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Samantha Wathen

@SamanthaJWathen

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Press/Media Officer for @keepnhspublic and @frontline_19 Occasional bylines on the NHS. Passionate about mental health support for HCPs. Views my own.

Valley Fields SE21
Joined April 2014
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
Thirteen years in power and they've managed to take the NHS from independently ranked the best in the world, to this. What an act of state vandalism. 500 avoidable deaths every single week. I'd say govt should be ashamed, but that would suppose that they actually give a toss.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
Genuinely clueless why we're even having this debate. Apparently it's totally unreasonable in the 6th richest world economy to pay people saving our lives £21 an hour so we can continue to have a functioning health service. And yes, it really is THAT simple. #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
I'm in A&E. A junior Dr & HCA have spent 90 mins making sure my petrified child had an essential injection, and honestly I'm in tears. The level of compassion, patience and dedication is truly humbling. Treasure your NHS, fight for it like your life depends on it; because it does
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
Have converted my lifelong Tory uncle (mainly by banging on about the NHS morning noon and night). Not only will he now be voting Labour, but is actually going door to door canvassing with them too. Spread that message people, persistence really does pay off. #VoteLabour #GE2019
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
A daily reminder that the private sector has been given a govt contract worth a staggering £10bn to clear NHS waiting lists, rather than invest back into a public service. That's your money, and it's going to shareholders. #SocialistSunday #NHS
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
I currently have a list as long as your arm of genuinely sympathetic journalists looking to get the message out over how difficult things are in hospitals. It would be easier if staff weren't threatened with disciplinary action for merely speaking the truth #NHS
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
Happening now in central London, a huge (socially distanced) protest for nurses/NHS workers pay justice. They're there to let Johnson know that clapping doesn't put food on the table #COVID19 #nurses @keepnhspublic
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Just logged on here and honestly I wish I hadn't. Amongst NHS staff are my colleagues, my best friend, my daughter's lifesavers and ultimately, my reason for still being here. We see you, we need you; you matter to us #gotyourbackNHS 💙
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
This is my uncle; a lifelong Tory voter so fed up with what they've done to our NHS, welfare and public services, he's now out campaigning for @UKLabour Change is coming people. There's hope, truly. #VoteLabour #GeneralElection2019 @skwawkbox
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Interview: lifelong Conservative voter on why he’s now campaigning for Labour

Notts retired heating element engineer says “NHS, education, homeless people – we can’t let things keep going as they have been.” Labour campaigners out ‘on the doorst…

skwawkbox.org
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
11 months
Is my grandma currently a hospital in-patient? Yes Are we frustrated at routinely not being able to see a Dr this week? Yes Do we support Drs in their strike for pay restoration? Also yes. Without valuing our frontline staff, there will be no NHS at all #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
This piece by @doctor_oxford is honestly one of the best things I've ever read on the current state of the NHS, absolutely essential.
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The NHS isn’t ‘coping’ with Omicron – just ask doctors and patients | Rachel Clarke

Let’s be honest about what riding out this wave really means: more pressures on health workers, and lower standards of care, says doctor Rachel Clarke

www.theguardian.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Starmer saying on Laura K that patients can't get through to GPs on a phone call in the morning, so reform is needed. Reform won't employ more receptionists or GPs, only funding can do that.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
In the middle of the worst NHS crisis we've seen, when staff are working absolutely flat out, Streeting and LABOUR are saying doctors must work more flexible hours?!? Deeply insulting and completely tone deaf. I am politically homeless.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
"Now we sit in ambulances in a queue listening to desperate calls requesting any crew anywhere to attend and we all know the patient will die, so now we turn our radios down. We can still hear the calls, but with the volume down its slightly less bad"
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Horrified paramedic says people are dying needlessly in Cornwall

'There are lots of places in Cornwall that you don't want to be majorly ill at the moment and that should not be the case in a modern society'

www.cornwalllive.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
I didn't think I had the words to describe how I felt reading the IEA's NHS-bashing report; but looks like I found them in the end 💙 #NHS
To those who say the NHS is 'nothing special' - you should be ashamed

