DEATH BY STEALTH

Thanks for your attention - I hope that you will read to the end of
this email, for there is a travesty in progress.

The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (RLHH) - the visible presence
of homeopathy within the NHS - an institute putting homeopathy in
the public mind for the last 150 years - the place where homeopathy
was seen to perform so well in the cholera epidemic of 1840's - is
being dealt a DEATH BLOW.

The moves are subtle and insidious, but nonetheless relentless and
they won't stop until the hospital is closed. In these insane times,
I have to protect my source but I have it on absolute authority that
without a highly visible, vocal and active campaign, the hospital
will be closed within the year, with other homeopathic institutions
to follow.

The recent (smear) media campaign led by Prof. Ernst, Exeter Univ.
Chair of CAM, and cost cutting in an NHS strapped for cash, are cited
as the main reasons. Yet the RLHH is one of the very few areas of
the NHS that actually makes money over it's budget!

Without a doubt politics are at work.

A little history of the Stealth involved.......The In Patient beds at
the RLHH were the first to go. Patients then received day care at
the hospital and were put up in a local hotel as a means of saving
money. Now this has been stopped and treatment restricted to
Outpatients only.

In typical media outrage - led again by Prof Ernst - it was claimed
that the 43 million pound revamp of the RLHH building was NHS money
that should never have been used for a therapy that doesn't work. (As
per Prof Ernst's Lancet article in 2005.)

The fact of the matter is that the money for the revamp was donated
by benefactors to be used for the HOMEOPATHIC HOSPITAL ALONE. It was
not money that could have been allocated elsewhere in the NHS.

BUT of course (and call me cynical) if you allow the hospital to be
revamped and THEN push out the homeopaths, you can use a state of the
art building for all kinds of other NHS departments. The Camden PCT
(Primary Care Trust) dictated that the homeopathic allergy clinic
must now be held over at the main University College Hospital site.
It's perfect - now the brand new rooms are not being used by the
homeopaths and in order to be economically effective must be used by
some other department - like the neighbouring neurology department's
private practice! (I kid you not - what was initially a once a month
event is now several times a week - the neurologists have already got
their feet under the consulting desk....)

A number of PCTs have already cut funding and others intend to, so
that their patients will not be able to obtain homeopathy on the NHS.
Hammersmith and Fulham are not allowing new referrals to the RLHH,
six PCTs including Islington have already, or plan to, cut their
contracts from April this year, other PCTs plan to follow suit and
direct GP's NOT to refer patients to the RLHH. Then Camden PCT can
accuse the RLHH of a reducing patient base. Perfect. If this wasn't
a literal account of events, it might be amusing in it's bizarre
simplicity. And all this at a time when the Government is committed
to patient choice in a patient led NHS.

The PCT even want to change the RLHH's name, and remove the word
Homeopathic from the title, despite the building being a local
landmark for more than 150 years!

The "Powers that be' at the RLHH have mounted (imho) a token gesture
of a campaign - a letter is given to each patient and they are asked
to write to their MP. Best case scenario is political naivety.
There has been no attempt to utilize the internet, no attempt to
contact the royal family, which in itself is mystifying since the
Queen is the RLHH's Royal Patron. No attempt to contact the wider
homeopathic community. I have heard a serious 'rumour' that staff
have been told to keep a low profile.

No matter what your party politics, it seems to me that this is in
line with the modus operanda of the day - quiet insidious shenanigans
until - oops it's a faite accomplish and too late to do anything.

Whatever you might think about the quality of homeopathy being
practiced at the RLHH, they are doing important work especially in
the areas of allergies, autism and ADD even given their limitation of
a 20 minute consultation. They are devoted homeopaths doing their
best in a less than ideal situation.
They provide a credible face of homeopathy for the general public and
with 40,000 patient appointments every year make homeopathy available
on the NHS for a significant number of patients who could not afford
to have it otherwise.

In 2005 " 67% of individual GPS and 85% of practices in the host PCT
(Camden) referred patients; an increase of 29%...." (Interesting
timing of this move to close the hospital .....)

