Unite backs nurses 'No Confidence' in government's national health
plan
13 April 2011
The country's biggest union, Unite, has joined the nursing union
to pass a vote of no confidence in the secretary of state for
health, Andrew Lansley, and crucially, too, in the Health and
Social Care bill.
Health specialists including GPs, mental health nurses,
pharmacists and non-clinical staff are all represented by
Unite. At their national health committee today (Wednesday),
they voted overwhelmingly to back a motion of no confidence in the
health secretary.
Their vote follows the massive no confidence vote at the Royal
College of Nursing's conference passed earlier today, where 98 per
cent of nurses said they could not support the health secretary's
handling of the bill.
But Unite is warning that whoever is at the helm of national
health, if they do not drop this bill, they too will suffer the
same fate of no confidence in them from health specialists.
Unite national officer for health, Rachael Maskell, said:
"Health professionals do not have confidence that Andrew Lansley
understands that he is on the verge of destroying our health
service. And they do not have confidence that David Cameron
or Nick Clegg understand this either. During the select
committee they had 100 opportunities to amend this bill and every
single one of them they rejected.
"Now they are in political trouble they are trying to sell the
idea that they are ‘listening’. Well, health professionals
are not buying that.
"It is not just this bill, which puts a 60 year service for all
on the fast track to privatisation, that is so disturbing.
There are also £20 billion of cuts being shoved through now which
are wrecking the service. Clinical staff are losing their
jobs, waiting times are growing and A&E departments - the most
front line of services - are struggling.
"We are proud to lend our weight to the RCN's vote. It is
the duty to now stand up and be counted in defence of our health
service because this government is ruining it."
ENDS
Contact: Pauline Doyle on 07976 832 861