This week, a right-wing think-tank announced 'There is no rational basis for the adulation the NHS is currently receiving.’

metro.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
I can't refuse my children vaccinations, but why do they need to be offered through a private provider? As an NHS campaigner, a mother (hell, as someone who lives in the UK) this offends me. #HandsOffOurNHS
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
What's the best present someone could buy for the @keepnhspublic press officer..? ☺️💙
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
Sarah Vine on #marr "the problem with the NHS is that it never has enough money" except it did before 2010. Proper funding isn't some unobtainable utopia, it's a political choice. #MarrShow
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
I think certain NHS-bashing IEA people are a little bit upset with me for writing this piece (so I'm sharing it again). Sadly it seems they've nothing better to do than try and intimidate women on Twitter who dare to express an opinion #NHS
To those who say the NHS is 'nothing special' - you should be ashamed

This week, a right-wing think-tank announced 'There is no rational basis for the adulation the NHS is currently receiving.’

metro.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Your daily reminder that 1. Paying junior doctors properly would cost three times LESS per year than is currently paid out in agency fees - we can absolutely afford it 2. Govt could choose to end these strikes any time they liked #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Those people who think the NHS is wasteful and inefficient need to know that last year the private sector was given over £1bn to help the NHS, yet utilised just 1/3 of it's capacity and looked after on average only 1 Covid patient a day. #NHS #SocialistSunday
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
Here's how it works: -Pay NHS staff a decent wage -They stay/more are recruited -Waiting lists decrease -Sick people get back to work -Economy thrives It's not hard. #Peston
@itvpeston
Peston
@itvpeston
4 months
“I very much hope they’ve had time to reflect and they're able to come back with reasonable expectations” Health Sec @VictoriaAtkins says junior doctors' “unreasonable demands” are stopping a pay deal being agreed Watch tonight ⬇️ 💻 LIVE 9PM @itvpeston 📺 1045PM @ITV #Peston
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
It's high time to fund the NHS properly so that patients or the staff that work in it aren't used as income to prop up an underfunded system. My piece for @MetroOpinion
Ending free hospital car parking is a slap in the face to our NHS staff

The government could find the money now if it really had a mind to. Instead, some of the sickest, lowest paid, and hardest working people are exploited.

metro.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
@wesstreeting So you didn't say the NHS needed to 'reform or die'? It's constant reform coupled with a lack of investment, that has led us here in the first place.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
@PippaCrerar Honouring the chief of staff who was in charge during partygate and others who organised gatherings is a slap in the face of every single person who followed the rules, not to mention every single NHS worker who gave *everything* during covid. Absolutely sickening.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
"A serious cabinet split has opened up, with Barclay now wanting more money for all NHS staff except doctors." Doctors start on just £14.09ph with £100,000 of student debt. Where's the logic in this?
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Revealed: cabinet split over NHS pay disputes piles pressure on Sunak

Health secretary Steve Barclay urges unions to lobby PM over improved pay offer for striking nurses and ambulance workers

www.theguardian.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Today 70 UK demonstrations will take place against NHS privatisation, poor working conditions & for pay justice, hosted by @keepnhspublic & others Sad that even after a worldwide pandemic, the same staff that got us through it need to protest just to be treated with respect #NHS
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
6 months
Merry Christmas everyone and a huge shout-out to NHS staff working over this period, we are so grateful to you all. Loving my present (available from @JustTreatment ) it's true, always 💙
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Putting aside the obvious environmental destruction, it's incredibly naive to suppose that concreting over the greenbelt would result in more affordable homes; we all know the sort of properties developers would build there, and they wouldn't be affordable
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Sir Keir Starmer vows to build more homes on Green Belt to fix housing crisis

