9 May 2017

Green Party promises to end 'privatisation experiment' in the NHS

*Government is putting our NHS through ‘a cruel form of shock therapy’

 

The Green Party will today (Tuesday 9th May) promise to 'end the privatisation experiment' in the NHS and pledge to give the health service a 'cash injection'.

The co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, will outline her response to the 'healthcare emergency' in a speech outside St Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight later today.

Lucas will spell out her party's plans for ending marketisation in the NHS to ensure that the health service is 'fit for the challenges of the twenty first century'. She is expected to attack both Labour and the Liberal Democrats for using their time in Government to inflict what she calls the 'pain of privatisation' onto the NHS. But she will focus her fire on the Conservatives who she will say are putting the NHS through a 'cruel form of shock therapy' leaving the patient weaker and on the verge of collapse.

The Green Party's NHS spending plans will be paid for through progressive taxation outlined in their manifesto. The funding Gap is estimated to be around £30bn.[1,2]

Lucas will give her speech outside of St Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight, which was placed in special measures earlier this year after the CQC rated the trust as Inadequate.

Throughout this week the Greens will unveil further healthcare plans including specific announcements on mental health and dentistry.

Speaking on the Isle of Wight, Lucas will say:

"A confident and caring country is one where we provide people with the healthcare they need, free at the point of use. That's why my party is today promising an end to the pain of privatisation that has been inflicted on the NHS by Labour, the Lib Dems and the Conservatives. We will give the NHS the funding it needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

"The current Government is putting our NHS through a cruel form of shock therapy - leaving the patient weaker and on the verge of collapse.”

"The Green Party will reverse this race to the bottom on health provision and reinstate our health service to make it a world leader. Indeed if you look at the record of all of the other major parties it's clear that only the Green Party can be trusted on protecting the NHS."

ENDS

 

Contact: Matthew Butcher on 07885 459 904 or clucasmedia@parliament.uk

 

[1] https://fullfact.org/health/nhs-black-hole-size-funding-gap-2020/ The NHS funding gap is around £30bn. The current Government has pledged to spend an additional £8bn on healthcare and find £22bn of efficiency savings. Experts believe that such savings cannot be made and that additional spending on the health service is required.

[2] The Green Party’s tax plans will be set out in their manifesto. It’s expected to include higher corporation tax for big business, increased income tax for the better off and changes to inheritence tax.

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