A new report by former Health Minister, Lord Warner, recommends charging people to see their GP, charging people for overnight stays in hospital, or even charging everyone £10 a month for NHS services. This could be the end of a free NHS as we know it and will hit the poorest hardest.

What's more, Lord Warner wrote the report in conjunction with Reform -- a free market think tank that is funded by private healthcare companies. The exact same companies who are set to benefit from this proposal. 

The Government has spent billions of pounds on "reorganising" the NHS in the last few years and now it is looking for more ways to raise cash -- don’t let it use this excuse to further privatise the NHS by the back door.

Tell the Government to reject the proposals: we don’t want a privatised NHS!

In the year before the General Election, the Government is paying close attention to public opinion -- it’s the ideal time to send a strong message to the Government that we won’t allow it to privatise the NHS.

Doctors and NHS staff are against the idea. Dr Ian Wilson, Chair of the British Medical Association called it "an NHS tax" which "puts us on the slippery slope towards the end of an NHS that needs to be, and should be, free at the point of use."

The Department of Health says it opposes charging patients, but acknowledges that there is "more pressure on the NHS" due to an ageing population. We need to make sure this policy doesn’t creep in as a cost saving measure, stopping the poorest people in our society getting the healthcare they need. 

Tell the Government to reject the proposals and keep the NHS free for everyone who needs it!

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For more information:

NHS users should pay £10 a month, says former health minister, Guardian, 31 March 2014

£10 each a month can save the NHS, Guardian, 31 March 2014