Useful documents and leaflets etc.

• Petitions
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  Please download and print these blank petition forms to gather signatures from your friends, family and colleagues etc.

  No to Downgrading of South Tyneside Hospital (PDF)

  No to Closure of Urgent Care Centres at Bunny Hill, Houghton and Washington (PDF)

• Leaflets / Posters
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  Leaflets and posters to download, print and distribute:

  Current

  • 30th June 2018 | Information Leaflet Save Our Hospital Services - The Fight is Still on to Save Essential Children's A&E, Maternity and Stroke Services - Whilst the Fight to Save Other Acute Services (including A&E) is About to Start (PDF)

  • 7th September 2016 | Information Leaflet What's Happening To Our NHS in England? (PDF)

  Expired

  • 26th November 2018 | Event Leaflet Taking Our Fight to Save Our Hospital Services into the Court (PDF)

  • 16th February 2018 | Event Leaflet Save Our Hospital Services - Lunchtime Vigil Outside Our Hospital (PDF)

  • 14th October 2017 | Event Poster March to Save Hospital Services (PDF)

  • 14th October 2017 | Event Leaflet March to Save Hospital Services (PDF)

  • 15th September 2017 | Event Leaflet Save Our Hospital Services - Hedworthfield Public Meeting (PDF)

  • 21st July 2017 | Event Leaflet Save Our Hospital Services - Brinkburn Public Meeting (PDF)

  • 21st July 2017 | Event Poster Save Our Hospital Services - Brinkburn Public Meeting (PDF)

  • 14th January 2017 | Information Leaflet Save Our Vital Hospital Services - Save Our NHS (PDF)

  • 22nd October 2016 | Event Leaflet March to Defend Our Hospital - March for the NHS (printable) (PDF)

  • 22nd October 2016 | Event Leaflet March to Defend Our Hospital - March for the NHS (PDF)
• Newsletters
  - 

  Periodical newsletters published by the campaign:

  Newsletter No.1 April 18th, 2017 (PDF)

  • Now is the Time to Defend Our Hospitals and Our NHS
  • Briefing On Northumbria, Tyne & Wear and north Durham Sustainability and Transformation Plan
  • The Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign and the Building of an Unstoppable Movement

  
• Press Releases / Open Letters
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  • 13th November 2018 | Press Release
    SSTHC Request Evidence of “Unanimously Backed Plans” for the merger of South Tyneside Health Care Trust with City Hospitals Sunderland. (PDF)
    “...it was pointed out at the meeting of SSTHC that a survey conducted by Unison in the Hospital registered overwhelming opposition to the merger and far from “broad understanding” staff were really concerned about the impact on the services they provide in South Tyneside.”
  • 25th September 2018 | Press Release
    Response to Announced Merger Between STFT and CHS (PDF)
    • - The Trusts are avoiding their responsibility to properly consult
    • - The timing of the merger is not a coincidence. It will facilitate the 'Path to Excellence'
    • - This is a precursor for staff transfers into the Sunderland-based arms-length private company 'Choices'.
    • - This is not a merger but a takeover.
    • - The misleading concept behind this takeover is that of the Trusts being 'stronger together'.
  • 21st August 2018 | Press Release
    Green Light For Judicial Review In Fight To Save Local Tyneside NHS Hospital Services in North East (irwinmitchell.com)
    “Lawyers acting for a local campaign group have been given the green light to pursue their legal challenge against NHS Sunderland CCG and NHS South Tyneside CCG as they continue the fight to save South Tyneside Hospital.”
    Supporting Documents:
    

