As grassroots campaigners, we care about the NHS and we know that our friends, families and the general public are fast becoming aware of the profit-seeking private companies operating behind the blue logo that we all trust as a standard of excellence, equality and world class care. 

Our NHS has been betrayed by the political process over the last 25 years, introducing crippling Private Finance Initiative (PFI) debt, handing over public buildings to private developers, endangering staff and patients through unsafe and unfair contracts, downgrading medical training standards and allowing American health insurance industry ethics to be ingrained in our NHS culture. No party has clean hands in this process. 

The move in 1948 to create the National Health Service was a brave, visionary political decision and the NHS remains the most important political issue affecting the public and generations of voters of the future.

This Thursday, 28th January 2016, the House of Commons will discuss a Private Member’s Bill which has already had its first reading and a debate in the House of Lords. The bill has been proposed by Norman Lamb MP (LD) ex-Health Minister in the coalition government which created the Health & Social Care Act (2012) and is supported by Stephen Dorrell (ex Cons MP and Health Minister), who caused a scandal as Chair of the Independent Health Select Committee during the coalition government in accepting an appointment with KPMG and Alan Milburn (Lab) ex-Health Minister who is an adviser to PwC and is Chair of the European Board of Bridgepoint Capital which has investments in Care UK.

The bill’s apparent aim is to take a neutral stance on the NHS and aim for cross party consensus. In the current political climate and with these champions for its cause we feel this is far more likely to be a move towards validating calls for charges and co-payments, which the government dare not propose directly itself. 

Time after time Royal Commissions and international comparisons have shown that public health systems are cheaper, more cost effective and deliver better care than privately provided ones. 

Only a return to a fully publicly funded, owned, managed and accountable comprehensive health service will restore the public trust in the NHS and our political system. 

We, the undersigned NHS campaigners, are extremely concerned that the Bill for the Commission is misleading at best, and deceitful at worst. 

We urge MPs who are concerned about the interests of the public rather than the private health sector to refuse support for this Commission.

Signatories:

• Lord David Owen, former Health Minister
• We Own It - Public Services for People Not Profit (weownit.org.uk)
• Keith Venables and Tony O'Sullivan, Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) Co Chairs, for KONP (nationwide)
• National Health Singers Choir  (nationalhealthsingers.co.uk)
• Dr Jacky Davis, Co founder, KONP
• Dr Clive Peedell, Consultant clinical oncologist, Leader of National Health Action Party (NHA)
• Yannis Gourtsoyannis. of BMA Junior Doctors Committee
• Dr Louise Irvine, Chair, Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign
• Caroline Molloy, Editor, OurNHS OpenDemocracy
• Steve Carne, Acting Chair 999Call for the NHS
• Jo Land, Secretary, 999Call for the NHS
• Dr John Lister, Information Director, London Health Emergency
• Ivan Monckton, Unite the Union Executive Council
• Dr Alex Scott-Samuel, Co-Chair, Politics of Health Group
• Dr Ron Singer, Chair, Doctors in Unite and delegate, Health Campaigns Together
• Dr David Wrigley, GP, KONP member and NHS campaigner
• Greg Dropkin, NHS activist
• Defend Whittington Hospital Coalition
• Defend our NHS York
• Keep Gloucestershire's NHS Public
• Calderdale 38 Degrees NHS Campaign Group
• North Kirklees NHS Support Group
• Protect Children's Community Health Partnership (Protect CCHP), Bristol
• Hackney KONP
• Leeds KONP
• Dr C. Jones, Hon. Secretary, City & Hackney BMA Division
• John Hamilton, Campaign Coordinator, Lewisham People Before Profit
• Gail Ward, DPAC North East
• John Lipetz, KONP (co-chair 2007/8-2015), Socialist Health Association
• Joan Stewart, Committee member: Oxfordshire KONP, (Personal capacity)
• Deborah Harrington, campaigner, 999Call for the NHS
• Dr Bob Gill, GP, Kent Save Our Local Hospitals Campaign
• Ivy Beard, campaigner, The Save Chase Farm Group
• Judith Joy, member of 38Degrees Airedale, founder member of 38Degrees Skipton and Keighley groups, KONP, Save our NHS, NHA, and any other group fighting to reinstate the NHS via the NHS 2015 bill
• Naveen Judah, Councillor and Healthwatch Chair
• Richard Rodgers, on behalf of the Common Good party
• Shirley Murgraff, campaigner, KONP
• Aislinn Macklin-Doherty, NHS doctor, BMA rep, KONP campaigner.
