To: The Prime Minister and the Secretary Of State for Health and Social Care 

We, the undersigned, call on you to stop the privatisation of the NHS and stop private companies monetising and destroying our National Treasure.

The NHS is a cherished institution that provides free, universal and high-quality health care to everyone in the UK at the point of need. It is based on the principles of solidarity, equity and democracy. However, for decades successive governments have been dismantling the NHS through various forms of privatisation, such as outsourcing, contracting out, marketisation and commercialisation. These policies have resulted in:

• Wasting billions of pounds on bureaucracy, fragmentation and profiteering. 
• Reducing the quality, safety and accessibility of health services.
• Eroding the rights, pay and conditions of NHS staff.
• Exposing the NHS to foreign competition and trade deals that could lower standards and increase costs.
• Threatening the future sustainability and viability of the NHS as a public service.
• The Health and Care Act 2022 is only accelerating and deepening this process of covert privatisation. The Act:
• Gives more power and control to private companies and unelected bodies over the planning and delivery of health services.
• Removes the legal duty of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide a comprehensive health service throughout England at the point of need.
• Allows private providers to access NHS data and assets without proper safeguards or accountability.
• Reduces public scrutiny, transparency and participation in health decision-making.
• Undermines the integration and collaboration of health and social care services.
• Will lead to a two-tier health system where those who can afford it get better care than those who can’t.

We believe that these changes are unacceptable and dangerous. They are harming the health and well being of millions of people who rely on the NHS. They also betray the legacy and vision of those who founded and built the NHS as a public good for all.

We urge you to take action to stop the privatisation of the NHS. We believe that the NHS is a vital public service that must be protected. We call on you to commit to the following:

• Stop the privatisation of NHS services.
• Repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2022, which has further paved the way for the privatisation of the NHS and is clearly failing to work for the good of the nation.
• Restore the legal duty of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide a comprehensive Health service, at the point of need, for all our citizens.
• Invest in and expand the NHS and ensure that it has all the resources it needs to provide high-quality care to everyone at the point of need.
• Ensure that NHS staff are respected, fairly rewarded and supported in their vital work
• Remove the need to employ the services of external private health companies by developing, growing and maintaining all the necessary functions and services needed, in-house. 

We believe that these measures are essential to protect the NHS and to ensure that it remains a public service for the good of all and something we can all be proud of.