NHS victory

In a bid to reverse the worst of the Tory-devised 2012 health and social care act, Labour MP Clive Efford’s National Health Service (amended duties and powers) bill was debated in Parliament today (November 21) at its second reading – and it passed.

The bill garnered overwhelming support, with 241 MPs voting in favour of the bill  and only 18 voting against.

In response to today’s victory, Efford said, “I am delighted that it has been passed with the overwhelming support of Labour MPs.”

“The Labour Party created the NHS and today we were out in force to protect it from competition from private companies, to exempt it from any Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement and to ensure that we prioritise patients not profit,” he added.

Efford noted, however, that there was still much work to be done.

“Our fight isn’t over,” he said. “Now we need to pressure the government to make sure that they take the Bill straight to Committee and do not use delay tactics to try to stall its passage through Parliament.”

Efford said Tory privatisation of the health service has already been a proven failure.

“We have seen the impact that the Tories’ privatisation agenda has had on our NHS – longer waiting times, fewer frontline staff and ÂŁ3 bn wasted on a pointless top-down reorganisation – and the Liberal Democrats have gone along with it,” he said.

Efford’s bill will cut the heart out the Tory health act, essentially removing the requirement for the NHS to competitively tender its services.

The bill will exclude the health service from the EU-US trade deal that threatens to make privatisation of the NHS permanent, while also restoring the health secretary’s responsibility to provide a comprehensive health service, free at the point of delivery.

The bill will moreover prevent foundation trusts from prioritising private income at the expense of NHS patients.

“It is simple, we will not stand for [NHS privatisation] and my bill just signals the start,” Efford said. “A Labour government would repeal the toxic health and social care act and ensure that we put patients back where they belong – at the heart of our NHS.”

Unite head of health Rachael Maskell said that today heralded hope for the future of the NHS.

“This is a great victory for public opinion and is the first step on the road to restore the NHS to a service free at the point of delivery for all those in need,” she said. “We must redouble our efforts to achieve this goal as the bill goes through the committee stage.”

Unite activists (pictured) joined colleagues from other health unions, in a candle-lit vigil in support of the bill last night at Old Palace Yard, Westminster until the vote by MPs on the bill.

Stay tuned on UNITElive.org for the latest on the Efford bill and its progress.