• Trevor Hyde, Retired GP and founder member SOS NHS - South Derbyshire
• Jessica Ormerod, Maternity Rights campaigner
• Rosemary Hedges, Calderdale 38 degrees NHS Campaign Group “I do not trust these politicians to protect the NHS. A Commission will be a stitch up for the privateers.”
• Polly Ash. Keep Our St Helier Hospital (KOSHH)
• Elly Wakeling, NHS Primary Care Pharmacist and NHA supporter
• Clare McIntyre, Parent, Registered Nurse and Health Visitor, Labour party and KONP (Mersey) member
• Marcus Chown, Science Writer, NHA supporter
• Katherine Horner, 999Call for the NHS Calderdale and Kirklees
• Sue Childs, KONP campaigner Durham
• Judith Wright, NHA supporter
• Peter Hart, NHA supporter
• Sacha Ismail, Momentum NHS
• Anne Rattray, Save Barts campaign, KONP and others
• Hannah Basson, Unite Gloucester and District Health branch (personal capacity)
• Roseanne Edwards, Health Journalist
• Rosie Butterworth, Community Matron. “I am signing on behalf of myself, as both a user and provider of rapidly diminishing services. This incredible public institution needs major support, and should stay in the public purse”.
• John Drewery, 38 degrees activist, West Yorkshire
• Peter English, Public Health England
• Jim Moores, Social enterprise owner
• Liz Hubbard, GP
• Nicholas Csergo, KONP
• Jane Teather, NHA supporter
• Jinny Fisher, NHA supporter
• Philippa Zielfa Maslin, KOSHH
• Anne Jeavons, NHA supporter, Clinical Psychologist
• Dr Win Tadd
• Dr Veronika Wagner, NHS doctor and patient
• Paul Wills, NHS admin staff, Aintree
• Jane Street, clinical psychologist, mental health
•  Kathryn Kennedy, Biomedical Scientist, Pathology Lab Manager, Belfast.
• Jeremy Drake NHA supporter Shoreditch
• Garry Smith, NHA supporter
• Adam Vaughan, ambulance controller
• Jennifer Davies, nurse
• Dr Tania Scotland, NHS Doctor A&E
• Jane Clark, Rehab Psychiatrist
• Matthew Cand, Protect our NHS member
• Jo Ritson, Welfare rights worker & 999Call for the NHS campaigner
• Sophie Noori, NHS worker
• Carla Ramsay, NHA supporter
• Julia Nelki, NHS child psychiatrist of 30 years
• Vicki Young, NHA supporter
• Sean Orchard, NHA supporter
• Gill Morling, Staff nurse
• Isla Dowds “this is fundamental change - stop sneaking about behind people's backs and destroying the NHS ethos”
• William Quick, UNISON Concord Health Communications Officer
• Paul Summers , NHA supporter
• Carl Walker, NHA supporter
• John King, Grateful parent & husband for two lives saved by OUR NHS & NHA supporter
• John Oliver, Retired mental health nurse
• Maggie Eisner, Retired GP and NHA supporter
• Claire Copple , NHA supporter, 999Call for the NHS campaigner, NHS worker
• Kai Ren Ong, consultant clinical geneticist, Birmingham Women's Hospital
• Glen Hughes, Fighting 4Hartlepool Hospital
• Alan Booth, Green councillor
• Barbara Dresner, Tameside Keep Our NHS Public
• Sarah Connor, CAMHS consultant psychiatrist
• Julian Hughes, “I am a carer for my disabled wife and rely heavily on our NHS”
• Wendy Senior, Dewsbury KONP campaigner, Happy Memories Dementia Support Group
• Dessie Aresti - Dietitian - Kings Mill Hospital
• Dr Jamie Keough, Anaesthetic Registrar, Liverpool
• Dr Lisa Linpower
• Nicki Raymondo, District Nurse, Berks
