Pressure group 38 Degrees is urging local residents to sign a petition to help safeguard NHS services, following steps to set up new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) up and down the country.
The groups will have the power to decide what health services can be accessed in local areas and who provides them, but 38 Degrees fears that doctors in Enfield and elsewhere will be under pressure under the new arrangements to hand out contracts to private companies – and that companies such as Virgin Care and Serco are circling with plans to win bids by slashing costs.
However, the new CCGs are in their infancy, and will have a legal duty to listen to local people. 38 Degrees say that this means there is an opportunity to ask doctors on the CCGs to use their new powers to protect our NHS, not privatise it.
38 Degrees is urging local people to sign petitions to demonstrate to their CCGs that they expect them to protect local services. They are also currently seeking legal advice to help local groups ensure that responsibilty to protect services is written into each CCG’s constitution.
Interested in signing the petition? Visit
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/CCG-petition
