NHS Week of Action

What is this ‘NHS Week of Action’?

Medsin and its friends; as part of a co-ordinated term of NHS based activity are calling for local groups, branches, activities and supporters to take part in events around the country focusing on the NHS.

Why the NHS?

In April, the Health and Social Care Act came into force. This piece of legislation paves the way for the increasing competition and decreasing co-operation. It is the beginning of the end of universal health coverage in England. Combine this with ‘efficiency savings’ totaling £20 Billion, and you end up with a healthcare system that is struggling to stay above water. To make matters worse, the changes will have the most damaging affect on those who need our NHS the most.

The very principles underpinning our National Health Service are under threat.

Sounds important, but why me?

Because we are going to think big, and be bold. For that we need your help. A lot of effort has been put in by people to try and stop what the government is doing to our NHS. That is important, and needs to be supported. But its not enough. With this Week of Action, we are going to look to change the debate from one around saving our NHS from the government, to looking forward and saying ‘ok, what they are doing is crap, but what do we want?’.

The NHS is one of the most cost-effective healthcare systems in the world. It is the envy of the world, but that doesn’t mean its perfect. There is so much that we can achieve to provide better healthcare for this country. We have to take the opportunity to set out a vision for the NHS which lasts for a lifetime, and then to campaign to see that vision through. That’s not happening at the moment. If it is to happen, its going to be up to us to make it happen.

Following the Week of Action, Medsin will be launching a youth consultation on health with the Royal Society of Medicine. The Week of Action isn’t going to fix the problems with our health service, but if we do it right, it could help launch us into a proper dialogue about the future of our NHS.

Ok, I’m, in. But what do you want me to do?

During the Week of Action we are asking groups to put on an event about the NHS. The format this takes is up to you. See below for some suggestions. On Saturday 30th November, we are having a Zombie Flashmob for the NHS. The idea behind this is that we are currently like zombies, sleepwalking towards the end of our NHS. We are trying to get as many groups, in as many cities, as possible to join in with the Flashmob. We are going to turn as many high streets as possible into playgrounds for zombie healthcare workers.

With the events during the week, we are hoping to get people thinking about how they would like to see the NHS work. This means that it is really up to you what kind of event you would like to put on. Want a debate with people who agree with the government, go for it. Want to invite some campaigners to talk about what’s going on in your area, go for it. Want to hold a meeting about a particular interest group and how the changes will affect them, go for it. Want to have a stall outside your Students’ Union or Med School where people can give their views about the and what needs to happen, go for it.

The aim of the week of action is simple, we want more young people engaging in the NHS debate, and we want them to start thinking not just about how important what we have now is, but how great we could make it in the future.

Things that you can do during the Week of Action:

Do

Zombie Flashmob

  • Happening on the 30th November 1pm.
  • Pick a central venue.
  • Make a facebook group, and post it up on the main event.
  • Invite your friends!

Film Showings

  • Spirit of ‘45.
    • Ken Loach’s 2013 Documentary on the Welfare State with a great section on the founding of the NHS.
  • The NHS: A Difficult Beginning

Direct Action

  • If there is a local issue you want to highlight direct action can be a great way of doing it.
  • Is there a local hospital facing privatisation or closure?
  • Try and link with existing local groups to have the most impact.
  • Issues facing migrants and international students are very important at the moment, if you want to do something around this but are not sure what get in touch.



Run

Meetings


There are a number of different forms a meeting could take.
  • Invite speakers from other local groups such as Keep Our NHS Public, the trade unions with a health focus (such as Unite, or the BMA) and have a discussion about what is happening to our NHS. Try and aim to include student speakers.
  • Host a debate about the future of the NHS, try and get people from different sides of the argument. We can help you find lots of people who want to defend the NHS and argue for its principles, there might be people on your campus who disagree. See if you can find them and invite them to a debate.
  • Invite someone from the Clinical Commissioning Groups in your area and someone from Healthwatch (the statutory patients rights group) to come to campus and talk to you about how you can make a difference in your local NHS. If you have a National body based in your area you can ask them too, or a Politician who is interested in Health.

Stalls on campuses.

  • We can help provide materials/resources for stalls on campus.
  • These work best if they are fun and engaging.
  • Often having a simple question for people to answer will make them stop and think.
  • Try and think of a way of collecting the opinions of people who pass by.

Engage

Other Local Groups

  • The great thing about the NHS Campaign is it brings like minded people together. Try and engage other societies and community groups in your area.
    • Other parts of the Medsin Network.
    • Other societies who might be interested.
    • Campaigning and Community Groups.

The National Campaign

  • The National Campaign will have a presence at a number of national events leading up to the week of action, including the Medsin Conference.
  • New website at studentsforthenhs.blogspot.com will act as a hub for NHS resources, comment and ideas.
  • High social media presence, with a number of thunderclaps (social media waves) in the works for key times during the campaign.

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