• Anita Roy MBChB, FFPH, KONP campaigner
• Jonathan Maytham, 38 degrees
• Lynda Barker
• Maureen Yaffey, NHS campaigner
• Tony Llewellyn
• Maria Carmen Garrido Montoya  “A supporter of the NHS as a public service out of private companies”
• Peter Claydon, North Kirklees NHS Support Group
• Netti Pearson, campaigner against local closures and the 'success regime', North Devon
• Jenny Shepherd, 999Call for the NHS Calderdale & Kirklees
• Paul Cooney, Huddersfield Keep Our NHS Public
• Mike Hart, KONP campaigner
• Jan Kelly, Support Stafford Hospital
• Angela Hughes, (Admin) for Fighting4Hartlepool Hospital (affiliated with 999callfortheNHS)
• Neti Blackwell, campaign to save Art Therapy dept in Calderdale , ex NHS
• Patricia Foley , Dewsbury KONP campaigner, West Yorkshire
• Lol Barnes. Support Stafford Hospital, Service user and ex employee
• Gillian Crane, Town of Hartlepool Challenge. Fighting for Hartlepool Hospital
• Judith Joy ,38 Degrees Skipton and Keighley
• Toyin Adeyinka, Save Lewisham Hospital campaign
• Kevin Donovan, Defend Our NHS
• Jenifer Devlin , North Kirklees NHS Support Group
• Sandra Ash, KOSHH and KONP campaigner Sutton
• Prue Plumridge, Maldon Essex
• Michael Anthony Rees, NHA supporter
• Ronne Randall,
• Pat Thorpe, local NHS campaigner, Huddersfield
• John Sweeney , Ucatt
• Susan Brown “Also a taxpayer and paid NI for 50 years”
• David Spence
• Geoff Lee
• Nicola Avery
• Jeff Crowe
• Hilary Hunt ME15 0EA
• David Pratt 'born a few months after the NHS'
• Nicky Cowan Labour member
• Bob Corrick, Harleston
• Helen Mercer, Lewisham KONP campaigner
• Sara Petronijevitch, NHA supporter
• Bernice Ancill NHA supporter
• Michael Nelki, NHS campaigner
• Frances Jones, Edinburgh
• Hilary Price, NHA & KONP member
• Dr Sebastian Kramer, London
• Susan Brooks, NHS campaigner
• Alan Horne, NHS campaigner
• Bruce Bould, NHS campaigner
• Theresa Bould, NHS campaigner
• Derek Gould, NHS campaigner
• Michael Lomax, NHS campaigner
• John Harris, NHS campaigner
• Brian Wood, NHS campaigner
• Hazel Wood, NHS campaigner
• Jerry Wright, NHS campaigner
• Sue Sulis, NHS campaigner
• Prue Handley, NHS campaigner
• Cathy Winch, NHS campaigner
• Patrick Zentler-Munro, NHS campaigner
• Denise Bretherton, NHS campaigner
• Nicholas Brown, NHS campaigner
• Roger Gartland, NHS campaigner
• Dr Shabnam Ghazi-Noori, NHS supporter, worker, user
• Mark Edwards NHA supporter
• Tony Bates, NHS campaigner
• Dawn Gibbs, NHS campaigner
• Dr Joe Kent, NHS campaigner, Devon
• M.A Parker, , NHS campaigner
• Dr Nigel Speight, Durham
• Walter McLean, Edinburgh
• Carol Lindsay Smith, KONP campaigner, NHA supporter
• Mel Crowther, Edinburgh
• Ria Fraser, Somerset
• Jay Keating
• Naomi Tillotson-Keating
• John Goymer, Management Assessor, Derwentside College “The NHS is this country's finest achievement, it IS affordable and I demand that it is made a priority of any UK government”
• Gary Trigg
• Tim Smith, NHS doctor
• Jen Williams
• Rhonda Miller, NHS user
• Steve Woodhams, NHA supporter
• Frank Page
• Janette Flynn
• Maureen Forgione
• Melinda Ashton, NHA supporter, “taxpayer, NI payer, NHS patient, access to a free health care system is fundamental to a fair & equal society, govt does not have a mandate to break up & sell-off our NHS.”