The RLHH provides a: "....holistic, patient centred, low risk, low
cost, low tech approach...It offers effective and cost-effective
treatments; averts multiple referrals and investigations, and
treatments with which many patients fail to comply or find
ineffective."

We live in a time when many are afraid to speak their truth for fear
of ridicule from colleagues, friends and family; fear of loss of
position or status or research funding; fear in many form and
guises...... we live in a time when imho building bridges is more
important than standing on ceremony. I know first hand that the RLHH
people have respect for professional homeopaths, the work we do, the
standard of our education. I presented at a homeopathic educators
conference in 2004 in Malvern - 110 homeopaths there - some of you
were also there - professional homeopaths, medical homeopaths,
homeopathic vets, homeopathic pharmacists - the first time we were
all sharing ideas and learning from each other on a level playing
field - it was amazing. If we are to keep homeopathy on the table of
health care options, we have to work together.

If you share my view, please take action now, this concerted effort
to remove homeopathy from the NHS is already in progress. It might
be that Prof Ernst will put in motion another campaign to remove the
remaining homeopathic community still practicing this 'ineffective'
form of medicine.

We all know the issues, it's not about saving the NHS money, it's
about politics and multi-national drug companies and the
commercialization of medicine etc. etc. and it's my contention that
those of us working in the same arena need to support each other.
United we stand, divided we....well you know the rest!

So what can we do to preserve this institution?

Tell everyone you know about what is happening and ask them to also
take action - your patients, your students, family, friends, anyone
interested in free access to health care choices.

Write to the Chief Executive of your PCT, especially if you live in Islington.
(Dr. Rachel Tyndall for Islington)

Write to your MP and better yet ask them to ask a Parliamentary question.
MP's at: www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

Ask your MP to: Choose your two favourite questions from the list.
Ask the Secretary of State to estimate the amount of money saved to
the NHS in 2005-2006 as a result of patients being referred to NHS
homeopathic facilities.
Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that patients who receive NHS
complementary medicine have repeatedly testified as to the
effectiveness of their treatment.
Ask the Secretary of State to confirm the assurances given that as
part of the Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan that patients will be
given greater choice and that such choice will be respected by PCTs
when patients and their GPs choose complimentary medicine within the
NHS.
Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that since the NHS is now
'patient led' that any patient wishing to choose NHS homeopathic
treatment will be able to access it from on of the four NHS hospitals.
Ask the Secretary of State to write to PCTs to remind them that
access to homeopathy in the NHS should continue to be an option for
all patients who choose this form of NHS care and treatment.
Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that the Government's
commitment to patient choice will enable patients to choose
homeopathy from a local NHS homeopathic clinic or NHS homeopathic
hospital.
Ask the Secretary of State to confirm the Government's continuing
commitment to providing homeopathy through NHS Homeopathic Hospitals.

Get out your best fountain pen and drop a line to Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth and ask her to intervene to preserve this 150 year old
institution of which she is the Royal Patron.

Anything else you can think - please don't hesitate to send me emails
with your ideas and I will pass them on. this is a personal
campaign, not associated with anyone at the RLHH and driven purely by
my inability to stand by and watch this institution die.

Thanks for your time. I hope you spread the word and make your feelings known.

Onward!

Carol Boyce MCH, CCH, RSHom (NA)
Concerned Homeopath and Teacher

--
The world needs Dreamers and the world needs Doers and most of all,
the world needs Dreamers who Do.

What do they want to do ? Create the world which suits their pockets and
their EGO ?
This is sad ! VERY SAD !

