Keep York urgent care public

NHS privatisation cartoon, photo Alan Hardman

NHS privatisation cartoon, photo Alan Hardman   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

York NHS worker and Socialist Party member

York hospital is partially privatising it’s emergency department to Vocare. Vocare already runs out-of-hours GP services in York.

Doctors and nurses working in the department want good mechanisms for patients requiring less input, while there must be oversight of every patient’s full journey through A&E. This must not be done by third-party or private organisations.

Workers have formed Keep York Urgent Care Public. We say that the quality of care will be diminished by the involvement of Vocare, which made £3.8 million profit in 2020.

Already the minor illness department is managed by Vocare. Staff fear that they will end up on Vocare contracts, with all the consequences for pay, conditions and training.

A&E consultant Dr Stephen Crane recently addressed York City Council to oppose the trust’s plans. A petition against the proposals has attracted over 13,000 signatures.

York Socialist Party members give our full support to NHS workers fighting these proposals. The contracting out of NHS services must end.

The existing Vocare workforce should be brought back into the NHS, alongside support staff in the trust who were transferred into a wholly owned subsidiary in 2019.