No to the Privatisation of NHS Logistics - Please Write to Your MP & CLP

I have written to my MP this morning with a strongly worded e-mail regarding the disgraceful government policy of throwing away 1700 people and yet more privatisation in the NHS.

The letter:

James,

I hope you are well. I am writing to you to ask that you do not follow the sheep herding line from the government of which you are a member. Strong language maybe, but we are a crossroads and what the government is proposing for NHS Logistics is nothing more that shameful. To throw away 1700 people to the private sector is disgraceful and kicks them in the teeth for all their hard work and dedication to the NHS. But to begin to privatise the NHS by a Labour Government can only be described as shocking.

I did not join the Labour Party to see this happen and if you support this policy then why are you a Labour MP; you might as well be a Conservative? I'm sure your assistants have been given a line to present to the public about how much money it will save and the usual misinformation. However, it could save billions but the loss of 1700 staff, the outsourcing of part of the NHS and the siphoning of profits out of the NHS is a price too high to pay.

There comes a time when we all need to stand up and be counted; this is the time, before you nod your head to the break-up of the NHS and people like me pay the price. I say these words with the high regard and respect for you, but not this piece of government policy. As a Party we need something that defines us and makes us who we are; I believe it is the NHS and the Welfare State. If we take away who we fundamentally are, then we have no right to exist at all; we just become pretence or a lie.

UNISONs Campaign:

NHS Logistics provides the health service in England with an enormous range of critical products – from food to complex magnetic resonance imagers, needles and syringes to electricity and fuel, mattresses to vehicles.
The non-profit organisation helps the NHS reduce costs and free up much-needed resources for patient care. And it has won numerous awards for doing this.
Last year (2005) £3m was returned to NHS trusts as a value rebate - will the shareholders of a private company be generous enough to share their profits with the NHS?

We believe the decision to outsource the work of these loyal and committed staff was taken without proper consultation - UNISON believes that there is no viable business case for this decision and has told ministers so - they are not listening.
We know that this decision has been taken purely for financial reasons, based on potential savings for the NHS, but we believe that cost cutting will reduce the quality of the products purchased for the NHS to use.
NHS Logistics delivers directly to hospital wards and operating theatres. Getting it wrong could be a matter of life and death - should this be left to a parcel delivery company?

http://www.unison.org.uk/healthcare/NHSlogistics/