News

One million names could save NHS

The White Paper plans for making the NHS more ‘business like’ are continuing to get the thumbs down from the Great British public — despite the government spending millions of pounds on promoting the proposals.

In order to demonstrate the strength of public concern over the NHS review, Kentish Town Health Centre users’ group has launched an SOS NHS Million Signature Campaign. The Campaign launched by actress Emma Thompson, aims to co-ordinate the collection of one million signatures of patients who are opposed to the white paper.

Organiser Mark Koperski said: ‘We realise that signatures are being collected all over the country, and that their impact could be far greater if they were added together to be presented in time for the first parliamentary debate on the white paper’.

It is believed that the number of signatures has never before been collected on any single issue, but, given the popularity of the NHS, the group is sure it can reach the target. In the first month of the campaign alone it collected 100,000 signatures and the support of many patients groups and more than 500 GPs.

The campaign is entirely self-financing, so donations are desperately needed, but it can offer supporting materials such as badges, posters, T shirts, etc.

For more information contact SOS/NHS Million Signature Campaign, Centre Users Group, Kentish Town Health Centre, 2 Bartholomew Road, London NW5 2AJ; or contact the campaign Hotline, Tel 01-607 2133.