Medact

The climate crisis is a health crisis ─ what can health and social care workers in Yorkshire do?
2021-06-02 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Zoom
All over the world, climate change is undermining the health of entire communities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has forecast that if serious action is not taken now to reduce emissions, we may see as many as 250,000 additional climate-related deaths each year between 2030-2050 alone. In Yorkshire, studies have shown that climate change has already increased the likelihood of regular, more severe flooding.
This is a crisis that concerns all of society, but it does not impact us all equally. As we have seen, communities and nations across the globe already feeling the impacts of climate change also tend to be the ones least responsible for it. It is in these communities that we are already seeing excess deaths due to extreme weather events, increasing rates of things such as cardiovascular disease and respiratory conditions resulting from environmental injustices such as air pollution.
Join Medact Yorkshire for this webinar as we explore how those working in health and social care in Yorkshire can take action for a healthier, greener and more just society, one that prioritises the health and wellbeing of people and planet!
We’re really lucky to have an amazing lineup of incredible speakers joining us!

Matthew Sawyer – GP and Sustainability Consultant
Alexis Percival – Environmental and Sustainability Manager, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA)
Angela Harley – Medact Yorkshire
Jess Zollman-Thomas – Medact Sheffield
Mia Thomas – Medact Leeds
Christian Vassie – City of York councillor and ‘Climate Champion’

[Registration has now closed]

Health action at COP26 ─ planning meeting
2021-06-07 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Join Medact Scotland for this interactive meeting to build plans for health workers and students looking to take action at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November!
Please note this event is set to start at 7.30pm ─ not 7pm as previously listed. Apologies for this mistake!
[Registration has now closed]

Prevent duty in NHS ─ June planning meeting
2021-06-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
We are having our regular meeting to discuss the different ways that the health community can take collective action on issues related to the Prevent counter-extremism policy in healthcare, and its connections with broader securitisation and racism in the NHS.
The meeting will take place online on Wednesday 9th June from 6 – 7:30pm.
You must register for this meeting below, and details of how you can join the Zoom meeting will be sent to you.
If you are unable to attend but are interested in being involved in future meetings or actions, you can sign up to our Securitisation of Health mailing list or email reemabuhayyeh@medact.org
Our main priority is that as much as possible, health workers, patients and others impacted by Prevent who may attend this event feel safe both professionally and personally participating in Medact’s activities. As such, we ask that if you work in Prevent, the police or the Home Office, that you do not register to attend this event.
For any queries or for further discussion on this, please e-mail the address above.
[Registration has now closed]

Migrant Solidarity Group: Meeting
2021-06-10 18:30 - 20:00
Our Migrant Solidarity Group will be meeting on Thursday 10th June at 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
To find out how to join the online meeting please email migrantsolidarity@medact.org

Leeds call to action: organising for Health for a Green New Deal
2021-07-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Calling all health and social care workers and students in Leeds!
Our economy is making the people of Leeds sick. Come and learn about the Green New Deal and why as health and social care workers it is vital we organise and use our voice to safeguard our patient’s and our environment’s health. During this online event we will share information about the Health for a Green New Deal movement and we will join together to plan campaign actions to take forward as an active and connected community of health and social-care workers.
Medact Leeds is a local group of healthcare workers which mobilise and campaign to allow all people in Leeds to truly achieve and access their right to health. We believe that it is the duty of healthcare professionals to take a broad view of health and part of our role in caring for our patients must include fighting the inequalities within our society which creates and perpetuates poor health outcomes.
[Registration has now closed]

Exploring the Ethics and Impact of the Prevent Duty on the NHS
2021-07-06 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
It has been nearly a year since Medact published its report, False Positives: the Prevent counter-extremism policy in healthcare. The report shed light on a strand of the government’s counter-terror strategy, its harms within the health system, and the ethical questions that Prevent raises.
The Muslim Doctors Association (MDA) are holding a lunch-time presentation and discussion on Tuesday 6th July from 12-1:30pm on the ethics and impacts of the Prevent duty in the NHS.
Register for the 6th July lunch-time webinar
The event will be chaired by the MDA, and Medact’s Research Manager Dr. Hil Aked will be presenting the findings of last year’s report, with comments from Professor Dame Clare Gerada (Chairperson of the NHS Assembly) and Paul Spencer (Policy and Campaigns Manager at Mind).
We hope to see you there!

