London PPCs ask Tories and Lib Dems to support NHS bill tomorrow

The private members bill, put forward by Clive Efford, which hopes to “halt the rush to privatisation and put patients rather than profits at the heart of our NHS” will be voted on by MPs tomorrow in the House of Commons.

Ahead of this vote, the 38 Labour parliamentary candidates in London seats  have written an open letter (the full text of which can be found below) asking the Tory and Lib Dem MPs holding the seats they’re hoping to win next May, to vote in favour of the bill. In their letter, the PPCs point out that London’s health service “is in crisis” and that as this is a cross-party issue, party politics should be put to one side.

This letter comes as figures from Parliamentary Questions have been released, showing that the number of cancer patients in London receiving treatment within 62 days has fallen by more than 4% since 2010, while A&E waiting times are on the rise.

It’s not just PPCs who are voicing their support for the NHS – to show solidarity with campaigners who will be sleeping outside Parliament before the bill is voted on today Labour’s Shadow London Minister, Sadiq Khan, is going to attend an all-night vigil tonight. 

We’ll be reporting on the vote, and will let you know the outcome.

The Full text of Letter from 38 London Labour parliamentary candidates to current MPs

London’s health service is in crisis.

Our Accident and Emergency units are at breaking point, with patients in North-West London facing the longest waiting times in the UK.  London’s hospital trusts are struggling under the weight of crippling debt.

Ambulance response times are soaring and the service is increasingly reliant on expensive private ambulances. The number of cancelled operations has rocketed and cancer treatment times have increased. The situation is unsustainable and the future of London’s NHS is in real jeopardy.

To fix London’s NHS crisis we urgently need to invest more in extra doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals.  We need to restore NHS values by putting patients before profits. We need to bring together physical health, mental health and social care into a single service to meet all of a person’s care needs.

Saving London’s NHS should be a cross-party issue that MPs of all parties can support. It’s Londoners’ biggest concern, and they are demanding action. On Friday, Parliament has the chance to vote on the issue. A bill will be debated that will change the way NHS services are tendered. It will allow us to end the scandal of millions of pounds of tax payer’s money being wasted on competition lawyers, rather than being used to help patients in London. We are backing the bill, and we call on all London MPs to do the same.

Yours sincerely,

Labour’s parliamentary candidates in London:

Will Martindale – Battersea

Neil Coyle – Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Sarah Jones – Croydon Central

Joan Ryan – Enfield North

Tulip Siddiq – Hampstead and Kilburn

Andrew Dismore – Hendon

Sarah Sackman – Finchley and Golders Green

Catherine West – Hornsey and Wood Green

Ruth Cadbury – Brentford and Isleworth

Rupa Huq – Ealing and Central Acton

Wes Streeting – Ilford North

Dawn Butler – Brent Central

Uma Kumaran – Harrow East

Matthew Pennycook – Greenwich and Woolwich

Sam Gould – Romford

Bambos Charalambous – Enfield Southgate

Chris Summers – Uxbridge & South Ruislip

Vicky Foxcroft – Lewisham Deptford

Amy Trevethan – Chipping Barnet

Alex Sanderson – Chelsea and Fulham

Lee Godfrey – Kingston and Surbiton

Bilal Mahmood – Chingford and Woodford Green 

Sheila Boswell – Putney

Emily Brothers – Sutton and Cheam

Helen Hayes – Dulwich and West Norwood

Stefano Borella – Bexleyheath and Crayford

Siobhan Tate – Carshalton and Wallington

Rod Abouharb – Kensington –

Ibby Mehmet – Old Bexley and Sidcup

Emily Benn – Croydon South

Paul Mcgeary – Hornchurch and Upminster

Michael Borio – Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner

Nigel de Gruchy – Orpington 

John Courtneidge – Bromley and Chislehurst

Andrew Judge – Wimbledon

Nick Grant – Twickenham

Sachin Patel – Richmond Park

Nik Slingsby – Cities of London and Westminster