Medact

London Housing & Health New Joiners meeting
2024-05-02 18:45 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, London, London, E1 5QJ, United Kingdom
Medact’s London Housing & Health Group is organising to improve policies for better access to secure and sustainable housing.

This includes working alongside local groups to support local campaigns, as well as demanding policy change on a national level for better support for social housing, community-owned housing stock and protections for renters.

The New Joiners meeting is a space to meet other Medact members and health workers interested in the intersections of housing and health work. You have the opportunity to hear about:

What Medact is

History and function of the London Housing and Health Group

Our housing and health justice analysis

Current campaign and organising work

How to get involved.

If you’re looking for ways to contribute to affect meaningful change to the UK’s housing system to win equal access to good quality housing that doesn’t compromise on people’s health, this is a great way to do it. You don’t have to be a regular member of the EJ&H group or a health worker to get involved—everyone is welcome!

Background

The housing system in the UK is broken. Currently, 1.6 million households are on social housing waiting lists and millions more are struggling to meet unaffordable rents in the private sector. One in five dwellings in England fail to meet decent standards for living, with disregard for basic health and safety measures all too common. Housing is not equitably distributed in the UK: poorer households, ethnic minority groups, the elderly and adults with disabilities are all more likely to live in low-quality, unsafe, insecure housing. Despite all of this, social and private rents are growing faster than the cost of living. Social housing stock is dwindling, yet there are around five times more empty homes in the country than households in need of housing.

As part of the health community, we see and care for the symptoms of an unjust economic system. We are united in struggle with friends and colleagues within and beyond the NHS in organising to end housing-related health inequalities. You can read more in our booklet The Public Health Case for Secure Housing

Medact New Joiners Meeting
2024-04-30 19:30 - 20:30
Have you joined Medact any time in the last twelve months? Are you not yet involved in your closest local group or one of our central campaigns or research network?

Welcome to our movement of health workers for health justice! We’d love to meet you at our next New Joiners meeting. This will be a friendly, informal and interactive session and an opportunity to get to know us and let us get to know you.

Some of the things that we’ll be discussing include:

What is Medact?

What do we mean by health justice?

How do we believe change happens?

What can it look like to organise together in the Medact movement?

Whether you’ve just joined or joined a while ago but are yet to find your place, please do come along and share this welcoming space with us.

If you have any questions about attending, drop Kate, one of our Movement Organisers, an email at katebernard@medact.org

Criminalising Distress report launch
2024-04-26 19:00 - 20:30
We’re excited to invite you to the launch of our latest report Criminalising Distress.

This is the culmination of an eighteen month primary research project conducted by Research Manager Hil Aked and the members of the Medact Research Network exploring the Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) model — and exposing ongoing SIM-like practices.

Speakers will include Dr Jay Watts, former members of the Stop SIM coalition, Medact Research Network member Avani Ela and others to be confirmed. This event is taking place on Zoom, not hybrid as previously advertised.

Read and download the report

What was SIM? Has the criminalisation of distress ended?

SIM was a model which embedded police officers into community mental health teams, purportedly to “mentor” so-called “high intensity users” — often women who had experienced trauma, were at high risk of self harm or suicide, and had been diagnosed with BPD.

Following a campaign by lived experienced-led group StopSIM in 2021, NHS England told trusts to review the model. In March 2023, it said the model should end, but did not publish a policy it co-produced with StopSIM or apologise for its own role promoting SIM originally.

Our report amplifies the voices of those most impacted by SIM and SIM-like practices. Former members of the StopSIM coalition acted as a steering committee for the project, which sheds new light on the origins and impacts of SIM, highlights the dire lack of institutional accountability and examines a range of possible alternatives.

Critically, we also expose ongoing practices which continue to criminalise distress in similar ways, albeit under different names. Come and learn about our findings, and what panellists believe needs to happen to challenge the criminalisation of distress and the securitisation of mental health.

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust has supported this work in recognition of the importance of the issue. The facts presented and the views expressed in this report are, however, those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Trust. www.jrrt.org.uk

Harrow Healthy Homes Assembly
2024-04-20 14:00 - 17:00 | Harrow Baptist Church, College Rd (Harrow on the Hill station), Harrow, HA1 1BA
All Harrow tenants and residents who want to fight for a better housing system are welcome to this meeting.