Shonit Danwer

On Sun, 2007-02-25 at 13:54 -0500, Carol Boyce wrote:
> DEATH BY STEALTH
>
> Thanks for your attention - I hope that you will read to the end of
> this email, for there is a travesty in progress.
>
> The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital (RLHH) - the visible presence
> of homeopathy within the NHS - an institute putting homeopathy in
> the public mind for the last 150 years - the place where homeopathy
> was seen to perform so well in the cholera epidemic of 1840's - is
> being dealt a DEATH BLOW.
>
> The moves are subtle and insidious, but nonetheless relentless and
> they won't stop until the hospital is closed. In these insane times,
> I have to protect my source but I have it on absolute authority that
> without a highly visible, vocal and active campaign, the hospital
> will be closed within the year, with other homeopathic institutions
> to follow.
>
> The recent (smear) media campaign led by Prof. Ernst, Exeter Univ.
> Chair of CAM, and cost cutting in an NHS strapped for cash, are cited
> as the main reasons. Yet the RLHH is one of the very few areas of
> the NHS that actually makes money over it's budget!
>
> Without a doubt politics are at work.
>
> A little history of the Stealth involved.......The In Patient beds at
> the RLHH were the first to go. Patients then received day care at
> the hospital and were put up in a local hotel as a means of saving
> money. Now this has been stopped and treatment restricted to
> Outpatients only.
>
> In typical media outrage - led again by Prof Ernst - it was claimed
> that the 43 million pound revamp of the RLHH building was NHS money
> that should never have been used for a therapy that doesn't work. (As
> per Prof Ernst's Lancet article in 2005.)
>
> The fact of the matter is that the money for the revamp was donated
> by benefactors to be used for the HOMEOPATHIC HOSPITAL ALONE. It was
> not money that could have been allocated elsewhere in the NHS.
>
> BUT of course (and call me cynical) if you allow the hospital to be
> revamped and THEN push out the homeopaths, you can use a state of the
> art building for all kinds of other NHS departments. The Camden PCT
> (Primary Care Trust) dictated that the homeopathic allergy clinic
> must now be held over at the main University College Hospital site.
> It's perfect - now the brand new rooms are not being used by the
> homeopaths and in order to be economically effective must be used by
> some other department - like the neighbouring neurology department's
> private practice! (I kid you not - what was initially a once a month
> event is now several times a week - the neurologists have already got
> their feet under the consulting desk....)
>
> A number of PCTs have already cut funding and others intend to, so
> that their patients will not be able to obtain homeopathy on the NHS.
> Hammersmith and Fulham are not allowing new referrals to the RLHH,
> six PCTs including Islington have already, or plan to, cut their
> contracts from April this year, other PCTs plan to follow suit and
> direct GP's NOT to refer patients to the RLHH. Then Camden PCT can
> accuse the RLHH of a reducing patient base. Perfect. If this wasn't
> a literal account of events, it might be amusing in it's bizarre
> simplicity. And all this at a time when the Government is committed
> to patient choice in a patient led NHS.
>
> The PCT even want to change the RLHH's name, and remove the word
> Homeopathic from the title, despite the building being a local
> landmark for more than 150 years!
>
> The "Powers that be' at the RLHH have mounted (imho) a token gesture
> of a campaign - a letter is given to each patient and they are asked
> to write to their MP. Best case scenario is political naivety.
> There has been no attempt to utilize the internet, no attempt to
> contact the royal family, which in itself is mystifying since the
> Queen is the RLHH's Royal Patron. No attempt to contact the wider
> homeopathic community. I have heard a serious 'rumour' that staff
> have been told to keep a low profile.
>
> No matter what your party politics, it seems to me that this is in
> line with the modus operanda of the day - quiet insidious shenanigans
> until - oops it's a faite accomplish and too late to do anything.
>
> Whatever you might think about the quality of homeopathy being
> practiced at the RLHH, they are doing important work especially in
> the areas of allergies, autism and ADD even given their limitation of
> a 20 minute consultation. They are devoted homeopaths doing their
> best in a less than ideal situation.
> They provide a credible face of homeopathy for the general public and
> with 40,000 patient appointments every year make homeopathy available
> on the NHS for a significant number of patients who could not afford
> to have it otherwise.
>
> In 2005 " 67% of individual GPS and 85% of practices in the host PCT
> (Camden) referred patients; an increase of 29%...." (Interesting
> timing of this move to close the hospital .....)
>
> The RLHH provides a: "....holistic, patient centred, low risk, low
> cost, low tech approach...It offers effective and cost-effective
> treatments; averts multiple referrals and investigations, and
