Sunday, November 25, 2012

Lewisham Hospital Rally - Save Our A&E 24th November 2012

Saturday, October 27, 2012

COHSE & The Miners

The recent revelation that Police colluded to ensure the prosecution and jailing of miners during the 1984-85 miners strike, comes as no surprise to those active at the time.

The only surprise is that it has been revealed in our lifetime, a fact only due to the tireless efforts of the Hillsborough campaign for justice, which highlighted the establishments successful attempts to hide the truth of what really happened to 96 innocent Liverpool supporters killed at Hillsborough on 15th April 1989

Not only were the 96 football fans who died, defamed but the Tories and their establishment friends attempted to vilify the whole City of Liverpool, that rallied to support the families.

The Hillsborough Inquiry, highlighted establishment collusion and police collusion at the highest levels and it soon became evident that the same tactics used to marginalise the Hillsborough families, had also been used extensively during the miners strike.

During the Miners strike 11,291 people were arrested, of whom 8,392 were charged, we now know many of those charged were totally innocent.

COHSE activists at the time feared that the sequestration and imprisoning of miners was simply an attempt by the establishment to smash a democratic and free trade union in Britain.

COHSE had always had a strong bond of friendship towards the miners and a "debt of gratitude" had grown over many years, not least because the miners had often taken action in support of nurses and NHS staffs pay and they campaigner alongside us to defend hospitals from closure.

So it was that a "middle of the road" union like COHSE would play a critical role in ensuring, that to the surprise of Neil Kinnock and Labour Party apparatchiks a resolution at the October 1985 Labour Party conference was carried calling for a future Labour Government to investigate the jailing of miners and a full scale amnesty.

The Labour Party leadership were sure of victory so it was to their great shock to find that the decisive vote in favour was cast by COHSE.

To COHSE's great pride and the Labour Party leadership's shock.

Of course the Blair government did nothing about the Amnesty or for that matter Hillsborough, but the truth has finally begun to appear and those of us who stated that the jailing were a simply political act have been vindicated.

Unfortunately many convicted and framed miners lost their pensions and employment, many died not knowing that their innocence would one day be revealed.

We salute those brave striking miners once again for their courage and fortitude against overwhelming forces.

Longworth Hospital Occupation 1981

COHSE members had always been at the forefront of the campaign to defend NHS services.

In early December 1980 a brave fight was waged by COHSE nurses and NHS staff to keep open a rural 50 beded care of the elderly hospital called Longworth in Oxfordshire.

Faced with immediate closure of 13 beds on the top floor of the hospital, staff knew it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the hospital would be closed and the patients transferred to Whitney hospital eight miles away

So with held from Oxford Trades Union Council the hospital was occupied by the eighty nursing and support staff.

Assistant COHSE Steward Myra Bungay stated to the Health Service Journal

"We're fighting for the life of the hospital.........Most of the patients have been here a long time and Longworth is now home to them"

The refusal of Ambulancemen to remove patients from the hospital also strengthened the occupation.

Typically the Royal College of Nursing General secretary Catherine Hall condemned the action demanding that the "Management regain control of the hospital for the sake of nurses and patients" local Rcn Regional Officer Bill Reynolds said"The AHA have lost all control of the hospital" he also claimed a Rcn steward at the hospital had been transferred to another hospital "because the AHA cannot guarantee her safety"

However the courageous fight was to be a brief one, In early February (Tuesday 10th ?) 1981, in a surprise raid by management, the vulnerable patients were removed from the hospital by force and moved to the Churchill Hospital.

As was well documented many of the frail elderly patients now seriously disorientated did not survive many weeks after they were ripped from their homes and the staff the knew (later know as the relocation effect

Police sealed off roads around the hospital to prevent supporters defending the hospital.

The Area Health authority claimed it had raided the hospital because COHSE nurses refused to call off the work-in

Ernie Brook COHSE Regional Officer stated " The Area Health Authority gave verbal assurances it would retain the beds for the next three or four years, when I went to receive its written assurance of the agreement, this sticking point was not included"

"Our COHSE members had fought bravely to defend patient care and the hospital'

Longworth Hospital closed soon after the occupation.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Olympics 2012 - We Love OUR NHS

Thanks to Nurse Kate and Danny Boyle of course !

