NHS for Beginners- Seminar Friday 18th Jan

The Socialist Health Association (a campaigning group and an affiliated society to the Labour Party) is inviting trade unionists and others to a seminar to explain how we can get more involved in their  NHS.

The NHS For Beginners project is intended to help more people get involved in their local NHS. Most people have very little idea about how the NHS is organised. We plan to run classes across England directed at people who are not currently involved in the NHS.

What is the NHS exactly?
If we want to defend it what are we defending?
How could we defend it?

There are various opportunities for lay people to be involved in the running of the English NHS.

• There is local Healthwatch – to be launched in April 2013.
• You can be a member, or be elected as a Governor, of Foundation Trusts.
• Local councils have increasing involvement in the running of the NHS, taking over Public Health responsibilities in April 2013 and establishing health and wellbeing boards as well as the existing Health Scrutiny arrangements.
• Clinical Commissioning Groups have various arrangements for involving patients and the public, and so increasingly do local GP practises.

This seminar will consider what the possibilities for using these mechanisms to defend the NHS .  It will take place at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton, from 2-4pm. There is no charge, but you must book.

Click here to learn more and book your place.
More information can also be found by downloading the UNISON guide to influencing the new NHS