Labour leader says party will restore ‘dream’ of owning a home

www.standard.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Jeremy Hunt standing up just now in parliament to list out the huge number of NHS staff vacancies as if it had nothing to do with him, is this government all over; lighting the touch paper then blaming others when the house burns down #NHSprivatisation #ScrapNHSBill
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
On Tues I wrote a popular post on here about how govt had let down the NHS spectacularly. There were A LOT of responses. As NHS campaigners/supporters it's always helpful to understand the key/most common criticisms so we can properly respond, so (briefly) here we go 🧵
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
. @RishiSunak @SteveBarclay Why has the govt not convened a COBRA meeting over what is now playing out in our heath service? Your own criteria for emergencies has been met. Sticking your fingers in your ears will not make the crisis go away.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
6 months
I'd really hoped Wes Streeting's words had been taken out of context because I didn't want to believe that after 13 years and the prospect of a new govt, we were still completely sideless; but here we are.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
NHS staff paying to park is a result of private companies managing hospital sites. Trusts say without the fees they'd have less cash to pay for hospital maintenance. Its time to fund the NHS properly so those who work in it aren’t used as income to prop up an underfunded system
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 months
What absolute tosh. I've worked in NHS campaigning comms for 6yrs, I'm not a "lefty", I just want a functioning NHS. Streeting's argument is false. The reason we object is because the money spent in private sector should just be put into the NHS instead, it's a political choice
@TheNewsAgents
The News Agents
@TheNewsAgents
2 months
“Why are you using language like ‘middle class lefties’?” @wesstreeting : "You can look at my Twitter mentions to understand why.” @maitlis | @lewis_goodall | @GlobalPlayer
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 months
There are >100,000 NHS vacancies. People wait YEARS for ops, days in A&E & hours for ambulances. More people quit every day due to the pressures of understaffing, but apparently now is the time to cost-cut & actually REDUCE workers. Absolutely insane.
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NHS told to cut spending on doctors and nurses to save £4.5bn

Managers have been told by NHS England to review staffing levels and prepare to merge or close some services

www.thetimes.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
In early 2020 as press officer working with NHS staff, desperate workers were contacting me EVERY SINGLE DAY in genuine distress; they had no PPE, were buying interior stocks off Amazon and were scared. Alerting the press was essential as govt wouldn't listen. #BREATHTAKING
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
Conservative spox on radio 4 #BBCpm just now when asked what the Tories biggest achievement was says, without a hint of irony, "recovering the economy after Liz Truss mini budget" 🤦‍♀️
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
Apparently the increase in demand for tests was not predicted 🤦🙄 Serco (NOT NHS) Test and Trace are putting lives at risk, and taking your money at the same time. Shame on this govt. Please sign our @keepnhspublic petition here 👇
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Sign the Petition

Private test and trace is failing - hand it back to the NHS

www.change.org
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
@AndrewMeyerson I find it incredibly perverse that we have to campaign to save the health service FROM OUR OWN GOVERNMENT.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Never forget that granting privilege and titles to those who organised parties and flouted the rules while so many people suffered and died is a clear message from Johnson to all of the British public. #honourslist
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
7 years
#HIGNFY endless Corbyn/Labour bashing getting old #BBC . Thanks @IanHislop1 for saying your piece. Politically neutral, I think not...
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
I'll say 2 things since this tweet has taken off: 1) Please consider supporting us @keepnhspublic to help campaign on frontline NHS issues. 2) Most importantly; if you know an NHS worker please be there for them at this time. If they do talk, listen. If they don't talk; ask 💙
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
@SteveBarclay @couch_5k This is beyond parody. Just. Show. Some. Bloody. Leadership.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Great work day. Obtained overage on Sky News and the BBC, plus some good print pieces. Very proud of my amazing NHS colleagues speaking out against what are really dire conditions 💙🙏💯
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Obligatory follow up tweet: Join Keep Our NHS Public Stick up for our NHS staff Don't vote Tory ✌️
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Join us

Work together to stand up for health workers and our NHS Keep Our NHS Public has been taking action for 15 years to protect our health service from cuts, privatisation and corporate takeovers. We’re...

