PUBLIC MEETING
WHY WE SAY NO TO FOUNDATION HOSPITALS
Quarry Village Hall
Quarry Road

7.30pm Thursday 6th November

Speakers:
Mark Ladbrook- Chair Unison Oxfordshire Health Branch
Cllr Craig Simmons- Green Party
John Lister- Oxford Socialist Alliance
Labour Party speaker invited

A campaign is being launched to oppose plans for the Oxford Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre to become a Foundation Trust.

Foundation hospitals work on the same kind of principle as Best Value. If you do well you can apply for Foundation staus and be showered with gifts like more money, freedom to sell off land and keep the money for yourself, etc. However if your local hospital fails to meet government targets it may be punished with less money from central funds and arbitrary restrictions (which often end up costing a packet).

The plans will ultimately lead to a two tier health system with one sector of the NHS rewarded with resources and privilege whilst other parts are starved of funds and have their more experienced staff poached by the higher tier.

Foundation hospitals are not a commitment for deep investment in the NHS, they're a commitment to favour foundation hospitals at the expense of the rest. This can only result in hospitals competing with each other for staff, patients and resources at the expense of an intergrated health system.

See link for more info.