Health staff plan royal protests
3:50pm Sunday 20th January 2013 in News
HUNDREDS of staff who face losing their jobs in cuts at the Royal Bolton Hospital are planning to stage a protest when Princess Anne visits the town next week.
Unions have organised two demonstrations to coincide with the visit on Tuesday, when the Princess Royal will officially open the flagship health, leisure and research centre Bolton One and tour the maternity Centre of Excellence at the Royal Bolton.
The Trust is currently holding a 90-day consultation period over 500 job cuts as it tries to save £50 million over three years.
It is more than £12 million in debt and is being watched by the health watchdog Monitor for financial failings and poor governance.
Health unions and the staff under threat of redundancy, including nurses and other frontline staff, have planned protests at Bolton One and at the hospital.
Harry Hanley, secretary of staff side at the Trust, said the royal visit was “insensitive” and an “insult” to staff who could be losing their jobs.
He appealed to members of the public to join the protests and support the staff.
Mr Hanley added: “We know the hospital want it as a good news story but it is not a good news story for our members.”
A spokesman from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While we understand that staff are worried about posts potentially going, it is a pity that the Staff Side has chosen to demonstrate at the same time as we have a royal visit.
“The visit is the official opening of the extended maternity unit and marks not only significant improvements in facilities for women and babies, but also the hard work by staff to make it happen.”
Comments(18)
honkytonk1
says...
10:06am Sat 19 Jan 13
Greedy Banker
says...
10:50am Sat 19 Jan 13
A spokesman from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While we dont care that staff are worried about posts potentially going, it is a sign of their concerns, and, an indication of our incencitivity towards them that we have chosen to waste more public money on a a royal visit when they are worried about the financial security of themselves and their families and the access to A&E for the members of the Bolton Community.
Citizen Cane
says...
11:42am Sat 19 Jan 13
These are the harsh realities and not the visit of a member of a royal family that receives excessive public handouts (you missed that one too).
oftbewildered2
says...
11:47am Sat 19 Jan 13
Undetectableman wrote:norovirus is NOT solely a hospital acquired infection - it is carried in the same way as 'coughs and sneezes'. Unfortunately those in hospital possibly have a lowered immune system so are more susceptible to catching it from visitors etc. Same as c.dif - which is spread by those who do not wash their hands after visiting the lavatory. It breeds in the gut and on faeces. So anyone not strict with their personal hygiene can carry it and so spread it. You don't have to be ill to be a carrier.
Good for the Staff !!!!
take every opportunity to publicise what's going on here, as no doubt some of those dignitaries on the bandwagon that day will be directly responsible for the financial debacle that the Hospital Trust are now in... not to mention the norovirus outbreak
georgethebrave
says...
12:12pm Sat 19 Jan 13
Kaewyed
says...
1:15pm Sat 19 Jan 13
What really annoys me is the Millions that are paid to the EU every week from the UK. A report undertaken by an Independant Audit Company states that the said monies would pay for more NHS Staff, Schools, etc. etc. and help pay off the National Debt. We also receive less back than we pay in.
It would also help If they stopped sending Family allowance to Immigrants country of origin, Millions in fact. Also all the Millions for Overseas Aid, to which some countries Economy is on the rise. Look at at the Families in the UK that are struggling in the UK because of All these Austerity Measures.
"Charity Begins At Home", as you know.
boltonnut
says...
1:18pm Sat 19 Jan 13
Puffin-Billy
says...
8:08pm Sat 19 Jan 13
The vested interests listed below will ensure that our poiticians do the bidding of private health companies, private insurance companies, and of course the pharmaceutical industry.
It is the job of the Nuffield Trust, Monitor, and propaganda machines such as 'Healthier Together' to push through these so-called reforms.
Wait five years and I will be proved right; and here's why.
As of May 2012 over 200 parliamentarians had financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare at the time of the Health and Social Care bill being debated and voted on in both houses.
1 in 6 Labour Peers and 1 in 6 Crossbench Peers have financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare.
79% of MPs who have links to companies involved in private healthcare are Conservative.
333 donations from private healthcare sources totalling £8.3 million have been gifted to the Conservative Party.
Two companies, part of a venture capital group in the private health sector, have donated a total of £970,000 to the Liberal Democrats since 2004.
Last but not least are the 23 organisations which make up the NHS Partners Network, which was formed in 2005, to provide a voice for private health companies, seven of which have financial connections to MPs, Lords or former MPs.
Monitor, who appointed David Wakefield as NHS Trust chairman at Bolton, claim that their role is ‘...the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts.’ I would argue that Monitor is far from being independent.
An internal memo written by NHS Partnership Network director, David Worskett reveals that both he and Monitor chief, David Bennett met during the Health bill 'pause' under the auspices of the free market think tank, Reform.
I think it is more than a coincidence that David Bennett was a former senior partner at a company who were the architects of the £20bn so-called ‘savings’ that are now decimating our NHS.
I believe that our NHS defines and marks Britain out as a caring and civilized nation.
I also believe that nothing less than a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience is now capable of saving our NHS from the vested interests of a morally bankrupt political elite.
Puffin-Billy
says...
8:09pm Sat 19 Jan 13
The vested interests listed below will ensure that our poiticians do the bidding of private health companies, private insurance companies, and of course the pharmaceutical industry.