• Andrew Wragg, NHA supporter
• Vivienne Brown
• Penny Bennetts
• Lorraine Evenden, Labour & Society of Friends member
• Chris Rothery, NHA supporter
• Dr Jill Austin, NHS
• Sharon Avraham
• Merril Hammer, Save our Hospitals Hammersmith and Charing Cross
• Jim Grealy, Save our Hospitals Hammersmith and Charing Cross
• Martin Bailey, Theatre Projects
• Eddie Thomas
• Harry Scullion, 38 degrees
• Nigel Burtt
• Jenny MacDonald
• Kelly Reilly, Student Nurse “OUR NHS - HANDS OFF”
• Anita Theresa Davies, Retired nurse, NHA supporter.
• Tom Newman - 3rd year medical student
• Peter Sullivan, NHA supporter and NHS patient
• Dave Ash, former NHA candidate
• Viv Dawson, Organiser, 38 Degrees Skipton
• Joan Ramsden
• Geoff Small, Support Stafford Hospital
• Diane McInnes “Health and social care should be not for profit”
• Linda Tovey
• Jools Bishop
• Jasmina Ljuhar
• Naomi Beer
• Cam Stocks, medical student, NHS activist
• Ken Webb
• Debbie Lightbody
• ave Whittaker
• Anthony Johnson,  Student nurse, NHS Bursary Campaign organiser
• Rowenna Fielding, “I support this letter. As an Information Governance officer within the health/social care profession, I have een for myself the damage that PFI, outsourcing to private firms and unnecessary competition that previous policies have wrough.”
• Gemma Pike·
• Jaine Ellis
• Matt Hinton
• Adele Jagucki, Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
• Valerie Cox, NHA supporter, “ I support this letter. As a supporter of NHA, and a long serving GP, I have witnessed the ccelerating destruction of the NHS and wish to make the public more aware of the underhand tactics being used to this end.”
• Richard Marston.
• Alice Findlay
• Becky Bigglestone
• Graeme Watson
• Dena Moore
• Ash Brown
• Isabel McNab
• Michael Galvin
• Shirley Buchanan, Retired NHS Nurse, NHS user “Took early retirement after being made redundant whilst working for NHS”
• Bernadette Lynn
• Brian Preece, Stockport NHS Watch
• Joanne Stevens
• Christopher Cheatle, NHA supporter, retired social worker and social work manager “The Commission is an unhelpful even angerous way forward for the NHS which should remain wholly in the control of the Public via 100% public funding, free at the point of delivery”
• Philip Day
• Ben Hansen-Hicks
• Paul Harrison, “I donated a kidney last year and the NHS were wonderful”
• Shaan Patel
• Tuhin Bathia
• Nicola Kitchin, Tameside KONP campaigner
• Jane Sowler, Labour Party.
• Clive Savage
• Paul Edmonds, Patient, father and member of NHA Party
• Helen Greaves, Patient and carer
• Dave Simpson, Patient & NHA supporter
• Liam Singleton
• John Heywood, retired GP
• Fliss Hawksworth, National Health Action Party
• Dave JW Day, Retired MH Nurse and grateful patient of the NHS.
