SOSiS have been busy during July. Since our emergency NHS meeting in Staines in June we have attended the national demonstration in London on 1st July called by the People's Assembly Against Austerity. We marched with the Truth About Zane contingent, reaffirming our support for the family's campaign for truth.
We then spent all day Sunday 2nd July at the Staines Fire Station Open Day collecting signatures on the petition to save Spelthorne's fire services from cuts. We now have over 1,200 online and almost 2,000 written signatures to hand in to SCC. Closing date is mid-august so please sign if you haven't already.
On 5th July, we supported Surrey UNISON members collecting signatures on a giant birthday card to the NHS from the TUC and Health Campaigns Together at St Peters Hospital in the morning and then at the NW Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) AGM in Woking in the afternoon.
On 14th July we supported the UNISON lobby of SCC Adults and Health Select Committee over the proposed cuts in health services in Surrey.
Our next meeting will be another public showing of the film 'Sell Off' about the cuts, closures and privatisation of the NHS. A venue is being sought in Spelthorne for a showing at the end of August. Watch this space.
Photos and reports from all the above activities have been posted on our FB page https://www.facebook.com/SOSinSurrey/ and on the Surrey UNISON FB page https://www.facebook.com/SurreyUNISON/. 
We will also post a selection here.

Just a brief update from our emergency meeting last night (called in repsonse to threatened cuts to key services within Ashford and St Peters Hospitals.
This was a good meeting, called at short notice. Representatives of the Labour, Green, Socialist and Lib Dem parties were present, along with a representative from Ashford North Residents Association and concerned local residents.

There was a long discussion around proposed local NHS cuts and how they link in to national cuts, closures and privatisation as part of the Susainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) aiming to cut £22billion from health services by 2020.

Under fairly immediate threat are:
* the Blanche Heriot (genito-urinary and sexual health) Unit at St Peters - a petition to save the unit can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/keep-blanche-heriot-unit-at-st-peter-s-hospital-open
* the childrens neurological unit at Ashford Hospital (supporting nearly 2,000 local children with autism, ADHD and other neurological conditions). The service is due to close and be reprovisioned in August.

It was agreed to support two events for now, with the possibility of calling emergency meetings or protests where necessary:

Friday 14 July - UNISON lobby of Surrey County Council public health scrutiny group meeting (Adults and Health Select Committee) at 9.30am (meeting starts at 10am), County Hall, Kingston KT1 2DN.
To Be Arranged - a showing of the film 'Sell Off', produced by concerned NHS professionals warning that the NHS we know and love may not make it to its 70th birthday next year due to cuts, closures and privatisation. You can also view the film on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ultKvnw2h3Q

If you use facebook you can like our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/SOSinSurrey/

We also have a Spelthorne Residents Against Austerity FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1956682377952141/

Trade Unionists wanting to hear about the growing fightback against austerity can come to the National Shop Stewards Network conference on 1st July: http://shopstewards.net/activate/events/

For those interested - there is also a meeting of the North West Surrey Clinical Commissioning Group where questions can be asked about local services.

NORTH WEST SURREY CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The North West Surrey CCG will hold its Annual General Meeting at the HG Wells Centre, Church Street East, Woking GU21 8EW on Wednesday 5 July 2017 between 12.30 and 3.00 pm. 

Everyone is welcome to attend to hear about the work of the CCG, its achievements in 2016-17, the annual accounts and plans for the financial year.
 
Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be available from 12.30 pm and there will be a wide range of information displays to view in the marketplace.
 
For more information and to register to attend please phone on 01372 232463 or emailComms@nwsurreyccg.nhs.uk


-- 
Kind regards


Paul Couchman
Secretary, Save Our Services in Surrey
www.sosis.org.uk

​This week could see a remarkable change in society or it may end with a promise of more of the same cuts, closures and privatisation we have seen over the past few years.

It was against this backdrop that we held our 2017 AGM and showed the film 'SELL OFF' on 30 May about the wholesale destruction and sell off of our beloved health services. This was a well attended, lively and optimistic meeting which ended by pledging to redouble our efforts to protect the public services we need and cherish.

Please see attached brief notes from the meeting.

