Keep Our NHS Public

Keep Our NHS Public is a British pressure group campaigning to prevent privatisation and marketisation of the National Health Service. The organisation engages in public demonstrations, legal challenges, research dissemination and media advocacy to influence policy debates around the National Health Service, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and commissioning by Clinical Commissioning Groups. It works alongside trade unions, patient groups and professional bodies to contest contracts, procurement and policy changes affecting NHS services.

History

Keep Our NHS Public emerged in 2005 amid debates over the Health and Social Care Act 2012, drawing activists from campaigns against foundation trusts, primary care trusts and Strategic Health Authorities. Early activity intersected with protests connected to Labour Party policy disputes, alliances with Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, and collaborations with community organisations in response to reforms associated with Andrew Lansley and the coalition government led by David Cameron. The group mobilised around high-profile episodes such as disputes over services in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and rural campaigns in Cornwall and Cumbria, often engaging with legal cases invoking principles from NHS Constitution debates and advocacy highlighted during the tenure of Theresa May. Keep Our NHS Public responded to procurement practices influenced by European Union directives prior to Brexit and later engaged with issues following the Brexit referendum, framing concerns in relation to policies debated in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Campaigns and Activities

The organisation has campaigned on hospital closures, Community Health Service contracts, and the role of private providers such as private equity-backed firms and multinational corporations in delivering NHS-funded care. Campaigns have included protests coordinated with Unison (trade union), GMB (trade union), and Unite (trade union), public meetings featuring speakers from Doctors for the NHS and patient advocates from Healthwatch England, and legal challenges invoking procurement rules debated in cases heard in the High Court of Justice. Keep Our NHS Public has published briefings that reference analyses by King’s Fund, Nuffield Trust, and The Health Foundation, and has campaigned against specific contracts awarded to firms with links to companies like Serco, Capita, and private hospital groups associated with Spire Healthcare. Activity includes lobbying MPs across constituencies, canvassing during general elections involving figures from Labour Party (UK), Conservative Party (UK), and Liberal Democrats (UK), and contributing to coalition actions alongside organisations such as BMA and Royal College of General Practitioners.

Structure and Organization

Keep Our NHS Public operates as a loose federation of local groups with a national coordinating body that organises conferences, research briefings, and coalition-building efforts. Local branches in cities like London, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Brighton and Hove work with local campaigners, hospital staff, and councillors from parties including Labour Party (UK) and Green Party of England and Wales. The organisation’s network includes volunteers, campaign officers, legal advisers and communications teams who liaise with journalists from outlets such as The Guardian, BBC, and Channel 4 News to publicise actions. Funding and resource models have involved donations, membership subscriptions, and support from affiliated organisations such as union branches and community groups active in public health debates associated with Public Health England initiatives.

Political Positions and Advocacy

Keep Our NHS Public advocates for a fully publicly funded, publicly provided health service, arguing for statutory protections similar to provisions debated in the NHS Act 2006 and contesting market-oriented reforms epitomised by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The group supports reinstating direct commissioning by NHS bodies rather than competitive tendering, aligning with policy positions promoted by some members of Labour Party (UK) and policy platforms associated with think tanks like Compass (organisation). It opposes expansion of the role for private providers such as international healthcare corporations and consultancies like McKinsey & Company in NHS management, while campaigning for reinvestment in community services championed in policy discussions involving NHS England and Integrated Care Systems. Keep Our NHS Public has issued policy recommendations addressing workforce planning, referencing concerns raised by Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, and academic research from institutions like London School of Economics.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have accused Keep Our NHS Public of oversimplifying complex procurement law debates, clashing with NHS management teams and some commissioners over transparency and accountability in processes overseen by bodies such as NHS Improvement. Opponents including advocates for market reform and private provision, and commentators writing for outlets like The Telegraph and Financial Times, argue the group sometimes underestimates efficiency arguments made by consultants from firms such as PwC and Deloitte. Internal disputes have arisen in some local campaigns over strategy and engagement with elected officials from Labour Party (UK) and independent community representatives; legal challenges pursued by the group have at times been dismissed in courts including the Court of Appeal (England and Wales). Debates continue with patient organisations and think tanks such as Institute for Government over evidence interpretation and policy trade-offs in health services funding.

Category:Health advocacy groups in the United Kingdom