• Liam Jordan
• Robert Ruane, heart transplant recipient
• Derek Eaves
• Carole Ford
• Michael Coulston
• Phil Hogarth
• Penny Tindall
• Charlotte Warne - patient
• Sharon Prendergast,Nurse, patient and mum
• Marion Judd, retired healthcare professional
• Stephen J Davis NHS user
• Ian Evans BMS ( Biochemistry)
• Samantha Iles, NHS volunteer and service-user.
• Edward Taylor Grateful NHS user
• Patricia Duncan, retired NHS medical secretary
• Caroline Lewis, parent,patient and carer
• Maia Hough, NHS mental health services user
• Lisa Gilliland
• Ian Rosario
• Sue Ferrar, “Nurse practitioner with over 30 years service in the NHS and have experienced the disastrous results when service are taken over by for profit organisations!”
• Tim Davies
• Brigitte Schneeloch, Lifelong NHS doctor, KONP NorthEast campaigner
• Patty Linfoot
• Sandra Devine, Green Party member, mother of a nurse and grandmother to a newborn.
• Susan Hails
• Steve Jansen
• Jenny Syrett
• Sheri Robins
• Matthew Northwood, Medical Student
• Charlotte Beard
• Jenny Howell BSc Ost Med DO. ND, The Heath Osteopathic Practice
• Amanda Wright
• Jan Dodds
• Sue Morris -  born just before the start of the NHS
• Lucy Evans, Nurse
• Brian Simons
• Anna Meris, student nurse and activist
• Susan Simmonds
• Allyson Aujla, RGN.
• Jane Street, Clinical Psychologist, mental health.
• Les Morgan
• Rob J Wills
• Brian Heselden - “The NHS has saved my life twice, once in 1948”
• John Lee
• Rob Corrick
• Michael Townend
• Dave Cogan. “Cured of cancer by the NHS last year”
• Howard Sprange
• Sarah Lepley NHS user and supporter. “I would not have 3 beautiful daughters without it.”
• Alison Whalley
• Nasser Khan
• Nathan Batchelor
• Peter Jarrett
• Su Billington “Mother to a 33 yr old, whose life was saved by the NHS when aged 14 & tutor to adults with difficulties, home arers, ids and the retired whose constant praise of the NHS I hope never to stop listening to.”
• Tracy Kimpton·Julie Green
• Jayne Barker·Anoop Shah
• Nessie King - carer and disability and carers rights campaigner.  
• Helen Thomas
• Kate Watson, working for patients and for the NHS in a variety of posts since 1981.
• Brendan Page, Chartered Physiotherapist, Liverpool.
• Ella Burton
• Gill Brown
• Maureen Vilar
• Nicky Cowan
• Phoebe Spence “need a declaration of interests by these disingenuous people. Why did Norman Lamb promote the Health and Social Care act?”
• Jayne Hornby,
• Dominique Payne
• Vikki Scott
• Sean Sansom, BA, BN, RGN
• Roy Nelson
• Craig Farlow NHS campaigner with 999Call for NHS and Peoples Vote for NHS, Completed The March for NHS 2014.
• Cath Plummer
• Olwen Britton
• David Pearce signed as a person who has worked in both NHS and private healthcare in the UK (and has seen the dangers to atients of putting profit before patients in the private sector)
• Susan Marsh
• Rose Moss
• Paul Green, Retired NHS Manager “I do not trust the government to protect this service which is the envy of the world. rivatisation will leave so many people beyond the reach of a caring service”
• James Twiss
• Fiona Dent, sign the proposed letter as a'300 miler' of the Jarrow to Westminster March 2014 to stop NHS privatisation, an ex enior Health and Social Care Commissioner, a member of the 'Save Heatherwood Hospital Campaign' and a full tax payer, takeholder and funder of the NHS since the age of 16
• Jonathan Elliott 300 milers on march for NHS, Green Party member, Canterbury & Whitstable Stop the Cuts
• Ben Makin
• Barbara Campbell, 999Call for the NHS and Nurse
• Louise Shiers, "Registered General Nurse (RGN) since 1994, still working on the front line and witness to it being destroyed for profits against the will of the huge majority of the British public”
• Jane Parker
• Helen Somerset
• Pat Munday
• Carl Barrett
• Kate Hulbert
• John Daintree, Basingstoke, NHS User.
