Health Follow

Leading Unison activist Yunus Bakhsh is appealing against his sacking by Northumbia Tyne & Wear Health Trust. The appeal is now set for Wednesday 3 December—some six months after his dismissal.

The crisis is also threatening financial meltdown at new hospitals built under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) as NHS trusts find it difficult to refinance their debts.

Over 100 people demonstrated in Huntingdon last Saturday against plans to hand over management of Hinchingbrooke Hospital to a private company.

The prospect of cuts to vital services in hospitals up and down the country remerged last week as an "independent" panel backed health authority plans to downgrade services at two hospitals.

The Unite union, which represents over 100,000 NHS workers, is set to continue the fight for decent pay in the health service.

A packed public meeting last week buoyed campaigners against the privatisation of the NHS in Camden, north London.

Unison union activists were outraged to hear that their union leadership had commenced a disciplinary hearing into Yunus Bakhsh, the highly respected health worker and trade unionist.

Campaigners against the privatisation of the NHS in north west England were celebrating last week as Preston council backed a motion that opposed plans to build a polyclinic in the city.

The campaign continues to defend sacked nurse Karen Reissmann and the right to speak out in defence of the NHS – despite the postponement of her employment tribunal.

Some 26 leading cancer consultants have written to the government demanding properly funded cancer treatment. One section of the letter states, "We have seen distraught patients remortgaging their houses, giving up pensions and selling cars to buy drugs."

Health workers in the south west of England were celebrating last week after government plans for further health service privatisation were dealt a blow.

Paramedics on emergency callouts in the Bristol area have had to phone 999 to demand back-up.