Drawing of picket outside Lewisham Hospital 10 Feb 2016

Our NHS is being destroyed

Our National Health Service – the best thing we have left in our country – a huge organic public service providing health care, free at the point of need regardless of income – is being destroyed.

The Health and Social Care Act introduced in 2012 under the 2010-15 Coation government, removed the duty of the Secretary of State to provide universal health care, and laid the basis for breaking the NHS up. This is now gathering pace and is happening via the local Clinucal Commissiinung Groups and devolved services – such as those just announced in London – through multiple privatisations to companies like Virgin (off shore taxes etc).

This is why I spend so much time on political activity, website, social media etc instead of  doing art.

In the last 2 months I have been working hard as secretary of the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign to organise and take part in events to support the Junior Doctors strike. Junior doctors are all those who are not Consultants or GPs, they are all those who treat you when you go into hospital.  Their strike extends beyond simple issues of pay and conditions although these are important enough.

The above drawing is based on a photograph of the picket outside Lewisham Hospital on 10 February 2016. It was a great occasion which went on from 7.45 – 15.30 with patients going in and out, giving support, consultants, nurses and Paramedics coming out to stand with the junior doctors, campaigners and community members.