• Frances Rush
• James Leven
• Alan Johnson
• Marie-Clare Ellington
• Janet Bayly
• Richard Hayter
• Rita Cheatle
• Ian Ralph Huckin
• Dr Christos Tzivinikos, Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist
• Pat McKenna
• Marjorie Arnold
• Geoff Dunbar NHA supporter
• Sarah Wheelies, NHA supporter
• Dr Adam Moliver, Cheltenham, NHA supporter
• Marilyn and Terry Knight, Wantage, NHA supporter
• Lilie Edmunds, NHA supporter
• David Hurry, NHA supporter
• Jenny Howard , NHA supporter
• Peter Hogan, NHA supporter
• Steve Hughes, NHA supporter
• Dr Jonathan Dare, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist (retired), NHA supporter
• Tim & Debbie Boyce, Lymington, NHA supporter
• Charles Holmes, Coventry, NHA supporter
• George & Joyce Schlesinger, NHA supporters
• Keith Wilson, Aylesbury, NHA supporter
• Alan Kembery, NHA supporter
• Maurice Hodges, Cambridge, NHA supporter
• Richard Burnham, NHA supporter
• Johanna McAllister, NHA supporter
• Kelley Reilly, student nurse, East Sussex, NHA supporter
• Jane Tooke, Woking, NHA supporter
• Elizabeth Runnacles, NHA supporter
• Andrew Simmonds, Simmonds Mills Architects & CEO of the Association for Environment Conscious Building, NHA supporter
• Joanne Warren, Oxford KONP campaigner and NHA supporter
• Paul Bowness, NHA supporter
• Sheila Dawkins, NHA supporter
• Jenny Goodhand, NHA supporter
• Karen Chilvers, NHA supporter
• Carla Pawsey, NHS supporter
• Neil Harvey, Reigate, NHA supporter
• Anne Jones, NHA supporter
• Daniel Curtis, NHA supporter
• Trevor Learoyd, NHA supporter
• Jane Opher, NHA supporter
• Sarah Forster, Family Law Barrister, Grays Inn, London, NHA supporter
• Colin Corkerton, NHA supporter
• Willard Balthazar, NHA supporter
• Jo Taylor, Buckingham, NHA supporter
• Peter Bennell, NHA supporter
• Penny Cheetham, NHA supporter
• Arthur Collins, NHA supporter
• David Gaw, NHA supporter
• Adam Tickner, NHA supporter
• Claire Forward, NHA supporter
• Amber Ravenscroft, NHA supporter, NHS user
• Robert McGoldrick NHA supporter
• Carole Reeves, Durham, NHA supporter
• Tricia Astle, NHA supporter
• Natasha Sivanandan
• Andrew Thomas, Company Director, NHA supporter
• Andrew Brown, Birmingham
• Barry Selwood
• Ian Barker
• David Shaughnessy, retiree and lifetime user of NHS, NHA supporter
• Dr Anne Summers, NHA supporter (Wellcome Trust Research Fellow 1986-1989), NHA supporter
• Brian Taylor
• Tony Corbin
• Tim Oates
• Jane Hale
• Maurice Barker
• Thelma Jakes
• Matt Wells
• Celia Kelly
• Theo N de Bray “Lifelong NI & tax payer.”
• Alison Cotterillp