith Flett: keith.flett@ btinternet. com tel 07803 167266
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Van Howell on
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When I arrived in London in late 2000, after 50 years in North America, there were many unexpected things here that made really good sense — greenbelts, cozy old pubs, little post offices everywhere, doorstep milk deliveries in glass bottles (with cream on top), allotments, and above all a subsidized health care system based on neighbourhood surgeries and chemist shops. (Earlier that year, a lung infection required a 10-day hospital stay, and I was handed bills totaling about $60,000.) In the years I've been here, it seems New Labour has gone all-out to Americanize everything from foreign policy on down.
There is, however, one way in which America works better for its citizens. In the US, we have four or five levels of government in each location: towns and villages, counties, states, and finally the feds — and each of these has its own separate executive, legislative and judicial branches, along with an array of autonomous agencies and commissions (which often have their own ways of getting citizens' input). As a result, when policies are oppressive or objectionable, any grassroots campaign can always find some kind of Achilles' heel, or some weak link in the power-chain. It might be the one honest, dedicated civil servant in a County agency; it might be one Town Board member who is willing to defy the local Party boss to do the right thing. And once you find an opening, you can stick in a wedge, organise enough fellow citizens to apply some leverage, and — lo and behold! — things happen. Sometimes a huge, unstoppable juggernaut grinds to a halt as a result of just a few individuals figuring out what's going on and alerting their neighbours. Even the involvement of organised crime and the corporate media in government can be exposed and turned to the advantage of a grassroots campaign. A few well-aimed slingshots can bring down any Goliath, at least temporarily.
In this country, I have no idea how any citizens' movements can ever change policy decisions. The government's "consultations" with the public just add insult to injury. Is it possible to work with one or more political parties to defend these surgeries and chemists (not to mention post offices, etc.)? Labour is on the run these days; our new mayor might want to get on this bandwagon; if there are any Greens in Harringay (or Lib Dems we can trust, or dissident Labourites, or sensible Tories), are they willing and able to act (effectively) on this sort of thing?
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Amazing there was only one response to this! Maybe my overlong comment put everyone to sleep?
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