keepournhspublic.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
"The NHS may be battered right now, but it's not gone. NHS staff, many of whom have been battered too, have shown a genuinely remarkable capacity to recover, but this is a long road & they need the continuing support of all of us" My piece for @NHSMillion
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Humans, not heroes, are holding our NHS together — NHS Million

Government neglect and underfunding over the last ten years has contributed to a situation that is untenable and the actions of those in power continue to make working in the NHS extremely challeng...

www.nhsmillion.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
6 months
@wesstreeting @doctor_oxford Of course it's not only about money, but after 13 years of significant underfunding compared to need, it's completely unrealistic to just assume everything will be sorted without a funding increase being a big part of the plan. You can't squeeze blood from a stone.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
Today's most recent Serco Test and Trace data shows a further decrease in those contacts reached. For all contacts identified, only 68.6% were reached. This is far from the world beating system we were promised.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
"Work more flexible hours" says Streeting. How is this message any different to the Tories telling NHS staff to be more productive?? I do despair of Labour.
@DrChrisHingston
Chris Hingston
@DrChrisHingston
1 year
@SamanthaJWathen Lost count of the extra shifts myself and colleagues have done to ensue a critical care service can be maintained. That includes resident weekends and night shifts. One even did Christmas Eve and day. It’s not for the money. Out of touch.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
@SteveBarclay @WestHertsNHS These staged photos are just cringe. Imagine as an NHS worker having to play nice under these circumstances, I really do feel for them.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
Support for your doctors now is support for the survival of the entire NHS. The future of your health service is on a knife edge, high time to pick a side, and I know which one I'm on. #juniordoctorsstrike
@BMA_WJDC
BMA Cymru Wales Junior Doctors
@BMA_WJDC
5 months
Approximately 500 junior doctors outside the Senedd today chanting ‘claps won’t pay the bills’ #payrestorationnow
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Asked just now on @lbc if what we are seeing now is privatisation by the back door, @DrTonyOSullivan replies "it's privatisation by the front door I'm afraid." Govt is no longer trying to hide it, this is a blatant attack on the future of our NHS as a public service.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Well, this is awkward...
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
It's arrogant how certain health commentators/think-tanks are essentially labelling the BMA, experienced HCPs, academics & Drs groups as essentially left-wing conspiracy theorists for having legitimate concerns over the future of NHS contracting 1/3 #nhsprivatisationbill
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
6 months
This is why I support the Junior doctor strikes, and the strikes of all NHS staff, and however long govt treat workers with disdain, I will always be proud to do so. No one should have to sacrifice their mental health as an accepted facet of the job. Enough is enough.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Excellent piece by Dr @JatinderHayre_ which sets out exactly why strikes are tragically needed, yet how easily they could be avoided if only Steve Barclay could see past the end of his nose #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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Britain’s Junior Doctors’ Strike Is About Putting an End to Austerity

More than a decade of cuts under the Conservatives has left Britain’s National Health Service dangerously understaffed and underfunded. After years of pay cuts, junior doctors are fighting back to...

jacobin.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
So proud in my capacity as press officer for @keepnhspublic to see the world's media turned out for our #SOSNHSDEMO y'day. All major UK broadcasters as well as US, French, German & Arabic outlets came to report on the NHS crisis. Keep fighting, the world is literally watching.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
@LindaGreenisms The NHS is run for the convenience of consultants and others that work in it?? I really thought this was parody.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
@MattHancock The very least he could have done, and only in response to mass media outcry and the threat of a lawsuit. He and the government he represents is an absolute disgrace.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
"In my 24-year career I have never faced a situation where there was a very real possibility that we would not be able to access an emergency ambulance. I cannot understand how this situation is not headline news.."
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NHS primary care is close to collapse | Letters

Letter: Dr Ruth Down cannot understand how this situation is not headline news and why the government insists that the NHS is not under undue pressure

www.theguardian.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Blaming those who've slogged their guts out over the last few years whilst conveniently neglecting to mention the (very obvious point) that govt could stop this any time they wanted to, isn't big or clever - so don't fall for it. #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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Junior doctors should be ashamed of themselves

