Statement in regard to the Minister of Health's White Paper on the establishment of "A National Health Service."
1944 1944 1940s 18 pages sabotage the scheme, then all trade unionists should seriously consider the question of effectively ending the Voluntary Hospitals' system by withdrawing their voluntary contributions; by refusing in any and every way of participating in those charitable appeals for...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
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[1944]
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/A90AD2FD-1EA1-405F-A8ED-A2E876B7FAA9 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/F92BAA31-8D7B-496A-B795-E5D65D621D40 |
| Summary: | 1944
1944
1940s
18 pages
sabotage the scheme, then all trade unionists should seriously consider the question of effectively ending the Voluntary Hospitals' system by withdrawing their voluntary contributions; by refusing in any and every way of participating in those charitable appeals for financial assistance, and demanding the complete and immediate absorption of the Voluntary Hospitals by the State or Local Authorities, so as to ensure their complete participation in the National Health Service for the general good of the community. 4. In a recent letter to the Press, Sir Bernard Docker, Chairman of the B.H.A. amplifies the foregoing statements. He says:- Each extended area should have a council representative of the local authorities, voluntary hospitals, doctors and APPROPRIATE ancillary services, which should be a statutory body charged, among other duties, with planning hospital and consultant services for the area. At the centre there should be appointed a body, similarly composed, to advise the Minister in order to ensure the necessary measure of general co-ordination and the maintenance of uniformity of standards. Provision for contacts between the local authorities, the voluntary hospitals and the profession within the sub-divisions of the area would doubtless be necessary, but I believe that this does not necessitate the establishment of 'joint authorities' and that there are other ways by which this co-operation could be achieved. The effect of the White Paper proposals would, in my view, bring about conflict and confusion ...... There is at lease [least] one other important point. The plan's final form must be so conceived that the incentive of the public to continue their support of the voluntary hospitals, both with money and personal interest and service, must not be DESTROYED but actively ENCOURAGED. The Medical profession has supported the Government's view that it is essential to any comprehensive health service that the voluntary hospitals should go on. It is of great importance that there should be no doubt in the public mind on this point or as to the contribution which these hospitals are able to make. (Daily Telegraph - 30th June, 1944) 5. It is now abundantly clear as to the machinations of two strong organisations (The B.H.A. and the B.M.A.) in a determination to sabotage the whole scheme unless the vested interests they jointly represent can obtain full control of the proposed new Health Services at the expense of the democratic demand of the people that the control should be vested in them. The people will have to provide the majority of the money required for the maintenance of such services. The services should belong to the people, not to the B.M.A or the B.H.A. If the hospitals were run by the State or the Local Authorities, there is no reason whatsoever why the "incentive of the public to continue their support of the State Hospitals, both with money and personal interest and service" should be destroyed. If the hospitals belonged to the people this alone should provide a greater incentive than controlled by members of the medical profession solely for their own ends or by individuals who have no public responsibility whatsoever in discharging their functions. 18
292/847/2/43 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |