Communities Say NO to Health Cuts

Around 50 community and trade union activists attended an event organised by UNISON Community & Voluntary branch last night (28.10.09). A range of speakers outlined the very serious threat looming over frontline health services. Those in attendance heard how proposed ‘cuts’ dressed up as attempts to ‘modernise’ will decimate services in the very communities where they are most needed.

Drawing parallels from the struggle to save the health service during the darkest days of the Thatcher era in the 80’s and 90’s, Patricia McKeown, UNISON Regional secretary, spelt out how faceless accountants and civil servants were attempting to roll back many of the gains that have been won over many hard years of struggle within the health system in the North.  

Pointing to the huge inequalities that already exist she argued that these will be greatly added to if the so called 3% efficiency ‘savings’ being proposed by the Stormont executive are implemented. Importantly, she reminded the audience that the health service is the only major employer in some of our most deprived communities. Coupled with the fact that those same areas bear the brunt of existing health inequalities, this means that any cuts in an already underfunded health system will put the equality agenda promised under the Good Friday Agreement back decades.

In a similar vein Jonathon Swallow, an independent expert in health policies and strategies placed the proposed ‘efficiency savings’ within a wider global context in which public services are being rolled back while governments cream off public funds to bail out the world banking system.

Arguing that in a range of crucial areas, including provision for children, the health system was already under funded by around 30%, he explained that any further cuts would have a devastating impact on services, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. Jonathan pointed to this approach as short-termism in the extreme; given that all the prevalent available research shows that an unequal society is a more unhealthy society for everyone.

The third and final speaker Eoin Stuart from the matter hospital gave a fascinating and emotional insight into the current demands being placed on hospital staff on the frontline. Eoin outlined how morale has never been lower because hospital staff have to provide a service with their ‘hands tied behind their back’. Driven by performance indicators, health staff are being asked to make ever more ridiculous choices with regards who to treat; choices that should be dictated by need but are instead being driven by a desire to lower costs.

The seminar closed with a healthy contributions from the floor, in which health related providers within the community sector outlined the similar pressure they where under to meet the ever changing demands of their Health Trust funder’s.

Counselling and mental health services in particular were under increasing pressure to take more referrals from the health system, on top of their existing community clients but have been told they will not receive anywhere near the same levels of funding previously granted. Again, an already chronically underfunded sector will be expected to deliver an increased level of service for less money. Other vital community projects have also been told that prevention and early intervention work is a luxury that simply cannot be afforded by the new Health Trusts, given the demands to be more ‘efficient’.

For all those present the net result of the cuts in motion, was a health system which loses its soul, in which the demands to provide a  ‘value for money’ service, comes at the expense of the general health of the population, but particularly for those who already live within our most deprived and neglected communities.

Seán Brady from the Community & Voluntary branch closed the meeting by requesting that workers and activists from the Community & Voluntary sector and Health Sector unite to make every effort to mobilise for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions day of action on the 6^th of November.