Migrant Solidarity Group: Meeting
2021-07-06 18:30 - 20:00
Our Migrant Solidarity Group will be meeting on Tuesday 6th July at 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
To find out how to join the online meeting please email migrantsolidarity@medact.org

Yorkshire group meeting
2021-07-07 19:00 | Zoom
Our Yorkshire group will be meeting on the evening of Wednesday 7th July to discuss follow up from their recent webinar and forthcoming involvement in York Environment week.
For details please email yorkshire@medact.org

Economic Justice & Health Group Meeting
2021-07-08 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-07-22 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-08-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The Economic Justice & Health Group meets fortnightly on Thursdays at 7pm.
If you’re interested in getting involved, please get in touch with Economic Justice Campaigner Siddhartha Mehta – siddharthamehta@medact.org

Health & Human Rights Research Network Quarterly
2021-07-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
We’re relaunching the Health & Human Rights strand of the Medact Research Network!
These quarterly meetings will be a space for us to come together, share our work, discuss new projects, or delve into deep discussion about research that has caught your interest.
[Registration has now closed]

Research Network: Climate Group Meeting
2021-07-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Climate & Health Research Group will be meeting on Wednesday 21st July to discuss ongoing projects.
For more details about the work of the group, email Rob Abrams on robabrams@medact.org.
Find out more about the wider Medact Research Network

Health Action at COP26 ─ Planning Meeting
2021-07-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Join Medact Scotland for this interactive meeting to build plans for health workers and students looking to take action at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November!
[Registration has now closed]

July Big Meeting ─ Health for a Green New Deal
2021-07-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us for the July Big Meeting of the Health for a Green New Deal campaign! As well as getting to know one another, we’ll be hearing updates on what different groups in the network have been up to and how you can get involved! We’ll also be sharing some exciting information on actions around the COP26 climate talks coming up later in the year.
If you’re brand new to Health for a Green New Deal, we’re running an optional onboarding 30 minutes before the main meeting. Feel free to join us for the onboarding to hear about Health for a Green New Deal’s message, organising principles and our strategy to win!
Join us at 18.30 for the onboarding for newcomers, or join us at 19.00 for the main meeting.
[Registration has now closed]

POSTPONED: Migrant Solidarity Group monthly meeting
2021-08-05 18:30 - 20:00
The August meeting scheduled for this evening will be postponed till September!
If you are interested in getting involved in the group before then please email migrantsolidarity@medact.org

Medact Tyneside group meeting
2021-08-09 18:00 - 19:30
After a bit of a break our Tyneside group will be meeting again on Monday 9th August. If you’re interested in joining please drop us an email to office@medact.org and we’ll put you in touch!

Research Network: Climate & Health Group Meeting
2021-08-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Climate & Health Research Group will be meeting on Wednesday 18th August to discuss ongoing projects in the build up to COP 26.
For more details about the work of the group and to get involved, email Rob Abrams on robabrams@medact.org.
Find out more about the wider Medact Research Network.

Economic Justice & Health Group Meeting
2021-08-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Economic Justice and Health Group is a growing movement of health workers calling for action to address widening inequalities in health through economic system change. Current focuses include welfare, work, housing and taxation policies for better population health at both local and national levels.
All those who work in or study health are welcome to join us and help build the movement!
Join us for a meeting to find out everything you need to know about our plan to bring about an Economy centred on Health and Wellbeing.
The meeting will be a chance to hear about our strategy, messaging, how you can get involved and our plans for the next few months. We will also have a couple of guest speakers who will be speaking about gaps in welfare policy and the fight against economic exploitation and outsourcing of cleaners, porters and security guards, especially those working in the health sector.
Sign up below to join our upcoming meeting.
[Registration has now closed]

Movement Builders: What’s the deal with COP 26?
2021-08-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
What’s the deal with COP 26? Join us for the August Movement Builders Session of the Health for a Green New Deal Campaign to find out what to expect at COP 26. We’ll be joined by speakers from the COP 26 Coalition and Glasgow Calls out Polluters to dive into some of the key issues at COP to inform how we organise and take action for climate justice!
If you’re brand new to Health for a Green New Deal, we’re running an optional onboarding 30 minutes before the main meeting. Feel free to join us for the onboarding to hear about Health for a Green New Deal’s message, organising principles and our strategy to win!
Join us at 18.30 for the onboarding for newcomers, or join us at 19.00 for the main session.
[Registration has now closed]

