Saturday, January 21, 2012

Urgent - Lobby Your College

This website has been set up to allow doctors to lobby their Medical Royal Colleges about the Health and Social Care Bill currently in the House of Lords.
In only a few weeks time this Health Bill could become law. Your input is urgently needed.

The Bill
   - poses an enormous risk to the future of a viable equitable NHS.
   - allows the elected Secretary of State to abdicate his or her ultimate responsibility for the NHS.
   - allows local hospitals to earn up to 49% of their income from private patients meaning NHS patients will wait longer for their care.
   - will tranform a cost effective public service into a healthcare market.
   - has no democratic mandate. We were promised 'no top down re-organisation of the NHS' prior to the election yet we now see this enormously damaging NHS upheaval before us which is already proving a huge distraction to all NHS workers.

Continuing with the implementation of the Bill carries far more risk than stopping it now and withdrawing it.

The Bill is now opposed by the British Medical Association, the NHS Consultants Association, the Royal College of Nursing,  Royal College of Midwives, Unison and Unite.

The Bill has now received a damning report from the Health Select Committee

We now ask for the help of all doctors who are members of a Royal College to lobby your own College about the Health Bill, advise them that you are opposed to the Health Bill and ask them to speak out on your behalf.

We ask you to cut and paste the template email below and then click on the link for your own College which should allow you to send the email easily. Of course feel free to design your own email.

It would be helpful to know how many of you have contacted your College so please add your name to the 'comment' section below (or initials if you prefer to remain anonymous).
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Dear College President,

I am writing to you as a member of our College. I have major concerns over the Health Bill currently in the House of Lords and ask that you speak out and oppose this damaging policy.

The Bill lacks a democratic mandate and carries enormous threats to the structure and function of the NHS.  It threatens quality, training and standards, all of which fall within the remit of our College. The risks of continuing with this legislation are now felt to be greater than the risks of stopping it.

Our medical leaders need to lobby against the legislation. Please join the BMA, RCN and RCM in publicly opposing the Bill and calling for its withdrawal.

Yours sincerely,



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List of Royal Colleges and their email addresses you can click after you have copied and pasted


Royal College of Physicians         infocentre@rcplondon.ac.uk
Royal College of Surgeons           chiefexecutive@rcseng.ac.uk or president@rcseng.ac.uk
Royal College of GPs                  president@rcgp.org.uk
Royal College of Radiologists       president@rcr.ac.uk
Royal College of O&G                 president@rcog.org.uk
Royal College of Psychiatrists     reception@rcpsych.ac.uk
Royal College of Paediatrics        president@rcpch.ac.uk
Royal College of Pathologists      president@rcpath.org
Royal College of Anaesthetists    president@rcoa.ac.uk
Faculty of Public Health              president@fph.org.uk
College of Emergency Medicine  mc.prescem@gmail.com  - Mr Mike Clancy
Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Health President -   dhalfnight@fsrh.org 
Chair of Academy of Medical Royal Colleges - Professor Sir Neil Douglas
                                                neil.douglas@aomrc.org.uk 

19 comments:

  1. Please add your name or initials here if you contact your College. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Helen Ward, Professor of Public Health at Imperial College and Fellow of FPH and RCP. Have emailed both...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here is what I sent to RCGP President

    Dear RCGP President,

    I am writing to you as a member of our College. I have major concerns over the Health Bill currently in the House of Lords. I am pleased that Dr Gerada, as RCGP Chair, has been speaking out against this damaging policy. I also note the results of the recent survey of nearly 3000 GPs showing over 90% of them opposed to the bill, and wanting the RCGP to work with the other royal colleges to oppose the bill.

    I am writing to you now as part of a concerted campaign to get all the medical royal colleges to oppose the bill.

    As far as I am aware the RCGP does not have a position of opposition to the bill and I think it would be a good idea if such a position was adopted formally. This would help to stimulate the other royal colleges to follow suit. If all the colleges opposed it it would be very difficult for Lansley to say he has professinal support for the bill.

    The Bill lacks a democratic mandate and carries enormous threats to the structure and function of the NHS. It threatens quality, training and standards, all of which fall within the remit of our College. The risks of continuing with this legislation are now felt to be greater than the risks of stopping it.

    Our medical leaders need to lobby against the legislation. Please join the BMA, RCN and RCM in publicly opposing the Bill and calling for its withdrawal.

    Yours sincerely,

    Dr Louise Irvine
    RCGP member

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dr James Davies, Member of the Royal College of Physicians

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  5. I have written to FPH (Cc RCP and ARMC). FPH has an EGM next week (25/1) and I have urged a ballot of members, since this rapidly arranged, face to face meeting cannot democratically take into account FPH members' views. Martin White, Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University, Director of Fuse, UKCRC Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and Chair, UK Society of Social Medicine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for raising this point Martin. I am planning to attend the EGM but I know there many registrars who would like to go but can't attend because of work commitments.
      Asuka Leslie, Public Health Registrar, London

      Delete
  6. Have written to Sue Bailey at RCPsych

    Jane Roberts

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  7. I've written to Neil Douglas
    Jane Barrett knows my views already!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've contacted Dr Archie Prentice, President of the RCPath, and Professor Sir Neil Douglas.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have contacted Professor Lindsey Davies, President of the Faculty of Public Health. I added to the letter but it is rather long so thought not helpful to post here, but am very happy to share it with anybody who has yet to write and would find it helpful.
    Asuka Leslie, Public Health Registrar

    ReplyDelete
  10. Have emailed RCGP and RCP.

    Jessica Sibson
    GP Partner

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have written to the college of physicain and radiologists. Please circulate this to as many colleagues as possible.
    David Wilson, Oncologist

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have written to the College of Emergency Medicine.

    Ruth Suckling SpR EM

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  13. I've written to RCPsych - Sue Bailey.

    I'm a trainee but it is worth writing.

    I am livid about this bill. That the govt. has the nerve to claim it will 'reduce inequalities'?

    What a joke- how can removing govt. accountability and creating a competitive, fragmented, profit-driven service 'reduce inequalities'?!

    Do they think we are stupid?

    Patients (which is everyone in this country, including us) need to be protected from this venomously veiled propaganda they are putting out to sell this bill.

    Dr EA Ford (Greater Manchester West)

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  14. Hi

    I've written to the RCS(Eng) to call at EGM. See reply below - we need 31 signatures to trigger a meeting within 21 days.

    S

    Dear Mr Rice,

    Thank you for your email. Details of how members may trigger an EGM are contained in our Ordinances (paragraph 11.3), which are on the college website in the membership area : http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/membership/documents/rcs-ordinances.pdf

    Essentially, the motion to be debated needs to be articulated and supported by not less than 31 extant Fellows/Members. With regard to process, I will accept an email that details the motion, provided it is accompanied by the names and membership numbers of the 31 (or more) supporters, and their extant email addresses are included in the ‘cc’ line of the email addresses.

    On receipt of a motion so supported, the College will call an EGM to be held within 21 days.

    I hope this helps.

    Yours sincerely,

    Alan Bennett | Chief Executive
    The Royal College of Surgeons of England

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have written to Peter Nightingale at the Royal College of Anaesthetists,

    George Graham, Anaesthetist

    ReplyDelete