IoS letters: Medics launch national campaign

We believe that the Parliamentary passage of the Health and Social Care Bill has been an embarrassment to our democracy.

Experts in health policy and public, commercial and constitutional law have published evidence in leading peer reviewed medical journals explaining how the Health and Social Care Bill (despite the most recent amendments) will lead to the abolition of the NHS in England. The bill will facilitate the transition from a single payer tax funded system to a mixed funding system, with increasing privatisation of the provision and commissioning of healthcare in England. These drastic changes fundamentally undermine the founding principles of the NHS and have no democratic mandate from the electorate and were not part of the coalition agreement.

As healthcare professionals, we are appalled that the coalition Government has imposed many of the changes before the bill has even been enacted and then tried to use this as “evidence” that the professions support their reform. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Government has systematically failed to make the case for such radical change to the NHS, which has recently been shown to be one of the most cost effective and highly performing healthcare systems in the world, enjoying its highest ever public satisfaction rates. None of the major healthcare representative organisations and professional associations supports the reforms, and the majority of them would like to see the bill withdrawn. From the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to the British Geriatrics Society, healthcare professionals agree that the reforms will damage and fragment the NHS, widen healthcare inequalities, and worsen patient care in England.

Despite such widespread professional concern and opposition to this hopelessly complex, flawed and potentially dangerous legislation, the coalition government has repeatedly blocked the publication of the NHS risk register and continues to push ahead with the bill, which is likely to be granted Royal Assent on Tuesday 20th March. It is our view that coalition MPs and Peers have placed the political survival of the coalition Gmovernment above professional opinion, patient safety, and the will of the citizens of this country.

The leadership of the Liberal Democrats have ignored the democratic view of their spring conference and continue to support a bill, which betrays their proud heritage of Beveridge’s vision of the Welfare State and the NHS. They have colluded with their Conservative coalition partners and utilised all the political dark arts of obfuscation, deceit, and media manipulation to confuse and conceal the bill’s underlying objectives, in order to force the bill through. Liberal Democrat peers have even gone as far as voting against their own amendments.

We are shocked by the failure of the democratic process and the facilitating role played by the Liberal Democrats in the passage of this bill. We have therefore decided to form a coalition of healthcare professionals to take on coalition MPs at the next General election, on the non-party, independent ticket of defending the NHS and acting in the wider public interest.

Dr Clive Peedell, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Co-chair NHS Consultants’ Association

Professor John R Ashton CBE, Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Jacky Davis Co-chair NHS Consultants’ Association

Dr Richard T Taylor FRCP, Independent MP for Wyre Forest 2001-2010

Professor Paul Cullinan, Professor of Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London

Professor Alwyn Smith, Past President faculty of Public Health

Professor John O. Warner, President of Academic Paediatric Association (GBI), Professor and Head of Paediatrics, Imperial College, Director of research for the Women and Children’s Clinical Programme Group, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Professor Charles Warlow, Emeritus Professor of Medical Neurology, University of Edinburgh

Professor Derek Cook, Professor of Epidemiology, London

Professor Richard Thomson, professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle

Professor Martin White, Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University

Professor Bertie Squire, professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Professor Francesco Pezzella, Professor of Tumour Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

Professor Harry Keen CBE, President of NHS Support Federation

Professor James McEwen, Emeritus Professor in Public Health, University of Glasgow

Professor Paul Dieppe, Director of the Institute of Clinical Education, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Plymouth and Exeter

Professor Jennifer A Roberts, Emeritus Professor in Economics of Public Health, Health Services Research Unit, Department of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Professor Klim McPherson, PhD, Visiting Professor of Public Health Epidemiology, Nuffield Dept Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Emeritus Fellow of New College, University of Oxford

Professor Stuart Logan, Cerebra Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology, Director - Institute of Health Service Research, Director - NIHR PenCLAHRC, Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry, Peninsula Medical School

Professor David Hunter, Professor of Health Policy and Management at Durham University

Professor John Yates, Emeritus Professor of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Professorial Research Associate, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London

Professor William McGuire, Professor of Child Health, HYMS & CRD, University of York

Professor John Gabbay, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, University of Southampton

Prof Peter Whincup, Professor of Epidemiology, University of London

Professor Michel Coleman, Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics, Cancer Research UK Cancer Survival Group, Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, OBE, Joint Lead Global Health, Policy and Innovation Unit, Barts and the London

Professor Will Irving, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Virology, University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Dept Microbiology, University Hospital, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham

Professor Wendy Savage, Emeritus professor Obstetrics and Gynaecology, London, Chair KONP

Professor Robert Tattersall, Retired Professor of Clinical Diabetes at the University of Nottingham

Professor Chris Griffiths, Professor of primary care, Centre for primary care and public health, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London medical school