Next date for your diary (apart from voting on Thursday): 14th July at 9.30am - the Public Sector trade union UNISON have called for a Lobby of the Surrey County Council Adults and Public Health Select Committee at County Hall in Kingston over proposed cuts to public health services and social care through the STP programme. More details soon.

The petition to save the Blanche Heriot Unit at St Peter's Hospital can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/keep-blanche-heriot-unit-at-st-peter-s-hospital-open 

If you have not signed the petition against cuts in Spelthorne Fire and Rescue Service please do so here by 4 July. This will be discussed at the SCC Cabinet on 18th July: https://petitions.surreycc.gov.uk/SaveFireService/ 

Blanche Heriot Unit at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey has been serving the people of North Surrey for 25 years but is now threatened with closure. The Unit provides services in sexual health, HIV and other areas of genito-urinary medicine with some 15,000 attendances in 2016. These include patients with other health issues such as vulva/genital dermatology, cancer and pre-cancer and chronic pelvic pain.  In addition to the clinics held at the Blanche Heriot Unit itself, clinics are held every week in 5 local prisons and at Royal Holloway, University of London. The Blanche Heriot Unit also provides inpatient HIV services at St Peter’s and works closely with the neonatal unit.
The Blanche Heriot Unit is currently run by Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust but is now caught up in a contract jointly commissioned by Surrey County Council and NHS England for sexual health and HIV services in Surrey. There was only one bidder for this contract - Central & North West London NHS Trust (CNWL). CNWL have committed to run the Surrey contract at a saving of £2million per annum over 3 years. CNWL have indicated that they will not be retaining services at the Blanche Heriot Unit but have given no indication as to how these services will be provided elsewhere to the same high standard and level of accessibility. The contract was due to start on 1 April 2017 but CNWL have already run into problems in the “mobilisation” stage causing Surrey County Council to extend the existing services at the Blanche Heriot Unit by six months.
However this is only a temporary reprieve. The Unit, and the services it provides, remain under threat. The decision makers in this process have not engaged with, or consulted, the patients who depend on the Blanche Heriot Unit.
This is your opportunity to ensure that the patient voice is heard. Sign & share the petition. Write to your MP. Make the case for the Blanche Heriot Unit and its dedicated, expert staff to continue to serve the people of North Surrey.
If you would like to get more involved with the campaign contact them on bhupatients@gmail.com
Thank you for your support.

Click here to sign their petition

​Just a brief update on activities and an appeal to all candidates in the forthcoming County Council elections.

We will be holding another street stall on Saturday 22 April in Staines from 11am till 1pm. We will be campaigning against fire service cuts and in defence of the NHS.

We have affiliated to Health Campaigns Together (HCT) and will be looking at coordinating local activities with their national campaigns. Saturday July 1st is a date to put in your diaries as a national day of action in support of Our NHS. You can find out more about HCT here: http://www.healthcampaignstogether.com - including how you can get your union branch or tenants association to affiliate.

Given the recent announcement regarding Shepperton Health Centre, we may decide to arrange a meeting or protest around this issue too. See more here: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/shepperton-health-centre-at-risk-12801474

We have made contact with the Keep Our St Helier Hospital campaign and may well arrange some joint activities with them: https://koshh.org

Last but not least, Dr Bob Gill (high profile doctor campaigning against cuts and privatisation in the NHS) will be coming to our AGM in Woking on the evening of 30th May to talk about his film "Sell Off", which we will be showing at the event. We would really like a large turnout for this so please put 30th May in your diaries, tell your friends and colleagues - particularly those who work in, or who care passionately about, the NHS.

I have a copy of the DVD and I am happy to come and show it at trade union branches, clubs, tenants associations etc. It is only an hour long and is a real eye opener. Just let me know.

County Council election Candidates - please have a look at our election charter - http://www.sosis.org.uk/our-charter.html. If you agree with the 10 points listed and promise not to support any cuts to jobs, services, pay or terms and conditions of staff if elected, please let me know and I will add your name as a signatory. Please include your full name, the party for whom you are standing and the electoral district you are standing in.

SOSiS are planning to be active throughout the election period (we have a number of activists who are candidates for a range of parties - Labour, Greens and TUSC, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) but we campaign together against the cuts. 