    • The Shields Gazette - Judicial Review Launched Over Transfer of Vital Hospital Services
    • The Sunderland Echo - Go Ahead for Legal Hearing Over Hospital Services Plan
    • The Chronicle Newcastle - Hospital Cuts to be at the Centre of Court Clash
    • The Journal - Boost to Legal Challenge to Hospital Cuts
  • 25th May 2018 | Press Release
    Lawyers Issue High Court Judicial Review Application In Battle To Save Local Hospital Services (irwinmitchell.com)
    “Following our instruction by the South Tyneside Hospital Campaign Group, we believe there are grounds for a judicial review of the decision taken by NHS managers at South Tyneside CCG and NHS Sunderland CCG on 21 February, and have issued proceeding at court.”
  • 21st May 2018 | Press Release
    Taking Our Fight to Westminster (PDF)
    “The Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign is taking a coach of supporters from South Tyneside and Sunderland to Parliament on Wednesday. We now have 40 booked on the coach, which is being supported by Unison South Tyneside health Branch. We will meet with our MPs and we hope also to meet with Jeremy Corbyn leader of the opposition. Also we will attend Prime Ministers Questions where Emma Lewell-Buck MP for South Shields has been drawn to ask a question on the hospital of the Prime Minister.”
  • 30th January 2018 | Press Release
    Crowd Justice Fund Target Reached (PDF)
    “The Crowd Justice fund of Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign reaches its target of £5000. On Monday January 29th the SSTHC Crowd Justice Fund reached its target of £5000. The crowd fund was launched on December 8th 2017. SSTHC Congratulates all who contributed to we have reached our target of £5000.”
  • 26th January 2018 | Press Release
    Response to Proposed Merger of South Tyneside Foundation Trust with City Hospitals Sunderland (PDF)
    “At its bi-weekly meeting on Monday January 22nd 2018 the Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign discussed the proposed merger between South Tyneside Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland.”
  • 1st January 2018 | Press Release
    Response to Phase-1 of Consultation Feedback Analysis Report (PDF)
    “The Chair of SSTHC said today we have submitted our response to the Phase 1 Consultation Feedback Analysis Report that is due by January 8th.”
  • 25th October 2017 | Press Release
    Announcing Letter to Chief Executive of South Tyneside Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland (PDF)
    “...Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign has sent a letter of complaint to the Chief Executive of the South Tyneside Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland. Contrary to what the article (October 20) reports the "Hospital bosses" as saying we have checked and the data related to South Tyneside Hospital's top 5 UK performance of the Accident and Emergency Service does include the good performance of the Children's' and Young person's A&E and reflects its good results.”
  • 8th April 2017 | Press Release
    South Tyneside Hospital Campaign (PDF)
    “The South Tyneside and Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have told us they are preparing to start consultation most likely in late May on the first phase of the consultation on the Clinical Reviews at South Tyneside Hospital.”
  • 1st January 2017 | Press Release
    SSTHC Calls on Everyone to Get Involved to Oppose the "draft" STP (PDF)
    “Everyone in South Tyneside and Sunderland should be very concerned about these latest top down plans of the government to wreck our NHS as a viable health service fully available to all. The government clearly want to complete its privatisation and introduce charging and that is why they are making such massive cuts to our acute services. Being able to access our acute and emergency services at our local hospitals is a right not a privilege. It is vital to the health and well-being of our populations and especially such vulnerable communities that we have in South Tyneside and Sunderland. Everyone must get involved to block these STPs.”
  • 22nd November 2016 | Press Release
    SSTHC Calls on Everyone to Get Involved to Block These STPs (PDF)
    “Far from being Sustainability & Transformation Plans, it is these plans that will create an unsustainable health service with people travelling further and further for even more diminishing NHS services. No one should sign up to these plans which are intent on wrecking our health service.”
  • 3rd November 2016 | Open Letter
    To Steve Williamson - Deputy Chief Executive (PDF)
    “The Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign is writing an open letter to you and other health and local authority leaders to call on you to release the Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STPs) that have so far been withheld from the public. We are greatly concerned about the impact on the provision of acute services and the Accident & Emergency services across South Tyneside and Sunderland as well as the whole NHS in our region.”
  • 3rd November 2016 | Press Release
    Call to Publish “Sustainability & Transformation Plan” for our Area (PDF)
    “Today the Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign has written to South Tyneside and Sunderland leaders of the Hospital Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Health and Well-Being Boards and Council leaders to call on them to release the Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STPs) that have so far been withheld from the public and that will impact on the provision of acute services, Accident & Emergency services across South Tyneside and Sunderland as well as the whole NHS in our region. NHS England is telling CCGs not to publish the STPs till NHS England has commented on them, and yet other authorities have published them in order to allow public and patient involvement.”
• Briefings
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  • 4th January 2018 | Briefing
    Response to the Draft Feedback Analysis Report of the Public Consultation Process of the “Path to Excellence” (PDF)
    “The first point is that all of the options are based on services being centred on Sunderland, the consultation being only on the extent of that centralisation that people prefer. This point of criticism is also made in the report. The second point is that the qualitative analysis, when people had time to think, highlights that most people did not want any of the options proposed and wanted current services. The report thus seems designed to confuse and segregate opinion.”
  • 22nd October 2017 | Briefing
    Briefing of the Save South Tyneside Campaign on the Public Consultation 5th July to 15th October 2017 (PDF)
    “The consultation on Phase 1 which started on July 5 2017 and lasts until October 15 2017 contains a number of options, all of which downgrade Acute Services at South Tyneside District Hospital (STDH). There are two options for Children and Young People's Emergency Services at the A&E which either downgrade this from a 24/7 service to a 12 hour service or to a 12 hour Nurse-led "Minor Injury or Illness" Service. For Maternity, there are two options, both of which end the Consultant-led Maternity Services at South Tyneside Hospital and close the Special Care Baby Unit. Also, it is proposed to end the Inpatient Gynaecology Service. There are 3 options for Acute Stroke Services but their stated favourite is already implemented. This removes all hospital-based Strokes Services from South Tyneside Hospital including hospital rehabilitation.”
    Supporting Documents:
    

    • Freedom Of Information Clinical Services Request (PDF)
    • Signed statement from staff at South Tyneside Paediatric Unit (PDF)
    • Letter from Ward Manager at South Tyneside SCBU (PDF)
    • Open letter from all staff at South Tyneside SCBU (PDF)
  • 5th December 2016 | Briefing
    Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign Briefing on Northumbria, Tyne & Wear and north Durham Sustainability and Transformation Plan (PDF)
    “The Northumbria, Tyne & Wear and north Durham Sustainability and Transformation Plan (NTWND STP) was finally released on November 9th as a "draft", with "local engagement" of 8 weeks from November 23, before the final plan will be released for "consultation" with the public sometime early in the New Year.
    
    This is a crucial time where, especially elected members may be expected to sign off a draft plan which will shape the whole future of health and services in South Tyneside and Sunderland before the first phase of the "clinical reviews" are put forward for consultation next year.”
    Supporting Documents:
    

    • The Autumn Statement - Joint Statement on Health and Social Care (PDF)
    • Monthly Delayed Transfers of Care Data, England, September 2016 (PDF)
    • Freedom of Information Request (PDF)
  • 28th October 2016 | Briefing
    STPs and why councils and councillors should not be supporting them. - A resource pack for councillors and campaigners. (PDF)
    1. Councillors must look before they leap into secret NHS cuts plans - by John Lister on Our NHS website, October 25
    2. STPs: new way to make cuts - articles from centre pages of Health Campaigns Together newspaper No.3
    3. Agreed statement from Challenging the STPs conference, Birmingham, September 17
    4. Draft motion to political parties, plus background explanation - by Carol Ackroyd, Keep our NHS public
    5. Template letter to councillors - campaigners in North Central London
    6. Open Letter to Leader of Camden Council - Camden KONP and campaigners
    7. STP campaign flyer, promoting petition - Unite the Union
    8. Presentation slides on STP - Unite the Union
    9. Teach yourself ESTPeranto - the bizarre language of STPs explained
    10. How to get details of your local STP - KONP
    11. Template for analysing STP plans - KONP
  • 5th September 2016 | Briefing
    Briefing on the Presentation of the Annual Report (2015-2016) at the Annual General Meeting of STFT (PDF)
    “South Tyneside Foundation NHS Trust (STFT) is holding a presentation of its Annual Report "highlight of the year 2015-2016" and financial statements on Friday September 9th 2016 at an Annual General meeting at the education centre in the hospital. The Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign is submitting its own briefing on STFS's annual report. The report points out that "emergency demand has increased at a time when resources have been under huge pressure" and it also [is] "recognising the outstanding level of care provided by our staff", which was highlighted in particular by the recent Care Quality Commission inspection. At the same time, whilst recognising the achievements of the clinical and non-clinical staff at the hospital and whilst recognising the important collaboration with community services and other hospitals - including City Hospital Sunderland (CHS) - the main thrust of the annual report is to take the hospital in a direction that, without any consultation with the people of South Tyneside and Sunderland, creates a so-called "alliance". This has been formed under one executive team led by the Chief Executive of CHS (which was also a hospital declared in deficit and financial difficulties in 2015). The whole direction of the report is that STFT is to be taken over by CHS and the people of South Tyneside will lose access to acute stroke, maternity, emergency surgery services in South Tyneside...”
• Evidence
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  The NHS has suffered a lot of damage through decades of incremental privatisation. This is a collection of documents that demonstrate the historic and ongoing intent to privatise. Most of the documents here will be available elsewhere on the internet, but we make them available below for your convenience.