The NHS is now worse than third world – and this strike will make a bad situation even worse

www.telegraph.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
@doctor_oxford @MattHancock I'll always remember Priti Patel standing up at the presser saying to staff "I'm sorry if you feel you have no PPE". And as long as I live, I'll never forgive or forget.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
Its come to the point where a strike is the only thing this government will listen to, and only because they have no choice. I'm with our public sector workers all the way on this.
@JeremyVineOn5
Jeremy Vine & Storm Huntley on 5
@JeremyVineOn5
2 years
Would you back teachers and NHS staff if they were to go on strike over pay? Unions representing them are warning of potential industrial action over wages. They have tough jobs, but do you back them taking action during a cost of living crisis? #JeremyVine
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 years
@MattHancock It's (obviously) not about a 4 day week (just like it a wasn't and never has been about a 5 day week). It's about having enough staff so that each person can work a little less over the 7.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
@MichaelRosenYes Reminds me of being an NQT at an FE college and asking reception for the key to my classroom. "Oh, you'll have to wait until the lecturer arrives to open it for you." "But I *am* the lecturer" "Oh."
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Out on the picket line this morning in solidarity with our amazing Junior docs, and honestly, the level of public support from all sides was just so beautiful. If the govt think they're on the right side of things, they've got another thing coming #JuniorDoctorsStrike
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 months
Cut out the private sector and reinvest those £billions back into the NHS where they belong.
@DeanEggitt
Dr Dean
@DeanEggitt
4 months
If you were going to improve access in the NHS, but had a limited budget (ie, no extra money), what would you do differently?
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
Huge thanks to all NHS staff working over Christmas, especially my very dear friend here 💙 If you could please sign/share this petition he started on behalf of his patients, I know it'll make him smile 👇🙏🎄 @JustTreatment
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Petition: Give more funding for thyroid research and patients after price hike

A fine of £84 million has been levied for the price hike in liothyronine (T3), which had a significant impact on patients. We request that an amount equivalent to a proportion of the fine (1-5%) is...

petition.parliament.uk
@DrPeteTaylor
Pete Taylor
@DrPeteTaylor
6 months
Thank you lovely people for giving me my Christmas present early ! Very grateful and it’s cheered me up as I am on call today. If people can keep signing and sharing as I want the govt response to be “Lets utilise this money for thyroid research immediately”
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
8 months
100% this. NHS staff suffered trauma, in no small part due to a govt who shamelessly left them unprotected while they partied and profited. They deserve to finally be valued, and proper renumeration would be a good place to start.
@Kate_RMN
Kate
@Kate_RMN
8 months
Whilst Sunak and the right-wing media persist in smearing doctors, as we pay more for costly short-term fixes than settling the dispute, the Covid inquiry hears how just 3 years ago medics *risked their lives* to go to work. Who is really interested in playing politics, Rishi?
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
@cpeedell @toates_19 Absolutely this. It has never been more important for the public to hear the real stories. Frontline testimony plays the essential role of putting pressure on the govt, and is also a much needed form of expression for staff struggling to process what is happening.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
@Darren04880644 @KirstieMAllsopp @bbcstrictly @BBCOne It wouldn't be the government you'd be sticking two fingers up to though, it'd be 1.3m NHS staff who've been working their arses off this whole time & hoping to avoid just this type of situation.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
My daughter was born far too small & far too soon. She wasn't breathing. I owe her life to the NHS. Great quality, free to access healthcare should never be taken for granted. All of us at some point will need the NHS; but it needs all of us now. Tomorrow vote to save it #GE19
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
A popular piece I wrote for The Metro last year defending the NHS against an attack by the IEA, is featured in their latest report. They call speaking up for our health service and it's staff "cultish" and "quasi-religious". I call it human. #NHS
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 months
Once again Streeting's answer to the NHS crisis is to expect staff who are already run into the ground, to come in on evenings and weekends. Meanwhile there's no talk of settling pay disputes. It's not realistic, and it's not fair.
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NHS warned there'll be no additional funding without reform under Labour

