Weavers Croft closure - a shameful decision

Weavers Croft, the inpatient centre for older people with mental health problems in Stroud is set to close along with units in Cinderford and Gloucester - read full Green press release here - this is a shameful decision which needs the strongest protest.

Labour have put more money into the health service than ever the Tories would have done - but the problem is not so much a question of how much money, but where it goes - the ever accelerating privatisation of our health service is destroying our NHS from within. Examples include Primary Care Trusts being forced to spend at least 10% of their budgets on private providers and the out-sourcing of NHS deliveries alone means privatising a 20th of the NHS in one go! Private companies have become more deeply entrenched in the health service than ever before, on a level that would have been unimaginable even under the Tories.

It is more expensive to deliver public services through the private sector because the private sector must make a profit for shareholders. Money is being sucked out of our NHS. The Green party is the only party to support the national campaign ‘Keep Our NHS Public’. Please sign their national online petition.

Cartoon: Reproduced by kind permission of Private Eye for the 'Keep Our NHS Public' campaign website. (www.private-eye.co.uk).