Group Meeting: Medact North East
2021-08-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The newly renamed Medact North East group will be meeting online on Wednesday 25th August from 7 – 8.30pm.
Medact Climate Lead Rob Abrams will be joining and the focus will be on COP26 and actions on 18th September.
If you would like to join, please contact northeast@medact.org

AGM 2021
2021-09-04 11:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
The annual Medact members meeting is just around the corner! This is the second we’re holding online to help us stay safe from the coronavirus, but we have a packed agenda including important business for how Medact runs. We hope to see you there!

It was wonderful to see so many of you online at last year’s meeting, and this year we’re looking forward to bringing so many members together again, both veterans as well as new faces! Over 200 new members have joined in the last year – a record! This meeting is an opportunity for us all to get together and consider the overall running of the organisation.

The day will include:

a chance to hear from a number of our campaigns and member groups

a menu of opportunities to get involved in the coming months

a discussion and voting on Medact’s organisational position on nuclear power (see more)

other essential business including scrutiny of our finances and election of Trustees (see more)

Non-members are welcome to join the meeting, but you must be a member to propose and vote on motions or in elections. If you would like to get involved in running Medact, why not join today?

Please RSVP to receive final papers and joining details:

[Registration has now closed]

Motions

We have one motion on the agenda, relating to Medact’s position on nuclear power:

‘It is proposed Medact adopt the following policy position:

Given the high costs of civil nuclear power, its close association with the military and the detrimental and prolonged effects of the nuclear industry on the global environment; and given the rapid increase in the much cheaper and more efficient sources of low-carbon renewable energy which could supply the bulk of all sources of power for the UK, thereby completely filling the gap left by the withdrawal of fossil fuels: the UK should abandon all plans to expand its civil nuclear power programme, and proceed vigorously with the development of renewable sources – wind, solar, geothermal and ocean.’

Proposed: Frank Boulton

Seconded: Bimal Khadka

Members may wish to refer to our consultation briefing on the issue when considering this motion.

Trustee elections

Three of our current Trustees have completed a first three-year term and will be standing for re-election:

Kitty Mohan

Kitty is a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control based in Oxford. Working in infectious disease public health (health protection), much of her last two years has been taken up with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A medical doctor by background, she completed Public Health training in London in March 2018 and was awarded a PhD in Epidemiology from King’s College London in 2016.

Kitty is currently the Chair of the International Committee at the British Medical Association, which leads on global health, refugee health, European issues, fair medical trade and international doctors and healthcare for the BMA. She is also Deputy Head of the UK delegation to the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME). Prior to this, she was the President of the European Junior Doctor Association from 2018-2020, representing the interests of 300000 junior doctors across Europe. She was a member of BMA Council from 2013-18, has previously been Director of the BMA ,and was joint lead negotiator for junior doctor contract negotiations whilst Co-chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee between 2013 and 2015.

Lesley Morrison

Lesley, a retired GP with a background in public health, has been a member of Medact, and previously Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, since their inception. She lives south of Edinburgh, coordinates the Scottish group and is a member of Health for a Green New Deal. She is always looking for opportunities to write and speak about health professionals’ role in disarmament, especially ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and in the climate emergency.This has included offering SSCs on these issues to Edinburgh medical students.

Committed to the value of the arts and humanities for improving medical training and practice, and for health professionals’ wellbeing, she is co-editor of “Tools of the Trade”, a little book of poetry gifted to all Scottish medical graduates, and author of “The Wellbeing Toolkit for Doctors”.

Lesley has served as a trustee for three years, is proud of what Medact is achieving, is continuing to learn and would appreciate being considered for a second term.

Margaret Jackson

Margaret is a GP in a small but busy practice in rural North Yorkshire, as well as a GP trainer and co-ordinator for teaching in her practice for medical students from Hull York Medical School.

She has co-ordinated the Medact Yorkshire group since its inception in 2017, with a focus on campaigns around fracking and fossil fuel divestment.

Our current Treasurer, who is currently a co-opted Trustee, is also being put forward for election for a 3-year term:

Hannah Wright

Hannah is a data and analytics professional, currently working for Iris in London. Her passion for health justice stems from her academic background in Epidemiology & Public Health; she has a BSc in Biomedical Science from UCL and an MSc Epidemiology from Imperial College London. Before joining Medact, Hannah held the position of Treasurer and Growth & Development officer for Goal Diggers FC.

She has acted as Treasurer for Medact over the past year as a co-opted Trustee and has introduced methods to increase visibility and rigour of grant fundraising projections as well as visual methods to communicate account updates, as well as contributing to wider Medact discussions.

Research Meeting: 'Kill The Bill'
2021-09-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The government has misleadingly branded the dangerous PCSC Bill a “public health approach” to combating serious violence. In response, we are putting together a briefing in support of the Kill The Bill movement, explaining why police-led enforcement is not the same as public health and why this Bill will actually harm health. This is our first research meeting to discuss this work.
We especially want to enable those from groups most affected by the Bill to contribute to this work but all are welcome.
For more info, contact office@medact.org

Group Meeting: Medact North East
2021-09-08 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-09-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Medact North East holds fortnightly meetings on Wednesdays at 7pm ─ currently online.
If you would like to join, please contact northeast@medact.org

Research Network: Climate & Health Group Meeting
2021-09-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Our Climate & Health Research Group will be meeting on Wednesday 8th September to discuss ongoing projects in the build up to COP 26.
For more details about the work of the group and to get involved, email Rob Abrams on robabrams@medact.org.
Find out more about the wider Medact Research Network.

A transformative Green New Deal — getting the BMA on board
2021-09-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Zoom
Doctors and medical students have been organising within their trade union in support of a radical response to the climate crisis! They have successfully managed to get a Green New Deal motion on to the BMA’s conference agenda – it will be debated at the annual representatives meeting on the weekend of the 13th-14th September.
In this event we’ll hear from grassroots organisers within the BMA about what they’ve done so far, and discuss what we should do next in the campaign to get the BMA to support the Green New Deal. Most importantly we’ll discuss how doctors and med students, who want to organise for climate justice within the BMA, can get involved!
Whether or not you are coming to the BMA annual meeting, or are even a BMA member – you are warmly invited to this event if you want to see the BMA supporting a Green New Deal.
[Registration has now closed]

Patients Not Passports — New Joiners meeting September 2021
2021-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The best way to get up to speed with the campaign and get connected with work going on across the country is to come to our next New Joiners meeting on Thursday 9th September. We’ll cover campaign strategy, hear from some of the groups working on the Patients Not Passports campaign, and explore the different ways you can get involved. We’re currently building towards a national day of action in October, so there’s lots to do!
? Register for the next New Joiners meeting – Thurs 9th September ?
Most of the Patients Not Passports work happens through locally focused campaign groups, with groups based in: Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Oxford; East, South, and South East London; Glasgow, and Wales. If you’re not in any of these places, don’t worry! Docs Not Cops and Medact’s Migrant Solidarity Group work nationally or we can support you to set up your own local group. You don’t need to work in healthcare to be involved! To win we’ll need everyone working together to oppose NHS charging and there is room for everyone in the campaign.
If you can’t make the next New Joiners meeting, don’t worry – there’ll be another one in a few months or we can make time for a quick phone call with you or connect you directly with your local group. If you have time, you could check out How NHS staff are fighting back against the ‘hostile environment’ for an overview of the campaign, or read Challenging Healthcare Charging in the NHS, a briefing that examines where the Hostile Environment policies came from, how they work, what their impact is, and what we can do about them.
? Register for the next New Joiners meeting – Thurs 9th September ?

Research Meeting: Climate & Health
2021-09-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
The Climate Research Group are meeting to discuss work on updating our COP briefing ahead of November’s meeting in Glasgow.
For more info, contact office@medact.org

Research Meeting: ‘Kill The Bill’
2021-09-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The government has misleadingly branded the dangerous PCSC Bill a “public health approach” to combating serious violence. In response, we are putting together a briefing in support of the Kill The Bill movement, explaining why police-led enforcement is not the same as public health and why this Bill will actually harm health. This is our fourth project meeting.
We especially want to enable those from groups most affected by the Bill to contribute to this work but all are welcome. The meeting will take place online.
For more info, contact office@medact.