THE Shadow Health Secretary warns the NHS today that there will be no additional funding without the “major surgery” of reform under Labour. Wes Streeting asks for Sun readers’ backing for a massiv…

www.thesun.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
@BBCHughPym I think your questions are measured and necessary and don't understand the criticism. Would love you to quiz them though on why they think including paper towels and disinfectant in the PPE equipment numbers is appropriate. The spin is unacceptable when people are dying.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Today the lovely @amateuradam and we @DoctorsDistress planted a memorial tree at Derby hospital to remember all HCPs lost to suicide. The charity hopes to roll this out much wider to keep this vital conversation open and to better support the mental health of all healthcare staff
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Thank you for this absolutely vital thread. On the eve of another Jr Dr strike we must never lose sight of the fact that striking for doctors is a desperate act of last resort and that if the govt actually cared about anyone but themselves, they could stop it any time they liked.
@Taj_Ali1
Taj Ali
@Taj_Ali1
1 year
As junior doctors in England are set to begin a third round of strike action, we’ll hear a lot about the impact of strikes but very little about the root cause. I’ve spent the past few months speaking to junior doctors about the challenges they face. Here’s what they told me. 🧵
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
. @DrRobgalloway summing up brilliantly what needs to be done with immediate effect to ease the crisis in our NHS. There is a shocking lack of impetus from government who still don't seem to have grasped the scale of what people are facing.
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‘We’ve never seen anything like this’, emergency medical consultant says

We were joined now by Professor Rob Galloway who's an emergency medicine consultant and medical advisor to the NHS Support Federation.

www.channel4.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
10 months
"We were making progress, we eliminated 2yr waits..." Who is this "We" Rishi? It's the same NHS staff that you're now dismissing so offensively. Stop taking credit for others hard graft, and start listening to them instead.
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Rishi Sunak blames striking NHS workers for record-high long waiting lists

The prime minister claimed Government was ‘making progress’ on reducing backlog before industrial action

www.standard.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
8 months
This testimony in a nutshell painfully highlights the neglect of those who ensured we got through this pandemic. No recognition, no pay award for service, no mental health support for what is now an endemic problem throughout the NHS, nothing. NHS staff have been hung out to dry.
@The_TUC
Trades Union Congress
@The_TUC
8 months
'My worst day was losing eight patients in one shift. I cried for two days' Heart-breaking testimony from NHS staff at the Covid Inquiry.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
I wish some editors were braver under the circumstances. If *every* front page regularly looked like this, we'd be in a much better place than we are now.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
Spoiler for @theresecoffey Your plans to tackle the NHS crisis mean diddly-squat if you continually and wilfully ignore the biggest single issue; that of 132,000 staff vacancies. Sticking your fingers in your ears will not make the problem go away.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
So Labour is now saying the NHS needs to "reform or die". Unions are being attacked over being militant and apparently the sacrifices the public made during lockdown are being repaid by the service collapsing around them. With friends like this, who needs enemies? #NHSSStrike
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
. @HelenOConnorNHS sums it up perfectly: "Privatisation is the organised, legalised theft of our public services" 👊💙
@Taj_Ali1
Taj Ali
@Taj_Ali1
2 years
"If we don't mount a fightback for the NHS, we will lose it within the next ten years." - @HelenOConnorNHS speaking about the importance of industrial action at the @eiecampaign rally in Luton. #EnoughIsEnough
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
@VictoriaAtkins @DHSCgovuk @UKParliament Always amazes me how they stand there saying how awful it is as if the power to stop it all rests with someone else. Just sort it out, stop wasting literally £billions on strike mitigation, and let people get back to work for a wage that reflects their contribution to society.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
@PippaCrerar So basically everyone who's not a Tory then. Great strategy.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
A debrief of what our @keepnhspublic #PeoplesCovidInquiry looked at in session 3 last night. If the government won't hold an inquiry, we will.
Why we’re holding a Covid inquiry now, not waiting for the government

We need to learn lessons ASAP.

leftfootforward.org
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
10 months
Listening to a man on Radio 4 just now who's having to wait in pain for 3 years for a double hip operation and considering taking out a loan secured on his home to pay for it. In the UK. In 2023. What a legacy, this govt must be so proud.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
"NHS managers are being scapegoated for a failure of govt. Staff are an easy target to offer up to the public, exploiting myths of waste and inefficiency to provide an excuse to bring in corporate managers more amenable to govt bidding"
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Who is to blame for the NHS crisis? Anyone but the government apparently.

