POSTPONED: Migrant Solidarity Group monthly meeting
2021-08-05 18:30 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
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

Economic Justice & Health Group Meeting
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

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, 2021-10-06 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.

September Big Meeting — Health for a Green New Deal
2021-09-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us for the September Big Meeting of the Health for a Green New Deal campaign! We’ll be hearing updates on what different groups across the network have been up to and how you can get involved.
After the August Movement Builder’s session on ‘what’s the deal with COP 26’, we’ll be discussing and planning together how we are organising and taking action during the COP 26 climate talks.
The meeting will be online on Zoom, starting at 19:00 – look forward to seeing you there.
[Registration has now closed]

'Kill the Bill' research meeting 5
2021-10-04 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 fifth project meeting.
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.

Research Meeting: ‘Kill The Bill’
2021-10-04 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 fifth project meeting.
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.

Economic Justice & Health Group Meeting
2021-10-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2021-10-21 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 movement organiser, Ben Eder – beneder@medact.org

Patients Not Passports National Network Meeting
2021-10-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
This is a regular meeting for anyone involved in the Patients Not Passports campaign. Groups from around the country get together to share ideas, learn from each other, and plan the next steps of the campaign. These meetings are only for people already involved in the work, but if you’d like to get involved, you can register for our next New Joiners meeting on Tuesday 23rd November.

‘Kill the Bill’ Research Group: Meeting #6
2021-10-11 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 sixth project meeting.
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.

‘Kill the Bill’ Research Group: Meeting #7
2021-10-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom

‘Kill the Bill’ Research Group: Meeting #8
2021-10-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom

Movement Builders: Taking Creative Action
2021-10-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Over the last few months, Health for a Green New Deal hubs have been taking action in their communities and in their unions for climate justice and a transformative green new deal, lobbying their MPs for green jobs, organising climate clinics and protesting against the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport.
On the 6th November, we’ll be forming Health Blocs at demonstrations across the UK as part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.
For the October Movement Builders session, in support of coming together for the Health Blocs, we’ll be running a workshop on taking creative action!
Join us at 7pm as we explore together all you need to know about taking impactful, fun and creative actions!
[Registration has now closed]

Race & Health Justice Reading Group: “Policing & Health”
2021-10-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
In our next reading group we shall discuss a short paper exploring the impacts of policing on public health, defunding the police and the abolitionist approach to public health: Deivanayagam TA, Lasoye S, Smith J, et al Policing is a threat to public health and human rights BMJ Global Health 2021;6:e004582
We invite participants to engage with two sets of questions: group A and group B questions. Group A questions are mostly for your personal reflection and you won’t be asked to share your responses during the reading group unless you choose to do so in a breakout room. Group B questions are the issues we will certainly reflect on during our time together.
Group A questions:

How do you instinctively react to the police? How does your community/people you associate with mostly react to the police?
How have your past experiences (direct or indirect) with the police informed your opinion of them?

Group B questions:

How do you encounter policing in your workplace?
What are your views on defunding the police/reallocation of funds as a solution?

Practicalities and accessibility:

We will circulate our group ground rules when you sign up, and ask that you only join us if you are happy to commit to these principles.
Please read the article ahead of the reading group. If you would like an audio version, or to read it collectively with others before the group, please email us.
We expect most attendees will be people working in healthcare, but the group is open to all.
The reading group will be on Zoom – we will run through logistics at the start of the meeting, but if you are new to Zoom there is a user guide here. The zoom application will download automatically when you click on a meeting link for the first time.
We can provide captioning and/or BSL interpreting, please email us
You are welcome to have your camera on or off, and to eat during the session, but please do come willing to contribute to the discussion!
We will have a scheduled break halfway through.
We will cap numbers in order to have a small and active discussion.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to support you to attend.

If you have any queries prior to the event please feel free to email us: racehealthjustice@medact.org
If you are unable to join this session, please do join our mailing list to hear about future events and how to get involved.
Please register to join us
[Registration has now closed]

Health & Human Rights Research Network Quarterly
2021-10-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The Health & Human Rights Research Network Quarterly is 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. A space to collectively develop our thought and research practices. To join the event, make sure you’ve registered!
Our network meets every 3 months, and is a great way to connect with others interested in research in this area. So if you’re looking for a way to get involved in new projects or invite people to join your own – the quarterly meeting is a great place to start.
As always, we’re inviting you to share your work with the group! This could be talking briefly about a research project you’re recently done, or are currently working on, or a paper you’ve seen that you’d like to share and discuss with the group. You’ll have 5 minutes to introduce the project, and then we’ll have space in the meeting for people to further discuss the projects that interest them. It’s a great opportunity to explain a new idea and connect with other researchers keen to collaborate on your project.
Interested? Get in touch with me, Sarah Lasoye (Campaigns Officer, sarahlasoye@medact.org) and cc Health & Human Rights Programme Lead, James Skinner (jamesskinner@medact.org) and Research & Policy Manager, Hil Aked (hilaked@medact.org) with a few details of what you’d like to talk about!
[Registration has now closed]

‘Kill the Bill’ Research Group Meeting
2021-11-08 19:00 - 20:30
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 will be the final Research Group meeting before our briefing launch on Monday 15th November.
If you are interested in this work, please register for the launch event. For any other info, contact office@medact.org.