We will be discussing the state of housing in the borough and agreeing on a set of demands for Harrow Council.

These demands will form the basis of a grassroots campaign to make rented housing in Harrow more decent, secure and affordable.

The venue is wheelchair-accessible. Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided.

This meeting is organised by Harrow Law Centre and Medact.

Harrow has a housing crisis. Buying a home here is out of reach for most people, and the borough has some of the smallest council housing stock in London. Ordinary people are more dependent than ever on the overpriced and insecure private rented sector. Conditions in rented properties are often poor, with consequences for tenants’ physical and mental health. Meanwhile, rates of homelessness and rough sleeping continue to rise. It’s time to fight back!

The Harrow Healthy Homes Assembly is a chance for Harrow residents to share their experiences of housing and agree on a set of demands for Harrow Council. These demands will form the basis of a grassroots campaign to make rented housing in Harrow more decent, secure and affordable.

Harrow Healthy Homes is a tenants’ group facilitated by local charity Harrow Law Centre. It brings together private and social tenants, those in temporary accommodation and anyone who wants to fight for a fairer housing system to campaign for change. At our monthly meetings, tenants talk through their housing issues and develop collective solutions together.

Subscribe here to receive news from Harrow Healthy Homes.

Medact North East group meeting: April
2024-04-17 20:00 - 21:00
Medact North East is an active local group based around Newcastle, Sunderland, Tynemouth and across the North East.

The group meets monthly. Each meeting is facilitated by a different person and they welcome new members! The time is used to discuss current campaigns and anything else relevant. The North East group are currently involved in a campaign against waste incinerators in local communities. For more information or to join a meeting in-person, get in touch at northeast@medact.org.

To attend online, register to receive the Zoom link!

Securitisation of Health group meeting: April
2024-04-17 18:00 - 19:30
What is the securitisation of health?

A number of policing and counter-extremism measures are embedded by the government into UK health services, which at times require health workers to work closely with the police and other security agencies.

These measures risk undermining therapeutic relationships, confidentiality and trust in practitioners – as well as drawing health services and workers into becoming an arm of policing and counter-terror agencies.

Through research and campaigns, Medact aims to shift understandings of ‘security’, from typically “hard” measures (border enforcement, a punitive criminal justice system, counter-terror measures) and advocate for collective and human security, health and wellbeing. Read more about our work on Securitisation here.

About the group

The Securitisation of Health group is for health workers interested in working on these issues through campaigning, lobbying and research. New members are welcome!

If you have any questions or concerns about attending, please email our Campaign Lead Sarah Lasoye at sarahlasoye@medact.org.

This event will be held online on Zoom. (Note: This page previously said you could join online or in-person, but it has been moved to online-only.)

Nuclear Weapons Group April meeting
2024-04-15 18:00 - 19:30
Medact’s Nuclear Weapons Group represents the longest standing aspect of Medact’s work towards nuclear abolition, and to address war, armed violence and conflict as global threats to health.

We will meet to provide an update on our ongoing work, and discuss the current global political landscape as related to nuclear weapons and disarmament. Register below to receive the meeting link!

For more info or with questions, email Sarah: sarahlasoye@medact.org

Health for a Green New Deal: April Action Planning Meeting
2024-04-10 18:30 - 19:45
Want to join a movement of health workers fighting for climate justice? Join the next Health for a Green New Deal campaign Action Planning Meeting!

The Health for a Green New Deal Action Planning group organises national activity and supports our Health for a Green New Deal network. We meet monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month, to discuss the current climate & health justice landscape and strategise how we can contribute to the wider movement.

You don’t have to have been involved before to get involved now—everyone is welcome! If you’re unable to attend any of the meetings but are keen to get involved or develop a local campaign, get in touch. For more info or any questions, email Maria: mariacarvalho@medact.org.

Register below to receive the meeting link.

