Dear Notyetavet,
My name is Dr Louise Irvine. I’ve been a GP for 27
years, and a 38 Degrees member for the last two. Last night, I spoke at
our patient-sponsored event with some of the senior GPs who have been put in
charge of deciding the future of local health services.
Together,
more than 22,000 38 Degrees members sponsored the event. Thank you so
much for being part of it. It was really quite something. And not just
because plenty of senior GPs turned up, despite already having spent all day
being schmoozed by private healthcare companies.
The event last night
helped convince me that although we didn't manage to stop Lansley getting his
NHS changes through parliament, there is still lots we can do to protect our
NHS. Those “RIP NHS” headlines were premature. I think the NHS
is now like someone with a chronic illness: if we don’t look after it, bits
might start falling off. But right now, the NHS is a living body, and
one we’re all part of.
I heard senior GPs say how glad they were
that 38 Degrees members want to continue to campaign to protect the NHS. They
responded positively to 38 Degrees members’ campaign ideas, and many
said they were willing to work with us. I heard speaker after speaker
say it's never been more important for citizens to get involved
and make themselves heard.
We know we can make a difference. Now
we need to decide together what our priorities are. The 38
Degrees office team have just launched a poll to give all us members a
say. I've just voted on my favourite ideas - can you take a couple of
minutes to do the same?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-poll-april
I'm
lucky. As a GP I see every day how important the NHS is and the
difference it can make to people’s lives. So I’ve never doubted that
the best future for our health service is a people-powered one.
Being
involved with the 38 Degrees campaign to Save the NHS showed me how many
of us know that our health service is precious and worth protecting.
Like most of us, when the government pushed ahead with its plans and ignored our
concerns, I felt sad and worried.
But the response from 38
Degrees members since the law was passed has been incredible. Ideas
have poured in for ways to continue to support the NHS. The office team has
worked through those ideas, and asked NHS experts for their advice on what could
work. Now we have a chance to decide which ones to prioritise
in the weeks and months ahead.
Like you, I’ve donated, signed petitions,
and emailed my MP. I saw the effect of our huge billboard campaign and the
thousands of letters and emails we sent to MPs and Lords. I know we’re
at our most powerful when we get together to set priorities, plan, and
make things happen.
So please get involved in setting 38 Degrees'
priorities for the next stage of the campaign - vote now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-poll-april
Thanks
for being involved,
Dr Louise Irvine
No comments:
Post a Comment