The NHS Support Federation is an independent organisation that campaigns to protect and promote a comprehensive NHS. Our 10,000 supporters and 250 affiliated organisations are drawn equally from the health profession and the general public.

The ideas behind our campaign work.

• To encourage wide debate and participation in the issues surrounding the future of the NHS.
• To protect the ideas behind the NHS, of a universal and comprehensive service that is freely and fairly available.
• To promote the great social and economic advantage of a national health system.

What do we do:

• Public conferences and events Parliamentary lobbying
• Research briefings and surveys
• Issue based bill boards and media advertising
• Media briefings and interviews
• Mass lobbies of Parliament, petitions
• Newsletters
• Information sharing and building a network of NHS supporters
• Support and advice for local people wanting to campaign about their services

History. The NHS Support Federation was founded in 1989 in response to the market based reforms proposed by the Conservative Health Secretary Kenneth Clarke. Its mission was to spread awareness about the proposed changes and act as a network for information sharing and joint lobbying. Its membership quickly grew, bringing together members of the public and health professionals from all political backgrounds, all of whom shared a common concern about the future of our NHS.

Today, the Federation with its members support, continues to protect and promote a comprehensive national health service, believing the NHS can be a fair and efficient method of health provision. By finding ways to involve the public and the health profession in the discussion about the way forward, the Federation aims to contribute towards an improved health service true to its original ideals.

The Federation campaigns to increase public awareness and to get its message to politicians and the media. The Private Finance Initiative, NHS funding, care of older people and NHS accountability have formed the focus of its most recent campaigns. The Federation also facilitates a network for local people who are involved in monitoring or campaigning on issues affecting their local health services; arranging for them to meet and exchange views and experiences.

The NHS Fed conducts research to look at the affect of recent or emerging policy on the service to patients. It regularly surveys members of the health profession to find the views of those delivering the service. Previous projects have looked at long term care of the elderly - Stand and Deliver, the proportion of health spending that goes on patient care and the performance of accident and emergency medicine - NHS in Distress

The NHS Fed organises events to create ways to involve the public and NHS staff in the debate about the future of our health service. Our NHS is an annual free public conference giving active NHS supporters a chance to exchange views and to listen speakers on key NHS issues. Partnerships with the London Evening Standard, the Birmingham Evening Post and local authorities have led to public conferences, attracting audiences of 1200 local people - to discuss the future of health services with national politicians.

NHS Support Federation - Campaign Update - December 2002
An outline of recent and future activities
 

A publicly led NHS - NHS staff attitudes
The Federation is campaigning for limits to the role of the private sector in the NHS. The government has introduced a wide range of public/private partnerships that go way beyond any previous interaction between public and private sectors in healthcare. As part of this campaign we are seeking the experiences and views of NHS staff.

Treating NHS patients in privately run hospitals will provide some relief from waiting for treatment but will also undermine the efforts to raise NHS capacity. A recent survey of consultants by the Federation and Middlesex University confirmed the fear that staff may be drawn away from the NHS. A majority also agreed that more controls are needed whilst only 11% thought that PFI was the best way to build NHS hospitals.

The study will also investigate the attitudes of nurses, ancillary staff and managers towards the public/private partnerships. We believe that publicising this research will help to raise debate about the need for a publicly led NHS, accountable and with greater control of the role of the private sector.

The Right to Care campaign
The Federation believes that the NHS should share the burden and risk of ill health fairly across society. At present thousands of older and disabled people are being charged for aspects of their healthcare. Patients with Alzheimers are paying for help with their personal care, where as patients with Cancer receive it for free. The Federation recognises this unfairness and is one the reasons it is committed to comprehensive health services.

In support of the Right to Care initiative the Federation has helped to set up a national campaign for free personal and nursing care for all NHS patients. Unison, Age Concern, RCN and the Altzheimers Society are amongst a growing number of partners.

The Federation is helping to plan events, media work, research and lobbying as part of a co ordinated campaign to secure free care - for the older and disabled NHS patients that currently pay for some or all of their personal and nursing care.

The Federation co ordinated a joint statement signed by 13 major charities and unions that was reported in the media asking for government to follow the lead of the Scottish Parliament to fund personal are for all NHS patients.

The Great NHS debate
Only a few NHS patients have travelled abroad for treatment, but their journeys have heightened the debate about what the NHS learn from health services in other countries. The Federation is producing a series of pamphlets and briefings to raise awareness about the how other countries access, organise and fund their healthcare.

The future of the NHS will in part rest upon whether the public believe that the NHS can deliver high quality healthcare to all who need it, without long delays, and be paid for through general taxation. The Federation believes that it can and aims to involve the public in the debate, and provide key briefing material to MPs and the media.

The quarterly NHS Matters briefing Should we give up on the NHS? is available now. A Federation Report 'The Great NHS Debate', in which recognised experts discuss the options for the future NHS, will be published in August 2002. The report will look at why it matters who controls and delivers our health service and highlights the need for NHS supporters to remain involved in the future of their NHS.

The NHS lobby of Parliament
In November 2001 the Federation joined with the National Pensioners Convention and the Community Care Protection Group to organise a rally and lobby of Parliament. Attended by 2000 people it aimed to encourage the public to communicate their views about the NHS to their MPs. The main issues of concern were the lack of capacity within the NHS and growing role of the for-profit sector.

This event sparked a letter writing campaign - led by Federation members to get across key concerns to MPs so that they give them the priority they deserve. The provision of long term care is popular with the public and yet the message has not been reaching MPs, as many of those who need NHS care are not in a position to campaign for it.

The Health Policy Forum
The Federation is facilitating a forum of organisations that want to develop and project policy ideas in support of the NHS. The forum will aim to involve NHS staff and the public through its publications, events and web pages. Initial members include the NHS Consultants Association, Association of community health council for England and Wales, the medical practitioners union and the think-tank Catalyst. The structure of the NHS, the progress of Primary Care trusts and the role of the private sector in the NHS are current issues for the forum.

Regional public debates
The Federation is supporting a number of regional public debates about the future of the NHS. The next will be in Canterbury to look at local views about the provision of healthcare for older patients. The Federation believes in promoting active citizenship and these events bring local people together with their politicians and decision-makers to look at the effect of national policy at a local level. They aim to support and enliven local networks of NHS supporters, to raise public involvement in the local planning of healthcare. Details are available from the Federation office 020 76330801 / paul@nhscampaign.org

Media information and comment Providing information and comment to the media is a regular part of the Federation's role. In the last year Channels 4 news, Five Live News, Panorama and BBC TV news were amongst those programmes to which it provided information. It appeared for the first time on the Nicky Campbell show and the Edwina Curry Late Night Curry Show on Five Live.

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