Medact Bristol group meeting: April
2024-04-08 18:00 - 19:00
Medact Bristol is interested and engaged in local, national and international issues that affect public health. Since its creation, Medact Bristol has focused its efforts on campaigns on climate, environment and sustainability, divestment, and migrant access to healthcare. The group’s current focus is supporting Reclaim our Buses, a campaign in Bristol to bring buses back into public control. New members are welcome. Join the email list to get involved.

Medact Leeds group meeting: April
2024-04-06 20:00 - 21:00
The Leeds group come together monthly for meetings on the 6th of the month. Meetings are online mostly and sometimes in person! Medact Leeds are organising locally for climate and health justice as part of the Health for a Green New Deal network, and also taking action to end the hostile environment, campaigning for Patients Not Passports. All are welcome. Please sign up to the mailing list to join the group.

Medact Sheffield group meeting: April
2024-04-04 19:00 - 20:30
The Sheffield group come together monthly, alternating between the first Tuesday or Thursday of the month. Meetings are hybrid. Medact Sheffield are organising locally on the Patients Not Passports campaign, seeking to end the Hostile Environment in the NHS. The group are also organising for climate and health justice as part of the Health for a Green New Deal network. All are welcome. Please sign up to the mailing list to join the group and get the details for the next meeting.

Securitisation of Health group training: Spokesperson Skills
2024-04-20 10:30 - 14:00 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, London, London, E1 5QJ, United Kingdom
The Securitisation of Health group continues to grow, and we’re preparing for a strong year of continued resistance to the Prevent Duty and campaigning for an end to the duty in the NHS.

As part of this we are holding two in-person training days for group members (new and longstanding) to support the development of your campaigning and spokesperson skills. Information on session one can be found here.

Session 2: Spokesperson skills

Co-facilitated by Medact’s Communications Manager TJ Chuah, this session aims to upskill you as a spokesperson by exploring helpful approaches and skills for strong campaign comms. We’ll cover the essentials, from writing articles and responding to media and press requests, to developing key messages and practical interview skills.

If you’d like to attend, please register by completing this google form.

Register for the training session

About the group

Through research and campaigns, the Securitisation of Health Group aims to shift understandings of ‘security’, from typically “hard” measures (border enforcement, a punitive criminal justice system, counter-terror measures) and advocate for collective and human security, health and wellbeing. Read more about our work on Securitisation here. If you have any questions or concerns about attending, please email our Campaign Lead Sarah Lasoye at sarahlasoye@medact.org.

London Housing & Health meeting
2024-03-21 18:45 - 20:30, 2024-01-25 18:45 - 20:30 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, London, London, E1 5QJ, United Kingdom
Medact’s Housing & Health Group is organising to improve policies for better access to secure and sustainable housing.

This includes working alongside local groups to support local campaigns, as well as demanding policy change on a national level for better support for social housing, community-owned housing stock and protections for renters.

In this meeting, you will be hearing from the members involved in our work, get updates on our local organising work in North West London, and help us develop the next steps and identify potential campaigns in other boroughs.

You don’t have to be a regular member of the EJ&H group or a health worker to get involved, everyone is welcome. If you’re unable to attend meetings but keen to get involved or develop a local campaign, you can contact Jordi: jordilopezbotey@medact.org.

Register to attend!

[Registration has now closed]

Background

The housing system in the UK is broken. Currently, 1.6 million households are on social housing waiting lists and millions more are struggling to meet unaffordable rents in the private sector. One in five dwellings in England fail to meet decent standards for living, with disregard for basic health and safety measures all too common. Housing is not equitably distributed in the UK: poorer households, ethnic minority groups, the elderly and adults with disabilities are all more likely to live in low-quality, unsafe, insecure housing. Despite all of this, social and private rents are growing faster than the cost of living. Social housing stock is dwindling, yet there are around five times more empty homes in the country than households in need of housing.

As part of the health community, we see and care for the symptoms of an unjust economic system. We are united in struggle with friends and colleagues within and beyond the NHS in organising to end housing-related health inequalities. You can read more in our booklet The Public Health Case for Secure Housing

Medact North East group meeting: March
2024-03-20 20:00 - 21:00
Medact North East is an active local group based around Newcastle, Sunderland, Tynemouth and across the North East.