Professor Ann Louise Kinmonth CBE, Emeritus Professor of General Practice, University of Cambridge

Professor Allyson Pollock, Professor of Public Health Research and Policy, Queen Mary, University of London

Dr Jonathan Folb, Consultant Microbiologist, Liverpool

Dr John Boswell, retired Public Health Consultant, Scotland

Dr Christopher Birt, Consultant in Public Health, Senior Research fellow, University of Liverpool

Dr Maggie Ireland, Consultant Public Health Geneticist

Dr Jonathan Tomlinson, GP, The Lawson Practice, London

Dr Deborah Colvin, GP, The Lawson Practice, London

Dr Nicholas Hopkinson, Consultant Physician, London

Dr Corinne Camilleri-Ferrante, Consultant in Public Health Medicine

Mrs Wendy King, Macmillan Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, London

Dr Eleanor Hill, Public Health Specialist and Independent Health Development Consultant, Worsley

Dr Sian Williams, Consultant in Occupational Medicine, London

Dr Simon Lenton, Consultant Paediatrician, Bath

Dr Sarah Corlett, Consultant in Public Health, London

Dr Liz Anderson, SpR in genito-urinary medicine, Liverpool

Dr Steven Bick, Dorset

Dr Tony Waterston, retired Consultant Paediatrician, Newcastle

Dr Amy Ford, SpR , Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, Wirral

Dr Ruth Suckling, SpR Emergency Medicine

Dr Paul Goulden, Consultant Anaesthetist, Dewsbury

Dr Kailash Chand OBE, Stalybridge

Dr Lance Turtle, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow, University of Liverpool

Dr Georgina Deighton, GP, London

Dr Julian Hodges, GP, Programme Director, London

Dr Gerard Reissman, GP, Newcastle

Dr Bob Bury, Consultant Radiologist (retired), Leeds

Dr Emma Aarons, Consultant virologist, Surrey

Dr Richard Cunningham, Consultant Microbiologist, Plymouth

Dr Robert J Higgo, Merseyside

Dr Paul Hobday, GP, Maidstone

Dr Neil Todd, Clinical Microbiologist, North Yorkshire

Dr Fahim Tungekar, Consultant/Hon clinical senior lecturer, Histopathology, St Thomas’ Hospital

Dr Roz Dixon PhD, Clinical Psychology, London

Dr Eric Rose, retired GP, Buckinghamshire

Dr Kim Holt, Consultant Paediatrician and Chair Patients First

Dr Valeria Frighi, Clinical researcher, Psychiatry, Oxford

Dr Claire Davies, GP, City and Hackney PCT

Dr David Bostock, retired GP, Stockport

Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health, NHS, Blackpool

Dr Lynda Bobrow, retired consultant Histopatholgist, Addenbrookes, Cambridge

Dr Morris Bernadt, retired consultant psychiatrist

Dr E M Murphy, GP, Bristol

Dr David Drew, Retired Consultant Paediatrician, Sutton Coldfield

Dr Sheila Cheeroth OBE, GP Principal, Limehouse, Practice London

Dr Jonathan Fluxman ,GP, Harrow Road Health Centre, London

Mr T.J.Fallon, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Central Middlesex Hospital

Dr Jane Young, Consultant Radiologist, Whittington Hospital

Dr Alison Pritchard, Consultant in Public Health, Derbyshire

Dr Charles Clarke, FRCP London

Dr Sally Stewart, GP, Bradford

Dr Louise Irvine, GP, Amersham Vale Practice, London

Dr Abi Berger, Randolph Surgery, London

Dr David C Wilson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough

Dr David Bossano, General Practitioner, St Leonard's Practice, Exeter

Dr Clare Offer, Speciality Registrar in Public Health, York

Dr Stephanie Franz, GP, Bristol

Dr Kathy McAdam Freud, GP Principal, BLM2, Decima Street, SE1 4QX

Dr Mark Waters, GP Partner, Cantilupe Surgery, Hereford

Dr Rod Escombe MRCP MRCGP PhD, G.P. London

Dr Natasha Arnold FRCP, Consultant Geriatrician , Specialist interest in Intermediate care, Homerton University Hospital, Hackney E9 6SR

Dr John Walley, Leeds

Dr John Robson, General Practitioner, London N2 9NL

Dr Laura Lyttelton MRCGP

Dr. Hubertus von Blumenthal, GP, Gamlingay

Dr Jackie Applebee GP, London

Dr Sebastian Kraemer, Honorary Consultant Tavistock Clinic, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Whittington Hospital London

Dr Ingrid Wolfe, Child Public Health Research Fellow and Paediatrician , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Department of Health Services Research and Policy