Olympic NHS Nurses Tweet Pics - Liberal Conspiracy

NHS Nurses Pic - Liberal Conspiracy
Sunny Hundal

You saw the NHS nurses at the Olympics ceremony last night… but what happened afterwards? Horse McDonald @horsemusic

They returned home of course, many of them decked out in their brilliant costumes. Some went out drinking afterwards.

Naturally, Twitter was ablaze with their pictures. Here is a selection.

(pics via various sources, including NYT)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Sean Geraghty 1936-2012 - NHS Workers Debt of Honour

Sean Geraghty (1936-2012)

Fleet Street Electricians Leader

NHS Solidarity 1982

Rodney Bickerstaffe, In 1982 General Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees remembered how much his support for the NHS pay Campaign in 1982 meant.

"He (Sean) was always ready to help everyone," Bickerstaffe said. "Solidarity was a key part of his make-up. It wasn't only just the nurses, but also other health workers who knew that he would always be there whatever the cost. Everyone knew that he wasn't in it for himself but that he was there to support others, especially those who were most vulnerable. There was terrific respect for him throughout the movement."

Fleet Street Solidarity Strike 1982

Full COHSE support for Sean Geraghty

Full Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE The health care union)) backing has been pledged to electricians' leader Sean Geraghty who faces a fine and heavy legal costs after his members held up the Fleet Street printing presses on 11^th August 1982 in support of the NHS pay campaign during the 9-13th protest week of action.

Sean Geraghty, secretary of the London Press Branch of the Electricians Union (ETU), was fined £350 for contempt of court and ordered to pay court costs after his 1,300 members disobeyed an injunction obtained by the Newspaper Publishers' Association (NPA) to stop the threatened twenty-four hour strike on 11 August. 1982.

COHSE has offered to pay the fine and contribute towards the costs, expected to be a massive £10,000, incurred after a court appearance lasting only a few minutes.

The NPA brought the case against Mr Sean Geraghty for breaching the injunction. Under the 1980 Employment Act, the courts could have sent him to jail and he still faces prison if he fails to pay the fine by October. The electricians' branch has yet to decide whether the fine should be met.

Hundreds of NHS workers marched from St Bartholomew's Hospital in London to the High Court in New Fetter Lane on 13 August 1982, the day of the hearing.COHSE members from Regions 5, 6, and 8 were well represented both outside the court and at the Department of Health & Social Security’s London headquarters at the Elephant and Castle, where demonstrators joined the vigil organised by London health staff for the week long protest.

Although COHSE initially expressed concern that the Fleet Street action would distract publicity from the health staffs' case, COHSE General Secretary Albert Spanswick described the electricians' stoppaqe as a wonderful gesture of solidarity' and warned at serious action' would result if Mr Geraghty was imprisoned

Photo

Sean Geraghty addressing supporters outside the New Fetter Lane High Court;

NOTE:
The threat under new anti trade union laws to jail Sean Geraghty, led to a surge of support for the campaign. Unquestionably, had he been jailed, the industrial action in response would have significant from the unions.

The diminutive, softly spoken, 46 year old Dubliner. Sean Geraghty, who worked at the Daily Mirror became a household name, celebrity and working class hero overnight.

However, the Tories anti trade union Law had been especially drafted to ensure that their could be no Martyrs, for the movement to organise around.

The right wing Electricians Union were also not happy with this act of solidarity and tried to break up the branch ad discipline Geraghty.

It has to be said that the COHSE leadership unlike NUPE had to be pushed into support for Sean and the strike fearing a right wing backlash and a TUC keen to remain in dialogue with a Conservative government it did not understand.

Thursday, July 05, 2012

NHS Direct staff stage "Work-In" at Nottingham to defend Patiet Care

East Midlands NHS Direct staff have been joined by colleagues in Cornwall as they stage a "work-in" to expose problems with the replacement 111 service being rolled out from August.

