Because I am one of many people who is hard of hearing and hearing aids can cost as much as £1000 such as the ones l was issued recently, fortunately for me our trust hasn't stopped issuing hearing aids yet.

Coeliac disease is a long term health condition, which if left untreated, can lead to serious health complications, such as osteoporosis, fertility problems and in some cases, small bowel cancer. So, while small savings may be made now by cutting services for patients, there are likely to be long term financial implications resulting from this decision by the CCG. It is effectively a false economy. Coeliac Disease is often diagnosed alongside Type I Diabetes, both auto immune diseases. The effective control of Coeliac disease has a direct affect on the control of diabetes in patients. TRUE: Coeliac disease patients often have Type I Diabetes TRUE: Controlling Coeliac Disease helps in the control of Type I Diabetes FALSE: Type I Diabetes is a lifestyle disease - No. That is Type II. Type I is an auto immune disease. TRUE: Coeliac Disease is a diet controlled disease. FALSE: Coeliacs can eat without using gluten free foods. Unless you're a fruitarian or a health addict, this is a false assumption. How often do YOU eat wheat? TRUE: Many foods have hidden Gluten. TRUE: Gluten Free Foods are prohibitively expensive and often a lot smaller FALSE: Coeliacs order cakes, jellies and biscuits (They are not available to us) TRUE: The government should renegotiate with suppliers who charge excessive handling charges. NOT penalise the patient. TRUE: If some local health care authorities or doctors authorise the purchase of sweet items (mine doesn't) on prescription this should stop. The list should be revised to only include breads, flours, cereal, pastas and pizza. TRUE: Coeliacs often dislike wheat free substitutes. However the items on prescription are generally of a higher quality than supermarket items. TRUE: A large standard gluten loaf costs .80p - £1. A SMALL Gluten free loaf costs £3 TRUE: It's not fun being Coeliac. However having a son who is both Diabetic and Coeliac is a huge worry. One has the potential to cause cancer, the other loss of limbs or death. If the Coeliac Disease is not controlled, it affects the control of Diabetes? To say it keeps me awake at night is an understatement. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE sign this petition. Ask the government to reform the list of items available to non sugar items only. Do NOT let them take away this vital service. A large percentage of low income families will not be able to afford the gluten free alternatives. People on high incomes probably don't use this service anyway. My son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes age 17. After two years and many changes in medication the hospital couldn't stabilise my son's Diabetes. They decided to test him for Coeliac Disease which tested positive. The government is opening the door to a huge amount of health issues with this move. Coeliac disease can cause cancer. Gluten free food is prohibitively expensive. In addition the quality of the food available on prescription is of a higher quality than that available in store.

68 beds were closed last month, nearly 7% of capacity. Even with all the beds open, the staff at the NNUH struggle daily to admit emergencies. Fewer beds means more people stuck in ambulances outside A&E or lying on trolleys for hours, a terrible experience when you are in need of urgent treatment, especially for the elderly. It also means more cancellations for routine admissions. The NNUH is in "financial special measures" and the accountants have arrived from London to find ways to make £17.6 million savings by next April, an impossibility without very serious damage to the hospital. The bed closures, which are described as temporary, are meant to save money by avoiding the use of agency nursing staff until this year's nursing graduates are available to take up posts. This petition is aimed at making sure the management know their actions are being watched and to make it less likely that they will be able to quietly make the cuts permanent. We hope it will make the the public more aware of what is going on and to object to the slashing and trashing of our NHS.

