DAUK’s Dr Ellen Welch has recorded a video for a campaign we are supporting with the public ownership campaign group We Own It.
In the video, Dr Welch, of our GP team, highlights the funding crisis facing general practice, and says that people are in pain and need to make tough decisions about their health.
Dr Welch, a former co-chair of the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), says the NHS needs investment to meet people’s needs.
She said: “We need politicians face facts and invest in the service.”
The video has been recorded for our campaign with We Own It, an independent organisation which campaigns for public ownership and against privatisation of key public services.
With 2024 set to be a general election year and the NHS a priority for the public, the campaign aims to put pressure on politicians to pledge more investment through the voices and experiences of frontline doctors and GPs.
We are asking DAUK members to highlight the need for proper NHS funding by sharing an anonymised story from when underfunding had a tangible, negative impact on an NHS patient.
Key pointers for your video:
- Tell a short story from your work that illustrates how the NHS has been degraded, specifically the negative impact you have seen on a patient.
- You don’t need to say any names of places, people or any specifically identifiable features of where you work.
- Feel free to make your video in your workwear.
- Ask politicians to ‘face the facts’ that the NHS needs massive funding. Demand they commit to investing ‘£40 billion per year to catch up with the rest of Europe’.
- Ask people to take action by clicking ‘the link above’ to send We Own It’s letter to their local general election candidates. The link will be shared alongside your video for people to take action.
- Film your video as a portrait selfie. Pop a phone in front of you, facing the main source of light, and tell your story.
- Your video should be no more than 90 seconds. You do not need to try to do it all in one take as We Own It are happy to edit out mistakes and spaces.
- Send your video to [email protected] and We Own It will caption the video and share it on social media. If you have one, send them your handle on X, formerly known as Twitter, so they can tag you in.
Dr Welch is one of four members of DAUK’s GP committee who will be sharing their thoughts on the crisis facing general practice at an online briefing for MPs on Wednesday 19 June.
The briefing, Why Can’t I See My GP? The Great British Paradox, is based on the book Why Can’t I See My GP?, a copy of which we sent to all 650 MPs in March.
