Unions protest over health reforms

Demonstrations are being held across the North East against the Government’s proposed Health and Social Care Bill.

Members of UNISON will be handing out leaflets and asking people to sign petitions in towns and cities from Teesside to Berwick upon Tweed.

The demonstrations are timed to coincide with a large rally in Westminster. Thousands of nurses, midwives, doctors, physiotherapists, cleaners, porters and other NHS workers are protesting in a last ditch attempt to scupper the Bill.

UNISON’s Head of Health for the North East, Trevor Johnston, says they’re hoping to inform the public about the affect the Bill will have, whilst there’s still time for people to write to their MPs and object to it.

The UNION is highlighting it’s two main objections to the Bill. That it will lead to many more private companies providing NHS services, and that it’ll remove a cap on how many private patients hospitals can treat.

At the moment the number of private patients is capped at three percent, the proposals would see that rise to 49 percent. UNISON believes that would lead to longer waiting lists for NHS patients.