The group meets monthly. Each meeting is facilitated by a different person and they welcome new members! The time is used to discuss current campaigns and anything else relevant. The North East group are currently involved in a campaign against waste incinerators in local communities. For more information or to join a meeting in-person, get in touch at northeast@medact.org.

To attend online, register to receive the Zoom link!

[Registration has now closed]

Nuclear Weapons Group March meeting
2024-03-18 18:00 - 19:30
Medact’s Nuclear Weapons Group represents the longest standing aspect of Medact’s work towards nuclear abolition, and to address war, armed violence and conflict as global threats to health.

We will meet to provide an update on our ongoing work, and discuss the current global political landscape as related to nuclear weapons and disarmament. Register below to receive the meeting link!

For more info or with questions, email Sarah: sarahlasoye@medact.org

[Registration has now closed]

Health for a Green New Deal: March Action Planning Meeting
2024-03-13 18:30 - 19:45
Want to join a movement of health workers fighting for climate justice? Join the next Health for a Green New Deal campaign Action Planning Meeting!

The Health for a Green New Deal Action Planning group organises national activity and supports our Health for a Green New Deal network. We meet monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month, to discuss the current climate & health justice landscape and strategise how we can contribute to the wider movement.

You don’t have to have been involved before to get involved now—everyone is welcome! If you’re unable to attend any of the meetings but are keen to get involved or develop a local campaign, get in touch. For more info or any questions, email Maria: mariacarvalho@medact.org.

Register below to receive the meeting link.

[Registration has now closed]

Securitisation of Health group meeting
2024-03-07 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-02-15 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-01-17 18:00 - 19:30
What is the securitisation of health?

A number of policing and counter-extremism measures are embedded by the government into UK health services, which at times require health workers to work closely with the police and other security agencies.

These measures risk undermining therapeutic relationships, confidentiality and trust in practitioners – as well as drawing health services and workers into becoming an arm of policing and counter-terror agencies.

Through research and campaigns, Medact aims to shift understandings of ‘security’, from typically “hard” measures (border enforcement, a punitive criminal justice system, counter-terror measures) and advocate for collective and human security, health and wellbeing. Read more about our work on Securitisation here.

About the group

The Securitisation of Health group is for health workers interested in working on these issues through campaigning, lobbying and research. New members are welcome!

If you have any questions or concerns about attending, please email our Campaign Lead Sarah Lasoye at sarahlasoye@medact.org.

[Registration has now closed]

Nuclear Weapons Group: New Joiners Meeting
2024-03-04 18:00 - 19:30
Are you concerned about the catastrophic health and environmental consequences of a nuclear war?

Do you want to take a stand with longstanding members of the medical peace movement who are campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and the abolition of nuclear weapons altogether?

This meeting is the best way to get up to speed with the work of the Nuclear Weapons Group! We’ll provide a space for anyone interested in getting involved in the group’s activities to meet others, learn more about the state of global nuclear weapons, and explore the different ways you can get involved in our campaigns.

If you can’t make this, don’t worry! Our Peace and Security campaigner Sarah can make time for a quick phone call—get in touch by email at sarahlasoye@medact.org

Securitisation of Health group training: Organising-centered campaigning and 1-1 conversations
2024-02-24 10:30 - 16:00 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, London, London, E1 5QJ, United Kingdom
The Securitisation of Health group continues to grow, and we’re preparing for a strong year of continued resistance to the Prevent Duty and campaigning for an end to the duty in the NHS.

As part of this we are holding two in-person training days for group members (new and longstanding) to support the development of your campaigning and spokesperson skills. Information on session two can be found here.

Session 1: Organising-centred campaigning and 1-1 conversations

Co-facilitated by Medact’s Movement Organiser Kate Bernard, this session will define organising-centered campaigning and break down the methodology and value of having 1-1 conversations. We’ll collectively explore strategic and anti-oppressive approaches to organising and building-power, and take time to practice some of the necessary skills for a strong campaign. If you’d like to attend, please register by completing this google form.

Register for the session

About the group

Through research and campaigns, the Securitisation of Health Group aims to shift understandings of ‘security’, from typically “hard” measures (border enforcement, a punitive criminal justice system, counter-terror measures) and advocate for collective and human security, health and wellbeing. Read more about our work on Securitisation here. If you have any questions or concerns about attending, please email our Campaign Lead Sarah Lasoye at sarahlasoye@medact.org.

