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Devon NHS trusts plan to run our records on US spy-tech firm’s software
The Good Law Project says the Royal Devon and other local NHS trusts are part of this:
NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir – a US spy-tech firm that has supported mass deportation in the US and enabled genocide in Gaza.
One of Palantir’s founders is also openly against the NHS. Peter Thiel claimed it “makes people sick” and said that the British people love the NHS because we’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
We can’t let a company like this take control of our healthcare system.
But we can fight back right now. We’ve set up a simple tool so you can find out if your local NHS trust has started using the software, and then send an email demanding they say no to Palantir.
With the government putting NHS trusts under pressure to adopt the software, we need to act right now. If you want to keep Palantir out of our NHS, send an email to your local trust and Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health.
Information here: https://notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-target/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs/
Stop the Tories and Reform in Seaton – tactical voting advice
Vote tactically in Seaton to stop the Tories and Reform
— Read on stopreformuk.vote/local/east-devon/seaton
Reform and Tories trying to make immigration an issue in council by-election
I’ve seen copies of the letters that the two far-right parties have sent to postal voters in the by-election for one of Seaton’s seats on EDDC. Reform’s doesn’t even mention Seaton – it’s just a plug for Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration policies, claiming ‘Britain is broken’ but failing to mention that his Brexit is a major cause of our national problems.
The Tory leaflet also contains nasty little anti-immigration jibes. Voters should remember that members of both parties have been prominent in harassing women asylum seekers in a hotel near Exeter. They’re only plugging these issues because they have nothing to offer Seaton.
I’m supporting Steve Hunt, the Liberal Democrat, who is the candidate interested in local issues. He will work with Richard Foord to protect Seaton Hospital and build on successes like the coming banking hub and the recently completed protection works on the beach.
‘Exeter is for everyone’ – march against racism 25th October
Following the far-right protests at the airport asylum hotel (which still continue, with counterprotests to protect the asylum seekers from abuse), extremists are organising a march in Exeter on 25th October, and Stand Up to Racism have organised this protest.
Sidmouth may have the most 90+ residents, but Seaton is the dementia capital
Sidmouth has got some publicity because it has the highest proportion of people over 90 in the country. But overall, Seaton, Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton are the most elderly towns in Devon, with similar percentages (43-45 percent in the last census) of people over 65. Sidmouth has slightly more very old people, mainly because it has more nursing homes. But Seaton has more people with dementia than anywhere in Devon – our two GP practices are consistently 1st and 2nd in Devon for its prevalence. Both our towns need their community hospitals.
Seaton Hospital Steering Committee requests clarification from Devon NHS
This post contains the letter which we have just sent to the Integrated Care Board. I also took our concerns to a recent meeting of the Devon Health Scrutiny Committee and I expect that they will discuss them more fully later next month.
New threat to Seaton Hospital
Readers will remember that Seaton Hospital was threatened two years ago with the demolition of a wing which had been paid for entirely by the local community 30 years before. A huge public meeting elected the Seaton Hospital Steering Committee, of which I am secretary, and in June 2024 we submitted a plan to rent the wing and provide a range of health and wellbeing services. (It was assumed that the NHS would continue to provide services in the rest of the Hospital.)
15 months on, we still haven’t received a reply from NHS Property Services, the owner of the Hospital. This summer, however, Devon NHS’s Integrated Care Board (ICB) approached the Hospital’s League of Friends saying that they wished to withdraw NHS services from Seaton Hospital and offering to sell the entire hospital to the League.
The League have been trying to find out from the ICB (who presumably are acting together with Property Services), what is involved, and are still seeking further clarification.
Regardless of the outcome of these discussions, Jack Rowland, the chair of the Steering Committee, and I are concerned about the threatened loss of NHS services. Although at the moment, this is a stated intention rather than a firm plan, on Friday I took the matter to the Devon Health Scrutiny Committee, supported by our County Councillor, Paul Arnott. You can watch us on the DCC Health Scrutiny YouTube recording (I’m at 11 minutes, Paul is at 2 hours 38).
Health Scrutiny decided to put Community Hospitals, including Seaton, on their future agenda. Our MP, Richard Foord, also issued a strongly worded statement about the new threat.
Our full Steering Committee will meet on 2nd October to discuss the whole situation, and we will send out further updates.
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