Dear member
As you may have heard on the national news there are many areas of contention with Patricia Hewitt, Health minister. As the pay award for health service staff is 1.9% over the next few months there will be a national demonstration on October 13th in London which will include civil servants and teaching staff.
More locally, the Sheffield Primary Care Trust is in the process of building up specialist nursing groups addressing the needs of chronic sufferers of coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive airways disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, falls etc to avoid hospital admissions. There has also been a corresponding reduction in district nurses with an overall joc loss of 25 nurses.
The Sheffield Care Trust has instigated a 3 month consultation over the proposal to move mental jealth services into a foundationtrust similar to that of the Northern General hospital. This brings the organisation one step closer to privatisation.
Finally at times when all these changes are taking place, the attendance at the working group has fallen. It has been suggested that the health working group merges with the Agewise Working Group. I would like your collective voice to determine the way forward.
Steve Cooke