Almost every available Spelthorne firefighter and several from across Surrey joined Fire Brigade Union (FBU) reps, other trade unionists and anti cuts activists outside Spelthorne Borough Council (SBC) last night (23 Feb) in Staines. They were at a lobby organised by Save Our Services in Surrey (SOSIS) calling for a commitment from SBC to stand up against Surrey County Council and defend the current fire service provision of two whole-time, fully crewed fire appliances in the borough. 
The lobby was part of an ongoing campaign by SOSIS which has seen large public meetings, a demonstration of 200 at Staines fire station, a growing petition and a lively day of action in Staines High Street on 18th Feb. Our campaigning had already led to a u-turn over the planned immediate closure of Staines fire station. 
Until now, we had the support of the firefighters, the FBU, Labour, Green, Lib Dem and Socialist Parties, in a united call for NO CUTS in fire service provision.
This sadly appeared to change at the council meeting last night.
Labour councillor Susan Doran had a motion on the agenda, due to be seconded by Lib Dem Ian Beardsmore. This motion would, if passed, clearly commit Spelthorne to a no-cuts position in terms of the fire service - a position unanimously agreed by campaigners. Doran even stopped to speak to the protesters on her way in to the meeting asking us all to stay for the meeting and to 'back me up'. Neither Doran or Beardsmore nor any other councillors actually attended the lobby.
The council meeting got off to a bizaare start. A handful of Tory councillors used the 'minutes' section of the agenda to announce they were leaving the Tory Party and joining Ukip! Allegations of bullying and intimidation by the ruling Tory group flew around the chamber and the animosity between the defectors and their ex-colleagues was palpable.It was like a nest of vipers, biting at each other.
Then came the important motion - what the vast majority of the packed public gallery had come to hear. Cllr Doran moved the motion. The Tories had prepared an amendment which took out the specific call for both fire appliances to be fully staffed - effectively neutering the motion. Doran and Beardsmore were asked if they would accept this and... they agreed! This was nothing less than an abject betrayal of the firefighters and the people of Spelthorne who had put their trust in these individuals to lead the charge against the cuts. 
This fiasco shows how important it is to elect principled councillors who will stand firm against the cuts. Many were saying, after the meeting, that SOSIS should stand anti-cuts candidates themselves. This is something we may have to consider though many of the Surrey trade union affiliates may need convincing if this was to be the case. 
​
And from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
At the Spelthorne Borough Council Meeting on 23rd February, a motion calling for maintaining two fire engines in the Borough if the plans to build a new fire station go ahead, was agreed.
This was an improvement on the Surrey County Council decision taken in 2014 to replace the two existing 24/7 Whole-time crewed fire engines at Staines and Sunbury, with one Whole-time and one On Call in proposed new fire station at Fordingbridge. SCC made its 2014 decision in total disregard to the responses it received to its own Public Consultation, to which 92% of the responses demanded no reduction in fire and emergency service provision within the Borough. Importantly, the provision of the On Call fire engine was subject to the viability of recruiting sufficient On Call fire fighters which has since proved unachievable without extending emergency response times by approximately 12 minutes. Hence, the second fire engine option has since been dropped.
So the agreed Spelthorne Borough Council positon, was a step forward as it gave no option to cut the second fire engine under any circumstances.
The original motion was proposed by the Lib Dems to Spelthorne Borough Council but it was extremely disappointing to then witness the Lib Dem’s and Labour councillors accept an amendment from the Tories which removed the requirement in the original motion, for both fire engines to be crewed 24/7 with immediately available Whole-time crews, which was a U-turn on their position they told the campaigners they were supporting outside the council chambers immediately prior to the meeting taking place.
“Party political bun fighting is certainly not a recognised, robust or risk based approach to community safety or to secure emergency fire and rescue service provision.”
The final decision will now be made by Surrey County Council in March where we hope to see councillors do right by their communities, rather than capitulating to the Tory cuts driven majority. 
The FBU urges residents to consider prior to the elections in May, if they want councillors who will stand up for their communities rather than ones that lack the strength of character to stand their ground in council chambers.

The campaign continues. Our petition is still live and can be found in the article below. 

around 30 activists from Labour, Greens and the Socialist Party joined SOSIS campaigners in Staines High St on Saturday, 18th Feb, collecting over 500 signatures on the Fire Service petition and giving out 1,000+ flyers for the lobby on Thursday 23rd at 6.30pm outside the council offices in Knowle Green, Staines.