How would you fix the NHS?

And us old people living far too long - how bloody inconsiderate of us

Most members of my family fall into that category.

I wouldn't mind paying a few quid if it would really make a difference. As I said, it's hardly more than the cost of a cup of coffee which every Tom, Dick and Harriet seems to be carrying around with them these days.

So what else could be done to improve funding and to make people value what they're getting? What I'm driving at is - people need to be appreciative.

I'm referring to the principle of a free health service.

I think the whole point of this thread is that there's a lot wrong with it. That's something everyone can agree on.

But I believe that getting people to stop taking it for granted is vital. The NHS is the staff and the hospitals, but it's also hugely the patients. And we need the patients to understand what's at stake, what can feasibly be done and what can't.

And for people trying to make it a party-political discussion - no government of any colour has managed to sort things out. There's so much more wrong thatn just funding.

NHS is already saving money in very sinister ways by pressuring women to go through painful hysteroscopies without anasthetic.

Cost savings in link 😡

https://x.com/Tiffywren/status/1847558233155625343 Money saving coming above patient welfare

This government wasn’t voted on because people support it.

it was voted in simply because they’re not the Tories.

So I think it’s easy to see why someone could have rooted for them in the election, whilst not really supporting their actual programme much if at all.

@PhilosophicalCheeseSandwich you and me both but alas they continue to cut us to the bone in the community, when they are made to save money we are the first cut, made to see how we get on without a member of staff if they leave for months before recruiting, recruitment freezes at the minute and being told to rein in our mileage, not to claim from bases but where we start which can be 20 miles away so hitting staff in the pocket, we work rurally so there is only so much we can do

It’s amusing how many posters root for Labour and then say “but I’m not Labour”.

I think Streeting could be a very good health secretary if he makes changes and savings that Labour would find politically easier than the Tories. Bringing Milburn back was a good sign.

The suggestions always seem to be about punishing people. Sacking them (employees) or making them more ‘efficient’ (work even harder with no breaks) or affecting those of us with long term health conditions (some of which are unavoidable I’ll agree but hey ho we’re all human).

Reform IT = costs billions
Switch to online communication for appointments = excludes elderly people who are the heaviest users of the NHS & huge GDPR risk
More admin staff to answer the phone = more money on wages

The only way to save money (so we can spend on hugely expensive cancer drugs etc) is to either start charging so some services (like most of the EU) or stop providing services.

Social care fell apart years ago and is dragging the NHS down with it. It's easy to complain about cancelled surgery but if there is no bed because there is no social care for the person currently using it, what's your answer? A hotel doesn't work if what the person needs is carers or a nursing home. Fix social care and the NHS would be in a far, far better state.

No, if someone is granted Settled Status then they have the right to use the NHS. You are confused there.

The ones I’m talking about are millions of illegal and semi legal migrants, and others with No Recourse to Public Funding, for example “tourists” who enter on a visitor visa and overstay because they work illegally. Or simply health tourists. Or elderly mum and dad who need dialysis and are here visiting. Or the cousin who is visiting and attending ante natal care and who will give birth here and then will stay with her baby when the council provides temporary accommodation despite the big fat No Recourse To Public Funding stamp.

Anyone can register with a GP and anyone can use the NHS, no questions asked.

It’s all on the Government website.

According to the supermarkets and the utility companies there are now over 80 million people living on the UK. Official statics are much lower. Make of that what you will.

And penalise people like me with long term, difficult to treat medical conditions?

An example here. I was there when this collection of portacabins was built

https://www.hsj.co.uk/lewisham-and-greenwich-nhs-trust/trust-faces-48m-repair-bill-for-pfi-hospital/7021166.article

Actually this makes very good sense.

Nope, can assure you I'm not. Just fed up of a crap system not doing its job despite millions and millions being thrown at it.

I pay private healthcare insurance so am more than willing to contribute! I sold my house a couple of years ago to pay for surgery to keep me mobile because the NHS wouldn't. We'd all be willing to pay more if we could guarantee decent provision. There's too many people not contributing though, that's the problem.

OMG I knew this thread would be a tough read. Please educate yourself, half the problems are caused by the mental " internal market" created by Andrew Lansely. It doesn't work, it has never worked,it wil never work. Trusts in " special measures" or whatever for not fufilling their contract are the only game in town for huge swathes of the British population. The NHS work force has nationally agreed T&Cs and is highly unionised none of it fits a " run it like a bussines" model and when they try they are exploited by profiteering companies ( PFI anyone ?).

I’m not sure about charging for missed appointments. I received a very snotty letter regarding a missed appointment - an appointment I never received. I apologised to the staff when I did attend and said I hadn’t received the appointment either by letter, email or text and they said it happens all the time. So no I am not going to be charged for missing something I wasn’t aware of.

Admin in the NHS needs a real look at. I was receiving the copy intended for my GP as well as my own letter. I’m quite capable of scanning/taking the letter to the GP but not everyone is

Really?

I think you may be comparing the NHS to some kind of wonderful fantasy ideal, instead of absolutely ruddy nothing - which is the case in many countries.

I think people have lost sight of what it means to have health-care free at the point of use. It may not be perfect (and don't I know it!) but where would be be without it. I'm incredibly grateful.

I remember in the 60s my grandparents were still in awe of the free health-service. They didn't like to 'bother the doctor', partly because they were nice people, but also because they'd had to pay for everything until very recently.

We need to get this over to people and get them to value it.

So maybe we do need to make a small concession to human nature (people don't value what they get for free) and make a small charge for doctors' appointments - say a fiver, or just over the cost of a cup of coffee.

Nope. Have voted labour but not necessarily a supporter. Lived during the Blair years. Saw improvements in my job and care.
Do you trust governments to create a fair insurance system without fleecing ordinary people ?
Do you think the rest of the population would agree if Streeting suggested this ?
I guess there would be uproar in the DM immediately because essentially it’s just about politicking for the sake of it. The government tried to introduce means testing of WFA, just look how that went 😂

I had a similar incident with trying to cancel appointments....except I phoned the number given on the appointment letter and either left a message to cancel/rearrange the appointment or actually spoke with some saying I wanted to cancel, and then got a lecture when we went to the next apt for being a DNA. This happened on more than one occassion and I'd be pissed off if I was refused treatment for not attending when I followed the instructions for cancelling (within a sensible time frame, not like the same day!)

It's much easier to blame patients than try to tweak or improve such complicated systems

Eg people turning up to A and E with things not deemed to be urgent. (Why do you think they are there? Have you tried getting a GP apt ? it's like getting a audience with the pope! Minor injuries units are closing....people's choices are limited, it might be the last resort)

Look at all these missed appointments, it must be patients that can't be bothered to show up....except there are multiple reasons to do with NHS inefficiencies (as above) which means they are noted as a no show. I've seen incidences of people waiting for eg 1.5 hrs after their apt time and having to leave. They did turn up for their appointment!

@TheSnootiestFox this is the issue.

People feel entitled to the service, but don't want to pay enough tax to fund it.

I do not and will not ever feel 'grateful' for a wholly inadequate service that I have no choice in funding especially when it does not provide the service it tells me that I'm entitled to. I do hope that clarifies the stance of a significant chunk of the population!

😮That is shocking you should complain.

😂 right so almost 30 years ago ? Isn’t it a good thing that there’ll be a cross party commission to thrash things out ? Things have changed since 97, we’ve lost loads of our EU colleagues and a huge population rise.

There was a Royal Commission in 1997. Does nobody remember anything?