It has come to our attention that NHS England is threatening to close this surgery within months due to one of the partners dissolving the contract for GP services here against the wishes of his fellow partners, staff and most importantly the 6000 patients signed up here. This move will unnecessarily make many patients including vulnerable and elderly members of our community deeply anxious and could cause negative health, social and psychological effects. It is completely unfair that the actions of one GP should have a severely detrimental effect on the very existence of this surgery and its wider community – many of which have been members of this practice for over 20 years. The Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England should seek to consult with the practice’s patients in order to see if an amicable solution can be found before making a decision of this magnitude. Earl’s Court Medical Centre (previously Om Sai Clinic) has been a vital part of our community for nearly 50 years and we cannot afford to lose this hugely important provision of local healthcare. This is a dispute between the doctors but the practice’s patients are very much dependent on this Centre and are happy with the high quality of service that they receive. The location is excellent being situated next to Earls Court Underground Station, easy parking, close to bus links, the A4 and Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. A decision like this should not be imposed on us when a huge majority of people associated with the practice including staff and patients strongly oppose any possible closure. There are no similar facilities near here and no comparable service. Patients feel safe, comfortable and reassured here even at times of great stress and worry for them. The closure of this surgery would result in the displacement of thousands of patients that would need to be relocated elsewhere, putting severe strain on neighbouring GP surgeries. This is not in the interests of NHS service provision in this part of London which is already facing huge pressures in dealing with demand. The NHS funded the purchase of the freehold of the building on Earl’s Court Road and they funded the formation of the practice, which is purpose built for healthcare services and represents millions of pounds worth of public investment over many years. The NHS pays a £200k/annum interest only mortgage for the premises. They pay for the running of this successful practice. To close it down would be a real travesty. This practice even has potential for growth. With additional doctors, the facility could cope with an extra 4,000 patients bringing the total to a possible 10,000. What needs to happen now? • Our aim is to do what is required in order to keep this surgery open • The people this affects are primarily the patients and staff. NHS England should consult the other GPs, staff and patients before arriving at a decision. • Do not proceed with any change until sufficient time should be given to a process of mediation between NHS England and the GPs concerned in order to explore all available options to keep this practice open instead of rushing through an ill conceived decision. What are the solutions? • NHS England to buy the partner out and find a replacement GP to replace him in order to sustain the practice contract • NHS England to buy the freehold of the property thereby safeguarding the longevity of the surgery • NHS England to halt any change to the existence of the surgery on the condition of seeking to find an alternative partner to replace the one that wishes to exit. • Give control to the remaining 2 GPs who are willing to buy the exiting partner out under a newly issued contract. We would be most grateful if you could do all that you can to save this practice from closure. It is against the will of the community at large and all seems to come from the actions of one doctor. This can so easily be avoided if some compassion, discretion and common sense could be applied at a senior level where such decisions can be taken. If necessarily, we would be grateful if you could raise this with the Secretary of State for Health as we feel these needs the attention at the highest levels in order to protect such a vital community asset concerning thousands of people.

Carers should be at least paid the equivalent of an office worker and not the minimum wage. When a decent wage is being paid then the quality of care will rise and staff will be retained. The treatment of those in care will improve ten fold. The care industry is in crisis with under-paid and over-worked tired care staff looking after vulnerable people and it is time that these people are recognised for the jobs that they do .

The board of the Oxford university hospital NHS foundation trust maintain that their impending downgrading of the maternity unit at the Horton Hospital, Banbury is due to no suitable doctors being available, news has also been released that two trauma doctors have resigned their posts. An investigation of the advertised posts in the trust show no indication of these posts being available. Downgrading of services at this local district general hospital, without any upgrading of services in the area's ambulance trust or the 'main' hospital in Oxford will inevitably mean sick / injured people being transported in unsuitable conditions for 30+ miles through some of the most congested roads in southern England to a hospital that will be overstretched trying to deal with a workload it was never designed for. This situation was totally avoidable and is no indication of a civilised country in the 21st century, those responsible should be bought to account

this is important as it is the closest science can at present allow a lesbian couple to have a child as close to biologically both of theirs as possible. The non biological parent is carrying the biological parents child and feels like a part of the ''making our baby' process. At present it can cost lesbian couples thousands of pounds to do this and only the rich couples can afford it. Allowing the same rights to lesbian couples to that of heterosexual couples on NHS including Reciprocal IVF would allow the poorer couples the chance to also have a family.

Unpaid Carers (carers who do not provide care as a career) are a crucial part of society that saves the government £162 billion a year. Free/concessionary transport for carers would allow carers to live a better quality of life. Carers face many barriers to work and education such as school or college, Travel being one of them. Free travel for carers would help reduce these barriers. Often carers have to decide between the simple and essential things in life such as being able to afford food to eat or accessing vital support services they need to cope with their caring role. Travel should be an essential service rather than another barrier that makes it harder for us to deal with our many responsibilities. This would allow carers to access free transport without the cared for person having to be present in the instance that the cared for has a travel card. However Not every cared for person has the concessionary companion card. If carers are able to access transport at no cost to them this will allow them in turn to provide more/better care for their loved ones. At the end of the day public transport is a service that is a need, we are an essential part of the community so why can't we use it too! For carers to receive this free travel they would need to prove to whomever is in charge that they are in fact a carer so this system can not be abused. A way in which they could do this is by having a letter from their carers centre or health professional such as social work department or if they are in receipt of carers allowance the letter proving this. Carers need assistance in alot of areas such as an increase of money they receive for Carers Allowance due to it clearly not being enough . This issue is being looked at by government and slowly increasing so I believe now transport needs to be looked at . Not everyone can get benefits so let's help people get what they deserve , might not seem important to most but to many it will change their lives. We deserve to be treated as equals...Is free/concessionary transport for carers to much to ask for in return for those who give up their lives to care for others?

