Rally your students to call for better access to healthcare
In 2007, following a meeting with NUS, the then minister for health Lord Hunt announced that there would be a review of prescription charges.
NUS responded with optimism, hoping that the system, which is currently a mess, would become one that was more consistent and accessible. However, several months after this consultation it was announced that there would be another review of the prescription charges. This was disappointing.
We are still awaiting the announcement of this second review, so to aid our submission to the review , we have planned a day of action on 10 March 2008, with events taking place at students’ unions across England.
Want to get involved? Here are some ideas for the day
- Have students in bandages as a photo opportunity. Invite the local and student press to use it as a photo opportunity. Dawn's address is below.
- Launch a letter writing campaign to Health Minister Dawn Primarolo asking for students to have better access to healthcare use case studies from your campus
- Write letters to your MP on why they should support better acess to fealthcare for students
- Keep your students informed on how bureaucratic the system is and why we need a review of prescription charges.
More ideas from students’ unions around the country
Leeds University Union will be building a tower of 5,000 HC1 forms (pictured), asking their students to fill them out and sending them all off to be processed.
Canterbury Christ Church will be building a wall of what students can buy for £6.85, they will be having a giant postcard which their students will sign for a photo opportunity displaying the amount of support that they have within the student body.
Cambridge University will run ‘the £6.85 challenge’, asking students to pick out from a table of food and stationary what they think would amount to £6.85. Releasing kites in the local park, with students from Anglia Ruskin and the local MP.
Leicester University is having a shopping trolley and asking students what they would buy for £6.85 as well as a wall showing what activities they can do for £6.85.
UCL students will be signing postcard that they will send to the health minister. They will be painting students faces around campus handing information out about why healthcare access should be improved.
Anglia Ruskin will be sending postcards to the health minister, they will also be placing kites around their campus with the words ‘the cost of student health care is sky-high’. They are releasing kites in the local park with Cambridge students’ union and the local MP.
Unions in focus
What will you be doing on 10 March? Let us know. Take photos so they can be uploaded on the website and highlight your good work.
We’ll also add the best ideas to this list.
We're also after case studies. Ask your students to contact NUS if they have stories or experiences of the HC1 form and presciptions.
Write to Health Minister Dawn Primarolo: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
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