> treatments with which many patients fail to comply or find
> ineffective."
>
> We live in a time when many are afraid to speak their truth for fear
> of ridicule from colleagues, friends and family; fear of loss of
> position or status or research funding; fear in many form and
> guises...... we live in a time when imho building bridges is more
> important than standing on ceremony. I know first hand that the RLHH
> people have respect for professional homeopaths, the work we do, the
> standard of our education. I presented at a homeopathic educators
> conference in 2004 in Malvern - 110 homeopaths there - some of you
> were also there - professional homeopaths, medical homeopaths,
> homeopathic vets, homeopathic pharmacists - the first time we were
> all sharing ideas and learning from each other on a level playing
> field - it was amazing. If we are to keep homeopathy on the table of
> health care options, we have to work together.
>
> If you share my view, please take action now, this concerted effort
> to remove homeopathy from the NHS is already in progress. It might
> be that Prof Ernst will put in motion another campaign to remove the
> remaining homeopathic community still practicing this 'ineffective'
> form of medicine.
>
> We all know the issues, it's not about saving the NHS money, it's
> about politics and multi-national drug companies and the
> commercialization of medicine etc. etc. and it's my contention that
> those of us working in the same arena need to support each other.
> United we stand, divided we....well you know the rest!
>
> So what can we do to preserve this institution?
>
> Tell everyone you know about what is happening and ask them to also
> take action - your patients, your students, family, friends, anyone
> interested in free access to health care choices.
>
> Write to the Chief Executive of your PCT, especially if you live in Islington.
> (Dr. Rachel Tyndall for Islington)
>
> Write to your MP and better yet ask them to ask a Parliamentary question.
> MP's at: www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm
>
> Ask your MP to: Choose your two favourite questions from the list.
> Ask the Secretary of State to estimate the amount of money saved to
> the NHS in 2005-2006 as a result of patients being referred to NHS
> homeopathic facilities.
> Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that patients who receive NHS
> complementary medicine have repeatedly testified as to the
> effectiveness of their treatment.
> Ask the Secretary of State to confirm the assurances given that as
> part of the Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan that patients will be
> given greater choice and that such choice will be respected by PCTs
> when patients and their GPs choose complimentary medicine within the
> NHS.
> Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that since the NHS is now
> 'patient led' that any patient wishing to choose NHS homeopathic
> treatment will be able to access it from on of the four NHS hospitals.
> Ask the Secretary of State to write to PCTs to remind them that
> access to homeopathy in the NHS should continue to be an option for
> all patients who choose this form of NHS care and treatment.
> Ask the Secretary of State to confirm that the Government's
> commitment to patient choice will enable patients to choose
> homeopathy from a local NHS homeopathic clinic or NHS homeopathic
> hospital.
> Ask the Secretary of State to confirm the Government's continuing
> commitment to providing homeopathy through NHS Homeopathic Hospitals.
>
> Get out your best fountain pen and drop a line to Her Majesty Queen
> Elizabeth and ask her to intervene to preserve this 150 year old
> institution of which she is the Royal Patron.
>
> Anything else you can think - please don't hesitate to send me emails
> with your ideas and I will pass them on. this is a personal
> campaign, not associated with anyone at the RLHH and driven purely by
> my inability to stand by and watch this institution die.
>
> Thanks for your time. I hope you spread the word and make your feelings known.
>
> Onward!
>
> Carol Boyce MCH, CCH, RSHom (NA)
> Concerned Homeopath and Teacher
>

IMPORTANT - PLEASE ACT!




Dear All




I received this email only yesterday. Despite holding a dispensing
license from the MHRA I have not received any paperwork from them regarding
such proposed consultation/legislation: they are trying to push it through
on the quiet, it seems... Deadline is 30th March, so we need to spread the
news fast and act even faster! I have included all the information I
received from Jerome Whitney, together with a proposed letter you can
send/email to the MHRA. Email me if it doesn't come up on your email
client.


Regards
Eleana


Re: Legislation to prevent homeopaths prescribing tinctures




Posted by: "Alliance of Registered Homeopaths" asrv25 (AT) dsl (DOT) pipex.com




Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:21 am (PST)


The Spring issue of Homeopathy in Practice, which will be mailed to all of
you in the next few days, carries an article about this in the 'News from
the Chair' section. The consultation closes on 30th March, so do take this
opportunity to respond.

BW Karin