Amicus to lobby Parliament
3rd January 2006
The RCSLT is urging members to take part in the Amicus health sector lobby of Parliament from 10am - 1pm on 10 January 2006.
Amicus is campaigning against plans set out in Commissioning a Patient-led NHS, which it says will fragment the delivery of services currently provided by PCTs.
The union is also encouraging its members to distribute campaign postcards from its regional offices to every workplace.
According to Amicus, the build up to the lobby comes at a critical time.
"Ministers and backbenchers will be forming their views in relation to the general direction of the White Paper from now until its publication in the week starting 9 January," Amicus says.
Amicus has invited the RCSLT to support the lobby. The RCSLT is using its management networks to obtain feedback, establish key messages and identify examples of where funding cuts and vacancy freezes are impacting on service delivery.
These will feature on the RCSLT website. If you have any information or opinions, email: kamini.gadhok@rcslt.org or sharon.woolf@rcslt.org
Meanwhile, RCSLT CEO Kamini Gadhok organised talks between the Allied Health Professions Federation (AHPF) and the NHS Confederation, representing NHS organisations, on 12 December.
Ms Gadhok said the talks were very useful and potential actions arising out of the meeting include:
- A letter to be written to Minister of State for NHS Delivery Lord Warner, outlining the importance of having AHPs in place on the new PCT boards
- A joint briefing by the NHS Confederation and the AHPF to all NHS CEOs. A seminar would inform the development of the briefing
- An NHS Confederation conference for senior PCT staff in April. The meeting agreed in principal to run a workshop on AHPs
- A possible joint event between the NHS Confederation and the AHPF in 2006