chappells Barbara Castle's proposals may be a small step forward, but in themselves they will do little to prop up an alling Health Service. There is no deadline put on the magic words "phase out private practice'. The excuse is obviously to avoid unnecessary provocation to the consultants by giving them time to make 'other arrangements. Not only that, the Government is actually proposing to expand existing private practice facilities to compensate exactly for the present number of pay beds in the SHORT-STAY At present in NHS hospitals there are 4,900 pay beds - used mainly for short-stay patients. The Government proposes to issue licences for private hospitals to make up for this loss. That will take the number of private short-stay beds up to a ceiling of pressure is to try to satisfy both the hierarchy of the profession -sultants, who make a tidy packet out of private practice subsidised by the NHS - and healthworkers who are campaigning to defend the health service and want an end to private practice. This balancing act is what lies behind the proposals from the Department of Health and Social Security to separate private practice from NHS hospitals while giving a private health industry a safe ticket outside the NHS.
Fortunately for the workers møvement as a whole, there is a good chance that the Labour Government's plans and Barbara Castle's proposals will blow up in their faces hev are going to tace massive onposition not only from healthworkers but from other sections of the labour movement as well. The action of hospital nurses and other staffs against pay beds over the last year highlighted and publicised one of the biggest abuses of the NHS. But the biggest abuse of all is the massive attacks being launched on the NHS by the Labour Government itself through its cuts in social service spending.
LOW-PAID
Now more and more healthworkers are realising that the declining number of jobs and the productivity drive hitting both workers and patients in hospitals - topped off by the Government's £6 pay norm, which will hit low-paid workers in the NHS harder than many others - are the direct result of the slow strangulation of the NHS by Labour's financial freeze. sucing not only long waiting lists declining standards of care, but und of wards and hospitals all over- complete breakdown and closthe country.
To many in the labour movement, theretore, Barbara Castle's proposals are exposed for what they are: a cynthe coning a new batch. the labour movement. ards Committee Laycocks Engineering Joint Shop Stewards Committee (Sheffield)
Wessex Hospitals Joint Shop Stewards Committee ASTMS Sheffield Divisional Council NALGO Gwent Health Services Branch COHSE 643 Oxford Branch NUPE St Andrews & Hellesden Hospital Branch NUPE Highcroft Hospital Branch NUPE North Middlesex Hospital Branch ASTMS West London Medical Branch NUPE Westminster Hospital Branch NUPE United Manchester Hospitals Branch This is proNUPE North Camden District NALGO Camden Branch ASTMS University Newcastle-on-Tyne NUR North London District Council NALGO Islington Branch AUEW Marylebone Engineering Branch AUEW Oxford No. 10 Branch Shell Chemical T&GWU The list of sponsors for the Conference Against the Cuts in the NHS' called by the Medical Committee Against Private Practice on 11 October shows the support that has been won for this campaign in the broad Delegates now total 120, MCAPP organisers say that each day the post is bringIncluded in last week's new delegates were two from a miners' lodge in South Wales, three from Jackson Boilers Shop Stewards Committee in Leeds, three from the Institute for Workers' Control, and a number from Labour Parties and trades councils. The London Joint Branches of NATSOPA have sent a £25 donation and asked for 2,000 conference brochures.
MCAPP again have asked us to stress to our readers the need now to make a real drive in the localities. Red Weekly fully endorses that call, and points out the need to visit local hospitals shop stewards committees and to make sure that MCAPP is raised in every organisation of The following trade unions, shop stewards committees, trades councils, organisations and individuals have so far sponsored the MCAPP Conference: TRADE UNION BRANCHES & STEWARDS COMMITTEES Hammersmith Hospital Joint Shop StewBrent Trades Council Harrow Trades Council Bristol Trades Council Tribune Group of MPs Bristol Tribune Group rary ency Labour Party for a hospital bed reanisee D ASTMS Firth Brown Branch, Sheffield Southwark Trades Counci Battersea & Wandsworth Trades Council Camden Trades Council Addlestone & District Trades Council Nottingham & District Trades Council Newcastle-upon-Tyne & District Trades Greenwich Trades Council Norwich Trades Council Basingstoke Trades Council ORGANISATIONS Sheffield Brightside Constituency Labour Newcastle-upon-Tyne North ConstituEaling Technical College Socialist Society Medical Committee Against Private Practice 55 Bridge Lane London NW 11 Women's Report Collective International Marxist Group East London Action Committee Against South London Action Committee Against the Cuts South London Institute of Workers South London NAC INDIVIDUALS Jack Collins (NUM Executive) Brian Nicholson (T&GWU Executive) Ernie Roberts (AUEW Asst Gen Sec Steve Johnson (NALGO Health Officer) Mike Cooley (Secretary, Lucas Combine Committee)
Ken Coates (IWC)
Ken Fleet (IWC)
Ron Pearson (NUPE Portsmouth) Alan Ellis (NUPE London)
ack Sutton (NUPE Manchester) Bill Geddies (NUPE London) Mike Taylor (NUPE Area Officer) Brian White (Vice-chairman T&GWU Rover 5/909 Branch)
Stewart Hastings (NUPE full-time official, Swansea Jo Richardson MP Audrey Wise MP
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Labour movement conference on the fight against the cuts in the NHS City University London. October 11 Chaired by Jack Collins speakers include Audrey Wise MP and health workers