Our SHA

15/06/2024

https://sochealth.co.uk/2024/06/13/manifesto/ The Socialist health Association's take on the Labour Manifesto - health section.

Labour's 2024 manifesto. These are some quick comments on the Labour manifesto launch on the 13th June. We have focussed particularly on the 'Build and NHS fit for the future section' though. of course, health can only be fully understood in a broader social context so more will come.This manifesto....

23/09/2023

Unite takes strong independent stance in support of steel.

30/06/2023

Join us and top labour movement leaders to map out campaigning for the NHS.

Join us for the NHS 75 Conference, featuring campaigning NHS workers, union leaders, overseas workers, MPs, and we all who use the service. The event is backed by: Doctors in Unite, Keep Our NHS Public, War on Want, RMT and new endorsements are arriving daily. Speakers include Zarah Sultana MP, Ian....

25/06/2023

No bunting, no birthday cakes, the SHA will mark NHS75 with a conference to discuss how to defend the NHS and its founding principles. Please attend!

Join us for the NHS 75 Conference, featuring campaigning NHS workers, union leaders, overseas workers, MPs, and we all who use the service. The event is backed by: Doctors in Unite, Keep Our NHS Public, War on Want, RMT and new endorsements are arriving daily. Speakers include Zarah Sultana MP, Ian....

25/01/2023

20/01/2023

OurSHA leaders shoulder-to-shoulder with striking healthworkers.

20/01/2023

Ballots drop in the Socialist Health Association elections from the 20th January as the struggle for control of the organisation continues.

A couple of Labour’s most influential NEC members Luke Akehurst, and Gurinder Singh Josan CBE are leading the fight to rid the SHA of its “Momentum dominated national committee” and replace it.

“Moderates” we are assured, in a Labour First briefing, are keen to field candidates.

The SHA, one of Labour’s oldest and biggest affiliated socialist societies which helped advise on the formation of the NHS in 1948 has been the centre of bitter political struggle over the past few years. This is a reflection of the fight to defend the NHS.

Huge corporate interests would capture and control NHS higher structures, eviscerate, and repackage the NHS as a mere brand covering a mess of parasitic private services feeding from the public purse, dispensing reduced public services but healthy shareholder profit.

These corporations have bought some politicians and whole political parties in a process of corporate capture of the very structures of the state. Politicians clinging to the coat-tails of the corporations promote their clients staff to top positions in NHS administration. In South Africa such behaviour results in a prison sentence. Here it might result in a seat in the House of Lords.

The solution to the current appalling health crisis is NOT more involvement of health care companies who bring few, if any, staff. However the catastrophic privatisation and asset stripping of social care will, however, probably force even socialist politicians to pay way above the odds for additional social care.

This fate awaits the NHS without political action.

The current leadership of the SHA disagrees with Labour First, we struggle to see how a ‘moderate’ response to this situation is adequate. We remain absolutely committed to the founding principles of the NHS.

The SHA is very proud to work with a group of principled MPs and councillors in Labour in the fight to defend the NHS. To win we need to build the broadest alliance across the labour movement and among NHS campaign groups. We want you to join the SHA. Together we will win.

Please join the picket lines and protests of working people and back the OurSHA team in coming elections.
"Socialists for a publicly owned and provided NHS. Reinstate the NHS!"

Mark Ladbrooke Chair of the SHA 2022-2023

11/01/2023

The 'independent' pay review body was always appointed by the government and accepted their remit on affordability of pay settlements - they never considered the affordability of the cost of living for the workers.

Health unions won’t be submitting evidence to the NHS pay review body (NHSPRB) for the next wage round while the current industrial disputes remain unresolved.
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https://unitelive.org/nhs-pay-review-body-long-passed-its-sell-by-date/

10/01/2023

Nominations have now closed for the SHA AGM 2023. Ballots are soon to be sent out.

Reminder: Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the SHA will take place on Saturday 4th February 2023 from 10.30am – 13.30pm. The term of office of the current nationally elected Officers, Vice Cha…