Unhealthy surpluses
THE NHS underspent by a massive £500 million in the last financial year as a result of New Labour's health cuts policies. Provisional results from strategic health authorities suggest there are now surpluses in most regions of the country, although many Trusts are still in deficit.
Workers' wages and our health paid for these surpluses. NHS workers were paid less - many nurses were offered a miserly 1%. 22,300 jobs were lost, including 1,446 compulsory redundancies. Wards were cut. Hospitals were ordered not to carry out operations in the final months of the financial year.
As the health service 'overspent' in 2005-6, health Trusts were under pressure from health minister Hewitt to make underspending authorities spend even less to compensate for 'overspenders'.
The NHS is still in crisis. Health workers and campaigners should now mobilise for the NHS's 59th anniversary on 5 July, when there will be a protest in Parliament Square and for the 13 October union-organised national demonstration in defence of the NHS.
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In The Socialist 31 May 2007:
G8 Summit protests
Protest against the G8 leaders
Protest at arrest and prosecution in Bolivia
Socialist Party campaigns
Campaign brings victory against cuts
Local campaign successes show effective leadership in action
National Shop Stewards Network founding conference
International socialist news and analysis
Southern Ireland general election: Smaller parties squeezed
Wales - Labour rule under threat
Talking about the 'real world' at Wales TUC
Socialist Party news and analysis
A double bonanza for big businesss
Fight against destructive school policies
Stop and question: A dangerous kite to fly
Unhealthy surpluses on NHS underspend
Socialist Party feature
Defend and expand public housing
War and terrorism
Refugee camp siege compounds Lebanon's deep political crisis
Marxist analysis: history
Socialist Party LBGT
Repression of Gay Pride in Moscow
Socialist Party workplace news
Hull UNISON takes historic step
Remploy try to close factories
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