Dr Natasha Gordon, GP, Leeds

Dr Alison Gill, St5 respiratory medicine, Leeds

Dr Patrick Zentler-Munro MA MD FRCP (Edin), Retired Consultant Physician, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness

Dr Pete Deveson, GP, Epsom

Dr David Porteous, GP, Fishponds Family Practice, Bristol

Dr Simon Atkins, GP, Bristol

Dr John Pike, Sessional GP, Bristol

Dr Benedict Michael, NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow, Brain Infections UK, Institute of Infection and Global Health, The University of Liverpool

Dr Marcus Beadle, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Calderdale & Huddersfield NHSFT

Dr Jennifer Mindell, clinical senior lecturer, UCL

Dr George Farrelly, GP partner, London

Dr. Helen Groom, GP, Gateshead

Dr Sally Johnston, GP, Hampshire

Dr Nick Mann, GP, Well St Surgery, London

Dr. Jenny Bywaters, Consultant in Public Health (retired), Sheffield

Dr Nigel Dickson, GP, Southampton

Dr Kathy Greenough, GP, Derwentside

Dr Naomi Startin, GP ST3, Lewisham

Dr Shahid M Dadabhoy, Family Practitioner and Educational Facilitator, Chingford

Dr Lucy Reynolds, Consultant Paediatrician, Glasgow

Dr Sylvia Chandler, GP, retired

Dr Viv Taylor, Bethnal Green Health Centre, London

Dr Emma Clow, StR6 Anaesthetics, Bristol

Dr Guru Singh, GP, Bridge Street Medical Practice, Loughborough

Mr Peter Worral, patient, Leicester

Dr Edward Clarke , GP, Vauxhall Primary Health Care, Liverpool

Dr Katherine Teale, Consultant anaesthetist, Manchester

Dr Zaib Davids, consultant psychiatrist

Dr Sahena Haque, Consultant Rheumatologist, ELHT

Dr Mirsada Smailbegovic, Consultant Community Paediatrician, Hackney ARK, London

Dr Joe Brierley, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London

Dr Dan Bernstein, GP, Camden, London

Dr Jasmin Khan-Singh, Associate specialist in SRH, Aneurin Bevan health Board, Cwmbran

Dr Iain Maclennan , Consultant in Public Health

Dr Paul Carter, Consultant Paediatrician (Community), Staffordshire

Dr Sean Hopson, Consultant Anaesthetist, Hawkesbury Upton, South Glos

Anya Gopfert, Policy and Advocacy Director, Medsin-UK

Dr Sunil Bhopal, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Dr Michael Quinn, Royal Exeter and Devon NHS Trust

Dr Anthony Macklon, Consultant Physician, County Durham

Dr Louise Tebboth, Salaried GP, Southwark

Dr Jacqueline Ferguson, retired consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Oxford

Dr Peter Baker, SHO in A&E at the Royal London Hospital

Mr Guppi Bola, Public health campaigner, Big Society NHS

Dr Alan Stanton, Consultant Community Paediatrician , Heart of England Foundation Trust

Mr Barry Fairbrother, retired consultant surgeon, Chesterfield

Dr Jim Ford, Consultant in Occupational Medicine

Dr Thomas Kus, Consultant Paediatrician, Lead for Paediatric Haematology/Oncology, GRH Children's Centre, Gloucester

Dr Donatella Soldi, London.

Dr Tom Yates, Senior House Officer, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr Mike Lawson, GP Principal, Horton Park Surgery, Bradford

Dr Tessa Katz, GP, City and Hackney

Dr Surinder Singh, GP, Amersham Vale Practice, London

Dr Marek Koperski, GP, Camden CCG

Dr Anne-Marie Childs, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust

Dr Judith Cook GP

Dr Gavin Young, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria

Dr Pete Budden, GP and Salford CCG Prescribing Lead, Eccles, Manchester

Dr Mark Struthers, GP and prison medical officer, Bedfordshire

Dr Richard Morrison, retired GP

Dr Gary Marlowe, GP, City and Hackney GP

Dr Harriet Dickson, GP, Exeter

Dr. Ian F. Pye, Consultant Neurologist, Leicester

Dr Ben Hart, GP principal, Chrisp Street Health Centre, London E14 6PG

Dr Katy Gardner, GP, Liverpool

Dr Lyda Jadresic, Consultant Paediatrician, Gloucester

Dr Anna Livingstone, GP, The Limehouse Practice Gill Street Health Centre, London

Dr Nick Theobald, Clinical Lecturer / Associate Specialist, Chelsea and Westminster

Dr Emma Storr, Clinical Lecturer, Academic Unit of Primary Care, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences

Dr Mike Priestnall, Staff grade Anaesthetist at Colchester General Hospital

Dr Helen Murrell, GP, Sunniside Surgery, Newcastle

Dr Karen Franks, Consultant Old Age Psychiatry, Bensham Hospital, Gateshead

Dr.Peter Agulnik, Consultant Psychiatrist, Oxfordshire

Dr C.M.Richards, retired GP Sheffield

Dr Nick Stern, Consultant Hepatologist, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool

Dr Elisabeth Paul, GP Registrar , London

Dr Pat Munday, Consultant Genitourinary Physician, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Sara Hamilton, Part time Paediatrician and Academic, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust & University College London

Dr Bernie Borgstein, Imperial College, London

Dr Roger Bayston, Assoc Professor / Reader, Surgical Infection, Head, Biomaterials – Related Infection Group, School of Clinical Sciences Nottingham University Hospitals UK

Dr Brian B Scott MD, Lincoln

Dr David Lawrence, Consultant in Public Health for IFRs, NHS SE London, Hon Senior Lecturer, Dept Health Services Research and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr Sophia Galloway, GP, Steyning Health Centre West Sussex

Dr Andrea Franks, Consultant Dermatologist, Chester

Dr Paul Stern Retired GP

Dr Ruth Stern, Doctor in Public Health, Trustee Medact

Mrs Helene Brandon, MRCOG

Dr Karen Macsween Consultant Microbiologist

Dr Kelvin Davies, GP, Hillcrest Medical Centre, Wrexham

Dr Coral Jones, GP, London Fields medical Centre

Dr Chris Johnstone, GP, Paisley

Dr Kadhim Kadhim, CMT1, Elderly Care, Middlesbrough

Dr Richard Grunewald, Sheffield

Dr Maggie Eisner, Training Programme Director, Bradford Specialist Training Scheme for General Practice, Bradford Royal Infirmary

Dr Andrew Mcpartlin, SpR, clinical oncology

Dr Richard Byng, GP, Mount Gould Plymouth and Clinical Senior Lecturer, Peninsula Medical School.

Dr Sandra Husbands, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS Harrow

Dr Alison Vaughan

Dr Richard Gunstone, Rugby

Dr Ian J. Hart, Consultant Medical Virologist, Royal Liverpool University Hospital

Dr Brian Fisher, GP, SE London

Dr Robert George, Consultant Anaesthetist, Elgin

Dr Paul Gorham, Consultant Paediatrician

Dr Eric Watts

Dr Max Priesemann, MRCPCH

Dr. Frank Arnold

Dr Colin Godber

Dr David Cohen

Dr Kevin O’Kane, Consultant Physician

Dr Andrew Cummin

Dr Carol Brayne

Dr V Thiagarasah

Dr Peter Dawson

Dr Nigel Speight, Paediatrician , Durham

Dr Liz Ford, CT1 Psychiatry

Paul Whalen, Leicestershire Health branch Unison – personal capacity

Dr Anne Solomon, GP, London

Dr Peter Hall, Chair, Doctors for Human Rights

Dr Simon Court, Associate Clinical Lecturer, Newcastle

Dr George Rylance, School of Clinical Medical Sciences (Child Health), University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Dr Pam Zinkin, retired Consultant Paediatrician,

Dr Trish Evans, Salaried GP, Page Hall Medical Centre, Sheffield

Mr Greg Dring, Clinical Psychologist, Bath

Dr Dougal Hargreaves, Research fellow, General & Adolescent Paediatrics Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health

Dr. Anu Kumar, GP and CCG Board member, Hackney PCT

Dr. Lauren Cooper-Jones, GP registrar Tower Hamlets

Dr Richard Chin, clinical lecturer at UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Great Ormond Street NHS Trust

Dr Rachel Besser, Peninsula Medical School

Dr Jane Logan. GP, Vauxhall

Dr Alexis Macherianakis, Consultant in public health medicine, Birmingham

Dr Richard Ayres MD, Academic GP, Plymouth

Dr Peter Williams, Consultant in Acute and Emergency Medicine, Whiston Hospital, St Helens, Merseyside

Dr Vivien M Addey, GP

Dr Shabbir Ahmed

Dr Mark Witcomb, A&E registrar, Farnham

Dr Benjamin Robinson, Timber Wharf, London

Dr Mike Fitchett, GP, Island Health, Tower Hamlets

Dr Benedict McCaffrey, GP, Leominster Herefordshire

Dr J Hampson , Liverpool

Dr Jez McCole ,GP, Gleadless Medical Centre

Dr Paul Batchelor, Consultant in Dental Public Health, Thames Valley Dental Public Health Network and Hon. Senior Lecturer Dental Public Health, UCL

Professor Robert West, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology, Wales Heart Research Institute[Cardiff University]Heath Park, Cardiff