Medact Groups check-in: February 2024
2024-02-19 18:30 - 20:00
This is a space for people active in Medact local or issue groups to connect, to share collective learning from our organising—the challenges and successes and how we can support each other moving forward.

Ideally one or more people from each group can come along and represent their group, and the group representative(s) don’t need to be a coordinator: anyone who is involved is welcome!

As part of the check in, we would love for each group to spend two minutes sharing a few highlights from the last few months, any challenges you’ve had, and any plans you have coming up.

If you have any questions or would like to chat through anything, get in touch with Kate: katebernard@medact.org

[Registration has now closed]

Nuclear Weapons Group February meeting
2024-02-19 18:00 - 19:30

Health for a Green New Deal: Action Planning Meeting
2024-02-07 18:30 - 19:30
Want to join a movement of health workers fighting for climate justice? Join the next Health for a Green New Deal campaign Action Planning Meeting!

The Health for a Green New Deal Action Planning group organises national activity and supports our Health for a Green New Deal network. We meet every 2 weeks, on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, to discuss the current climate & health justice landscape and strategise how we can contribute to the wider movement.

You don’t have to have been involved before to get involved now—everyone is welcome! If you’re unable to attend any of the meetings but are keen to get involved or develop a local campaign, get in touch. For more info or any questions, email Maria: mariacarvalho@medact.org.

Register below to receive the meeting link.

[Registration has now closed]

Medact North East group meeting
2024-01-31 20:00 - 21:00, 2024-01-17 20:00 - 21:00
Medact North East is an active local group based around Newcastle, Sunderland, Tynemouth and across the North East. The group meets every two weeks. Each meeting is facilitated by a different person and they welcome new members! The time is used to discuss current campaigns and anything else relevant. For more information or to join a meeting in-person, get in touch at northeast@medact.org. To attend online, register to receive the Zoom link!

[Registration has now closed]

H4GND x Uplift Climate Messaging Workshop
2024-01-27 11:00 - 15:00 | Pelican House, 144 Cambridge Heath Road, London, London, E1 5QJ, United Kingdom
We are excited to partner with Uplift for a messaging workshop on health and climate justice.

Uplift are working to support the movement for a just and fossil fuel-free UK, including coordinating the Stop Rosebank campaign and the Warm this Winter Coalition.

Health workers are a critical part of the campaign against deadly fossil fuels, and the fight for a just transition to a new economic system that creates the conditions that people really need to be healthy and thrive.

This workshop will be a collaborative, participatory, fun session to bring together expertise from Uplift alongside the expertise of health workers in the HGND network to develop effective messaging for our national climate justice campaign.

The workshop’s outcomes will form the basis of messaging that we use to lobby MPs, speak to the media, and organise in our local communities.

This is a great opportunity to:

Learn about how to centre health in developing effective messaging to campaign for a fossil free UK and climate justice

Explore how we can make these messages relevant to our local communities

Build connections with others passionate about climate & health justice for campaigning together in future

Practicalities:

We really encourage people to join in person at Pelican House if you can. We have some budget to support with travel costs, and lunch will be provided! However, we will be running this as a hybrid event so there is an option for a small group of people to join online.

Registrations for this event have now closed.

Patients not Passports New Joiners Meeting: January
2024-01-16 19:00 - 20:30
Want to get involved in the Patients Not Passports campaign?

The best way to get up to speed with the campaign and connected with work going on across the country is to come to our next New Joiners meeting.

In this meeting we’ll explore how NHS charging works and how we can fight back, hear from some of the groups working on the Patients Not Passports campaign, and explore the different ways you can take part. To win, we need everyone working together to oppose NHS charging – you don’t need to work in healthcare to be involved!

If you can’t make the next New Joiners meeting, don’t worry! We can also make time for a quick phone call with you or connect you directly with your local group – get in touch by emailing jamesskinner@medact.org

[Registration has now closed]

Nuclear Weapons Group January meeting
2024-01-15 18:00 - 19:30