  • National Health Service Co-Funding and Co-Payment Bill
    This bill was brought before the house of commons in 2018 by the Conservative MP for Christchurch, Christopher Chope. It was intended to increase the use of co-payments throughout the NHS, similar to dental treatments, eye tests and prescription charges. That is bad enough, but remember that every big leap of privatisation over the past two decades has started with a small step. This bill would open the floodgates to charging for everything from GP appointments to operations.
    A BILL TO Make provision for co-funding and for the extension of co-payment for NHS services in England; and for connected purposes.
  • MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
    How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally (PDF)
    It is common for politicians, right-wing think-tanks and other proponents of privatisation to paint marketisation of the NHS (and the introduction of 'Accountable Care Organisations' - the U.S. style health care model) as efficient, economical and therefore in the best interests of patients. The Commonwealth Fund (a private U.S. foundation that reports on health systems using its own data as well as that of other international organisations) has repeatedly reported that the U.S. health care model is broadly one of the worst in the world. While at the same time, despite massive and deliberate underfunding, under staffing and structural changes to facilitate further privatisation, the NHS ranks as one of the best health care systems in the world, therefore showing how harmful the free market is to public health provision. When politicians use 'efficiency' as a rationale for privatisation, or for structural change that will lead to privatisation of public services, it's fundamentally wrong.

    From the 2017 report:

    KEY FINDINGS: The U.S. ranked last on performance overall, and ranked last or near last on the Access, Administrative Efficiency, Equity, and Health Care Outcomes domains. The top-ranked countries overall were the U.K., Australia, and the Netherlands. Based on a broad range of indicators, the U.S. health system is an outlier, spending far more but falling short of the performance achieved by other high-income countries. The results suggest the U.S. health care system should look at other countries' approaches if it wants to achieve an affordable high-performing health care system that serves all Americans.

    From the 2014 report:

