Well, this could be an interesting event. At rather short notice, the NHS Wirral Primary Care Trust are to hold a public meeting this Wednesday March 6th at 6:30pm in the Old Market House on Hamilton Street, Birkenhead. There they will discuss a recommendation made by their Professional Executive Committee (PEC) to discontinue Homeopathic Services for Wirral Residents with effect from 1st April 2011. The full address is:
NHS Wirral
Old Market House
Hamilton Street
Birkenhead
Wirral CH41 5AL
If you live on the Wirral (sadly I’m on the wrong side of the Mersey, but I’m going anyway) it’s your chance to tell the PCT what you think about homeopathy. The PCT could well discontinue funding for homeopathy in a month’s time!
How did I hear about this? Michael Marshall (of Merseyside Skeptics Society and 10:23 campaign fame) was making his latest appearance in the media, this time on the “Tony Snell in the Morning” show on BBC Radio Merseyside, to discuss homeopathy, and the apparent troubles of the Liverpool Homeopathic Hospital. Representing the homeopaths was one John Cook of North West Friends of Homeopathy, who must have mentioned the above meeting at least three times.
For the record, the ‘debate’ was what I have sadly come to expect from BBC local radio, with the usual endless parade of people with anecdotes about how they use homeopathy. I never even heard anyone discuss what homeopathy actually is, and the host kept making the ‘homeopathy is natural’ fallacy. If you can stand it, the debate can be found on the BBC iPlayer (Marsh appears about 2 hours in).
So, thanks to John Cook for publicizing the meeting! I’ll be there to support the skeptics, and I hope to see as many MSS members as possible make the trip!