It is the job of the Nuffield Trust, Monitor, and propaganda machines such as 'Healthier Together' to push through these so-called reforms.
Wait five years and I will be proved right; and here's why.
As of May 2012 over 200 parliamentarians had financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare at the time of the Health and Social Care bill being debated and voted on in both houses.
1 in 6 Labour Peers and 1 in 6 Crossbench Peers have financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare.
79% of MPs who have links to companies involved in private healthcare are Conservative.
333 donations from private healthcare sources totalling £8.3 million have been gifted to the Conservative Party.
Two companies, part of a venture capital group in the private health sector, have donated a total of £970,000 to the Liberal Democrats since 2004.
Last but not least are the 23 organisations which make up the NHS Partners Network, which was formed in 2005, to provide a voice for private health companies, seven of which have financial connections to MPs, Lords or former MPs.
Monitor, who appointed David Wakefield as NHS Trust chairman at Bolton, claim that their role is ‘...the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts.’ I would argue that Monitor is far from being independent.
An internal memo written by NHS Partnership Network director, David Worskett reveals that both he and Monitor chief, David Bennett met during the Health bill 'pause' under the auspices of the free market think tank, Reform.
I think it is more than a coincidence that David Bennett was a former senior partner at a company who were the architects of the £20bn so-called ‘savings’ that are now decimating our NHS.
I believe that our NHS defines and marks Britain out as a caring and civilized nation.
I also believe that nothing less than a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience is now capable of saving our NHS from the vested interests of a morally bankrupt political elite.
were doomed
says...
9:44pm Sat 19 Jan 13
to be fair Princess Anne is the ONLY royal I have time for & if you think she will be interested in a few morons protesting GET REAL
macauley
says...
10:47pm Sat 19 Jan 13
were doomed wrote:could not have put it better myself......doomed.
Having been one who has had the unfortunate displeasure at having to sit in A&E for hours on end when its not busy I reckon shut it down or get staff that want to work not just walk around `looking busy` thank god for my private insurance to be fair Princess Anne is the ONLY royal I have time for & if you think she will be interested in a few morons protesting GET REAL
duggy313
says...
10:49pm Sat 19 Jan 13
JOHN HIGHAM
says...
11:26am Sun 20 Jan 13
The reality bites and hard, All this is down to halfwits being given the purse to spend on what they wanted to spend a load of money on without having a brain that was able to look at the true picture of what was being spent...... Massive wages for themselves no more cleaning at the hospital`s so the bottom line is "you get monkeys to run the spending at the hospitals and you`ll end up all eating peanuts and now because MY TAXES have all been wasted on some halfwit wanting a great massive wage we the people that NEED the hospital from time to time have been told that we all need to book-in for us all falling ill and the people that do mabage to get run over need to phone to see if his wages have been paid and that the halfwit has left any money for a drunken driver to mount the kerb and run you over......... Firstly the bigest idiot started at bolton hospital then he went to bolton council surely you people with a small bit of sense have realised that the major problem is sat still taking a great massive wage at your expense.............
Beyond News Forum
says...
11:40am Sun 20 Jan 13
A £2-million security nightmare from all angles. Hey it will be money well spent along with a lavish dinner for all councilors at the top.
Sod the Royal's... I wonder what the percentages are of people who do not even want to see those southerners here?
Mind you Bolton is a sh*thole, maybe she can go home with some great holiday snaps and show her friends in government and family at dinner time?
All's well that ends well... *coff* BS!
glovebox1
says...
11:15pm Sun 20 Jan 13
Get rid of the politicians and the Royals and the immigrants and have a successful business running this country, stop millions being sent to other countries, we are in desperate need of money here.
Cut massive pay-outs to top toffs.
Most people can run this country better than those who are running it into the ground.
GO FOR IT STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE!!!
smiley_mad
says...
8:28am Mon 21 Jan 13
hoboh2o
says...
6:31pm Tue 22 Jan 13
duggy313 wrote:And Labour get off scott free? Read where our Labour led local mob have spent taxpayers money;
Unsustainable spending?!!! really, funny how is it was only unsustainable after a world wide banking collapse. Then the labour government had a great recovery program where growth was at 2.2 percent and rising, we wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for this vile Tory government and it's puppet liberals. This is their ideology to carve up the NHS they sold everything else off in the 80's now they have finally got to the health service. And I suppose when there is more on the dole queue they will return to turning the classes on each other as they have done for the past 2 Years. I'm sick to death of hearing labour being blamed for the economy when at present we have a disgusting trio in charge, the murderer IDS, His puppet Cameron and Gideon Osborne, THEE worst post war chancellor and that is fact.
"Residents have complained that a lot more facilities seemed to be funded in Queen’s Park (which happens to be in the Ward represented by the Leader of the Council). We asked the question and discovered that over the last 6 years £545,000 had been spent in Moss Bank Park. Over the same period, £4,276,000 had been spent in Queen’s Park"
Nearly £5 million on two parks!!!
Go on tell everyone thats down to the tory government as well.
Don't trust any of them they all lie when we get the chance to vote on that other big money spinner (for some anyway) Europe faith maybe restored.
Undetectableman says...
9:36am Sat 19 Jan 13
take every opportunity to publicise what's going on here, as no doubt some of those dignitaries on the bandwagon that day will be directly responsible for the financial debacle that the Hospital Trust are now in... not to mention the norovirus outbreak