    The United States health care system is the most expensive in the world, but comparative analyses consistently show the U.S. underperforms relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. Among the 11 nations studied in this report - Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States - the U.S. ranks last, as it did in prior editions of Mirror, Mirror . The United Kingdom ranks first, followed closely by Switzerland.
  • Naylor Report - NHS Property and Estates (PDF)
    This is a report from March 2017 by Sir Robert Naylor, produced for the Secretary of State for Health (Jeremy Hunt) and backed by Teresa May in her 2016 general election manifesto pledge. It makes a case for selling off NHS property and estates, and suggests that 'incentives and sanctions' (financial coercion) can be used to persuade deliberately underfunded hospital trusts to sell their land and property. This report repeatedly talks about 'efficiency' in various contexts, but primarily to justify the sale of land and buildings, with some emphasis on the sale of land.
    Across all STPs, typically the majority of the opportunity comes from land efficiency rather than buildings efficiency. The detailed analysis for individual providers and STPs will be shared with the new shadow NHS Property Board, STPs and providers for validation and comment. We recommend that these benchmarks are used to inform targets for providers to improve efficiency and deliver property disposals.
  • Direct Democracy - An Agenda for a New Model Party (PDF)
    This is a book that was co-authored by Jeremy Hunt in 2005. It calls for the denationalisation of the NHS, and for it to be replaced with an insurance system. Other contributors to the book include Douglas Carswell (UKIP), and Conservative MPs; Michael Gove, Daniel Hannan, Greg Clark, David Gauke and Kwasi Kwarteng. This document is a work of pure propaganda or incompetence. It makes the prediction that by 2010 the NHS, due to its publicly run, publicly provided design, will be one of the most expensive health services in the world. As evidenced above, it remains one of the most cost effective. Public ownership and provision is the most efficient and safe way to provide health care, with an emphasis on care and not profit.
    ...In five years' time Britain will have one of the most expensive health services in the world, but one which still fails to meet public expectations. The problem with the NHS is not one of resources. Rather, it is that the system remains a centrally run, state monopoly, designed over half a century ago.
    ...Rather than a lack of resources, the reason for the NHS's poor performance lies in its structure. The NHS was designed over half a century ago, at a time of rationing and deep poverty. It was, and remains, a child of its time, conceived on the principle that the beneficent state should be a monopoly provider.
  • Britain's Biggest Enterprise (PDF)
    In 1988 MP Oliver Letwin co-authored a paper with John Redwood outlining the steps required to privatise the NHS. This document became the blueprint for the decades long process of dismantling the NHS in England. It gives an extraordinary insight into the minds of those people who seek to monetise health care. It is an easy read as it is relatively short, and says clearly what it means to say, discussing the fundamental reforms that would be needed to open a door into the NHS for profiteering.
    The range of options which needs to be considered is itself a matter for considerable debate. It should include as a minimum:

    1. Establishment of the NHS as an independent trust.
    2. Increased use of joint ventures between the NHS and the private sector
    3. Extending the principle of charging.
    4. A system of 'health credits'.
    5. A national health insurance scheme.
  • The Health of Nations (PDF)
    Also published in 1988 is this paper by the Adam Smith Institute (a neoliberal 'think-tank'), which outlines the steps needed to transform the NHS from a socialised system into an insurance based system.
• Gallery
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  This section brings together some photographs from our campaign work:

  • 1st August 2018
    LAfFalAnG Comedy Fundraiser
  • 14th July 2018
    134th Durham Miners' Gala
  • 5th July 2018
    NHS 70th Anniversary Dinner
  • 30th June 2018
    National March and Rally for #OurNHS70
  • 23rd May 2018
    Taking Our Fight to Westminster
  • 10th March 2018
    North East March and Rally for the NHS - 2018
  • 16th February 2018
    Hands Together for Our Hospital Services
  • 8th December 2017
    Protests Against Sudden SCBU and Maternity Closure
  • 14th October 2017
    South Tyneside March and Rally 2017
  • 7th October 2017
    Mini-March to Save Children's A&E
  • 15th September 2017
    Public Meeting at Hedworthfield Community Centre
  • 21st July 2017
    Public Meeting at Brinkburn Community Centre
  • 16th July 2017
    Thompson Park Fair, Sunderland
  • 8th July 2017
    133rd Durham Miners' Gala
  • 5th July 2017
    At the 'Path To Excellence' Consultation Launch Event
  • 1st July 2017
    South Tyneside Summer Parade
  • 12th May 2017
    Waiting for Teresa May at the South Shields Ferry Landing
  • 1st May 2017
    South Tyneside May Day Rally and Celebration - 2017
  • 4th March 2017
    National March and Rally for #ourNHS
  • 4th February 2017
    North East March and Rally for the NHS 2017
  • 3rd November 2016
    Call To Publish STP
  • 29th October 2016
    Final Rally of the 'Footprints' March organised by '999 Call for the NHS'
  • 22nd October 2016
    First March and Rally to Defend Our Hospital and NHS
  • 1st October 2016
    Prominent Signatories and Famous Supporters of our Campaign
  • 1st October 2016
    Jarrow March 80th Anniversary
  • 15th August 2016
    The First Public Meeting Organised By SSTHC