When you’re a patient it’s difficult to understand what’s going on in our National Health Service in 2017.

I have the greatest respect for the doctors, nurses, technical and support staff I’ve encountered during my cancer journey but am utterly baffled by the way the system works.

This video from The King’s Fund tries to explain how the NHS works. Frankly, the complexity is jaw-dropping!

The video was released in October 2017 but it’s already looking out-of-date.

Have you seen this alarming report that experts are going to court to stop the ‘Americanisation’ of the NHS?

The Skwawkbox article links to the crowdfunding page started by the experts.

If you care about the future of our NHS

you really should

take a couple of minutes to read it.

It’s UNBELIEVABLE!

Four eminent medical experts

(and I’m quoting now from the experts crowdfunding page)

are seeking a judicial review to stop the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt and NHS England from introducing new commercial, non-NHS bodies to run health and social services without proper public consultation and without full Parliamentary scrutiny.

These non-NHS bodies are known as Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs). They will be governed by company and contract law and can be given “full responsibility” for NHS and adult social services.

They will be able to decide on the boundary of what care is free and what has to be paid for. They will be paid more if they save money.

They can include private companies (e.g.Virgin in Frimley, Circle in Nottinghamshire), including private insurance and property companies, which will make money from charging.

They can also include GP practices, in which case people on their lists will automatically transfer to the ACO in order to be entitled to services – new patients will also have to register with the ACO.

They will be allowed to sub-contract all “their” services.

To me this reads like the ultimate pitch from Health Secretary Hunt to ensure the privatisation of our NHS without ever a parliamentary vote being cast.

This can’t be right.

We’ve just had a General Election and I don’t re-call the Tories campaigning on a manifesto to privatise our NHS. WE haven’t given the government a mandate to undertake this reform. We desperately need these experts to pursue their case and stop Hunt from taking these plans any further.

Please read Urgent Legal Action for Our NHS.

Sign-up for email updates so you keep informed about what happens next.

And tell your family and friends about the devastating risks to our NHS if these plans go ahead.

Thanks for reading my blog today.