Nursing and Health advisors providing NHS Direct helpline services to Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire are reporting for work in their own time to take calls to highlight the valuable work they do and ensure that patients get the best possible quality of service on the NHS's 64th birthday.

Staff are deeply concerned about the affect the change will have on patients and on health services. The new 111 service has far fewer nurses taking calls - 75% of calls to NHS Direct are currently taken by a nurse, under the new 111 service only 17% will be. NHS Direct has two qualified nurses to every health advisor – NHS 111, has six health advisors for every nurse.

The 111 service will not clinically assess patients, or give them access to emergency dental or contraceptive advice. People suffering mental health problems from patients engaged in self harm or depression will not longer be able to get the help they need by calling NHS Direct. This will lead to more patients being sent to A&E, GP surgeries and more ambulance 999 call outs, and could see longer waiting times as these health services are pushed to breaking point.

UNISON has also repeatedly requested that the Department of Health publish the findings of a report undertaken by Sheffield University into the new NHS 111 service which we believe highlights the likely impact on A&E and GP Services.

Sandra Maxwell, UNISON NHS Direct Nursing Convenor, said: “UNISON nurses and health advisors will be taking action on 5th July 2012 (NHS Day) - the 64th anniversary of the founding of the NHS - to urge the Department of Health to stop rolling out the 111 service until it has been fully evaluated. It must also come clean and publish its evaluation of the NHS 111 service.

“Those living in rural areas seeking advice on injuries they have had or their child’s illness, will have little option but to travel long distances to attend A&E, when advice previously given by a qualified NHS Direct nurse may have resolved the issue.”

Michael Walker UNISON National Officer, said: “UNISON has repeatedly called on the Department of Health to publish the Sheffield University evaluation into the NHS 111 pilot services and to undertake formal public consultation on the closure of NHS Direct, with the public, GP's and health professionals. Despite a legal requirement, this has not happened to date.

“UNISON is particularly concerned that the new 111 service has fewer nurses available to take calls and therefore unqualified staff will be unable to carry out vital “clinical assessments”. This will inevitably lead to a huge increase in people turning up to A&E departments, to ambulance call outs and more patients being referred to GP surgeries.

UNISON estimates that 50 extra patients a day could present themselves to A&E departments and 1,000 extra ambulance call outs (costing £800 a time).

As staff in Truro took the same action in soludarity, Michelle Goodman UNISON Nursing Rep at Truro said: "We feel passionately that as nurses we need to let the public know what is happening at NHS Direct and in particular the loss in access of emergency nursing advice under the new NHS 111 signposting service"

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

NHS 1948 - 2012 Killed by The Coalition (LibDem Disgrace)

Liberal Democratic Ministers in the Tory led Coalition "banged the table" during Tuesdays Ministerial meeting to show approval at the passing of the NHS & Social Care Bill.

The Bill is opposed by the majority of NHS nursing & medical professionals, health unions, patients groups and the public. Despite the massive opposition to the Bill the Tories have pushed through radical reform of the NHS which will see wholesale privatisation of sections of it, all with the support of the Liberal Democrats who once championed support for the NHS.

The truth is without Liberal Democratic support this attack on the NHS would not have succeeded, it is doubtful that a Conservative majority Government could have got this Bill through but the Liberal Democrats have acted as a useful shield to the Tories privatisation anti NHS agenda. As for Shirley Williams she has shown herself willing to sell her deepest convictions to remain loyal to a failed Government and Party, every report of Shirley Williams life will refer to her total miscalculation and blinkered response to the NHS & Social Care Act, unlike her "Gang of Four" colleague Dr David Owen, who has been impeccable in his opposition to the attacks on the NHS.

As with the the Poll Tax, opposition to the NHS & Social Care Act will if anything intensify, patients every day experience will show how dogma and not ethics have driven through this Bill. We will win if we remain committed and focused in exposing the many failings of this Act.

Keep up the pressure.

We Are Many
They Are Few

COHSE