Defending the NHS
Jeading activists:
The first section of the Bowik, wrirren by Laster, sets the scene with an introduction to the lestory of the NHS ar al breakneck pace which keeps up your interest and keeps in all the important facts and
Seven chapters chart the development of today's NES: firm thr concessions made at its establikhment in the 1940% hv the Labrur government to the all puwertul consultants and private medicine, through under-resourcing and cuts (both Tory and Labourt: che numerous re-organisations, and, under Tharcher, the suppression of tbe Black report (which linked poor health to poverty/: the implenientations of Sainsbury supremnu Sir Roy Grillith's business plan for the NHS: the blatant stuffing of health aurhorities and boards with trusted Tories, to the newly-respectable radical right's stared aim of wholly dismanrling the NHS as 4 tax-funded service avanable to all, and free at the
It also records the effects on the lives of those failed by the
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NITS women (and especially black women us both workers and users of the service; tie riderly, and those sullering mental illness.
Lister then goes on 1o document some of the struggles of the many thousands of low paid bealth workers, who, since the sevcaties, have lought lor decent pay and for a decent service: recording too, the campaigning links forged with workers in other industries, with patients, and with local bealth groups concerned with deletice noted (as is recorded by the final contributor to the hook, Dave Shields, in an instructive article)
Exactly how to win now; facing as resolute an adversary as Thatches, is an urgent problem for bealth campaiguers and, centrally, for healthworkers: and their leaders,
Cutting the Lifeline outlines some strategies for defending the health service. It advocates a health policy which would provide a democratic and secure financial foundation for a respunsive health service. possible even within the constraints nf a capitalist cony: (whilst prinring to a more Horoughigoing socialist approach: Ic also addresses thr problem of how i health service trade union movement wluch is divided by professional jeadouses, by comprimon for mombers, and weakened by nearly ten ycars of Tory Attacks which have directly hit key sections of the SH$ workforce and the cure of trade union membership and militanes, the ancillary workers, can wage and
The cvermore new realist Health union leaderships have cynically translared a real experience of weakness and fcar into the deleatism of can't fight - would light", They would rather go along with the Time' "Teds under thic hospital beds" scare than adinit that a teal change of mood — to militancy is staring them in the face. Despite tis, health service workers continue to struggle and, albeir locally, continue to notch up some notable victories.
This book, unlike. unfortunarcly, most of the healthworkers current trade union leaders, renognises the centrul importance of those struggles. "Whatever tactics are employed, there is no duht that the union role is central, and the longer this fight is delayed, the worse the conditions for winiting will become. Healthworkers must take care that their proper well-being ul today's patients does not become a wrapon used to prevent them taking industrial action in protect tomorrow's bealth service for us all'
It is a tribute to the vision arid determination nf thousands of healthworkers und campaigners thar their struggles, many recorded in this book, have been sustained and in many cases won against vast odds: And the evidence — from the pages of this book, from the testimony of its contributors, and from the action taken by campaigners around the cuntry — is that the Towes and its friends cannot afford to rost easy under the illusion that the struggle to defend the NHs is all a croiskyist conspiracy. There are thousands more out there ready to take up SOCALIST OUTLOOK no B: July/September 1988