In 2014, Public Health England published their final version of a health report on fracking. The report was narrow in its contents and missed out some significant health evidence that indicated hydraulic fracturing impacted upon public health. Since that report, hundreds of other health reports have been published with critical evidence that now needs to be taken into account before any shale activity should proceed within the UK. Medact have released two reports into public health and fracking, both of which have been ignored by the Conservative government. Medact said they have “called for a moratorium on fracking because of the serious risks it poses to public health. Fracking has already been suspended in Wales and Scotland because of health and climate risks and New York State has banned fracking because of the ‘significant health risks’. “The [Medact] report highlights the limitations of Public Health England’s report on fracking, including the fact that it was narrow in scope and failed to critically assess the adequacy and reliability of the regulatory system. “Working with various experts in energy policy and climate change, Medact’s report also describes how shale gas produces a level of GHG emissions that is incompatible with the UK’s commitments to address climate change.” A letter published in the British Medical Journal stated: “The arguments against fracking on public health and ecological grounds are overwhelming. There are clear grounds for adopting the precautionary principle and prohibiting fracking.” This letter was signed by 18 academic and medical professionals. In Lancashire it was left to the county council’s own director of public health to assess health impact. He advised that there was no regulatory system in place, in that health outcomes are not part of the regulatory bodies’ agenda. He could provide no assurance of baseline or any ongoing monitoring of health. More recently, an important study has been released by Johns Hopkins University linking fracking to an exacerbation of asthma. Public Health England’s mission is: "to protect and improve the nation’s health and to address inequalities" If Public Health England is to fulfil their public duty and mission statement, then to not acknowledge and act upon the wealth of contraindications towards hydraulic fracturing, they could be in breach of their position and may face a legal challenge. A full and concise article by Alan Tootill, with references on this subject, can be found here: http://www.frackingdigest.co.uk/health.htm

Community Hospitals provide health and medical services such as minor injuries departments and hospital beds for those well enough to be released from General Hospitals but still too sick to return to their own homes. These hospitals act as intermediaries, providing care for some of the most vulnerable people in south devon in particular the old and infirm. In particular patients who would have used Ashburton & Buckfastleigh Community Hospital will be put into Totnes Community Hospital instead. This is farther from home, there is no public transport links, and therefore will only cost more money to non-emergency patient transport services. Beds in community hospitals mean General Hospitals are able to move recovering patients enabling them to treat more critical patients. Losing these beds will only serve to bed block General Hospitals, such as Torbay, leading to poorer service. When it comes to Medical treatment this can be the difference in providing outstanding care (saving lives), or being prevented from treating the sick or injured (resulting in preventable deaths and suffering).

There is mental health funding in Birmingham and Walsall that is meant to provide advocates to those that struggle and need assistance or prompting to be able to live independently with mental health day to day. This support helps people to get outside and live their lives by giving them confidence and support. I’ve tried to access this support and have been told there are no available advocates. Without this support many patients end up housebound. It’s like a mental health postcode lottery. I’m a mum and it really pains me to see my children missing out on making lovely memories during their summer holidays, because I can’t access the help I and many others suffering in silence need, to manage anxiety and depression, bipolar and many more mental illnesses. I'd say cuts to NHS mental health is wrong ... how are people meant to get better if theres no one there to reach out to in time of need... 😕 I feel strongly about this matter ... Call it personal experience ... Age , race , sex , rich or poor....... Mental illness can affect anyone ....

There is more and more nurses shortage all across the UK and especially the NNS. It is mainly due to the fact that LESS number of people are attracted towards the job. And it is due to the fact that the salary for nurses in the NHS is so low that new people are not attracted towards the job. Moreover the existing nurses and trying to take alternative profession simply because of the fact that the stress that they take for the pay they receive is not proportionate. With just over £21000 as a starting salary in the NHS for a newly qualified nurse, it is difficult to attract more people into the progression and due to this low numbers of staff on ward patient care is getting compromised. I would like to promote this campaign as one of the step the improve the plight of our world class NHS.