Last week, health secretary Sajid Javid outlined his plans for tackling the waiting list crisis. In the name of improving outcomes and increasing efficiency, Javid is pressing ahead with what is...

keepournhspublic.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
5 months
It's not getting nearly as much coverage as the #juniordoctorsStrike in England - but it should. Drs in Wales start on as little as *£13.65* an hour and the govt offer is below the pay review body recommendation All power to them in the fight for decent pay and safe staffing
@BMA_WJDC
BMA Cymru Wales Junior Doctors
@BMA_WJDC
5 months
Doctors around Wales are out in force calling for #PayRestorationNow
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
"Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has also demanded that the NHS produce productivity gains and efficiencies in return for the increase in its budget." It's always the same story. Funding under these conditions is not funding at all, it's just spin.
The Times & The Sunday Times

News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times

www.thetimes.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
3 years
Really proud of the People's Covid Inquiry that we at @keepnhspublic have conducted, and proud too of the extensive coverage obtained as press officer. My sincere thanks to journalist colleagues for their support and interest in our report #COVID19
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Press | PeoplesCovidInquiry
www.peoplescovidinquiry.com
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
So many of you asked for a big national NHS demo, well now we've called one. Please RT and save the date, this needs to be as big as possible. Join us, take to the streets and let's show this atrocious govt they cannot take our NHS #SOSNHS 👊💙
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
1 year
Great piece by @johnestevens today. Our lovely @keepnhspublic patron Alison Steadman speaks out in support of NHS staff forced to take last resort action for both their own wellbeing, but just as importantly, for patient safety #NHSStrike
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Gavin and Stacey star says country no longer 'Great' Britain due to state of NHS

Alison Steadman, who played Pam in Gavin and Stacey, criticised Tory ministers for their “ridiculous” and “disgraceful” failure to get round the table with nurses for pay talks

www.mirror.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
@RHCHubball @BWH_NHS As the mother of a premature baby who was unable to express, I honestly can never thank donors enough. Along with the NHS staff, your actions can be literally lifesaving. Will be forever in your debt x
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
"In order to support patients, NHS staff need an environment which also recognises and supports their needs. If Coffey (and this government) cannot grasp this basic fact, any ‘Plan for Patients’ is doomed to failure." My latest for @tribunemagazine
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Thérèse Coffey’s ‘Plan’ Is Pitting Workers Against Patients

The health secretary's 'Plan for Patients' includes nothing that grapples with the real scale of the NHS's crisis – but does pave the way for even more money to be funnelled into private pockets.

tribunemag.co.uk
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
2 years
@PippaCrerar @horton_official So that's why Mogg repeatedly dodged the question of local consent in questions this morning, they're just going to do it anyway.
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
8 months
If I had £1 for every time I'd heard the bottomless pit argument over the last 5yrs working for @keepnhspublic I'd be a rich woman Important to see beyond the right-wing spin. We *can* afford our NHS & funding it properly would not only benefit individuals, but the whole economy
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@SamanthaJWathen
Samantha Wathen
@SamanthaJWathen
4 years
I wrote my first comment for @IndyVoices today. Gagging NHS staff for calling out the issues over this crisis is shameful and inexcusable. They are the canaries in this largely unexplored coalmine, and when they make a noise we all need to listen #COVID19
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Opinion: I'm disgusted at the way the NHS staff I represent are being treated

Even at a time of national crisis, workers inside the NHS are scared to speak out for fear they will face disciplinary proceedings

www.independent.co.uk
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