Boris 'it could have gone either way'

[Otherrooms]

Well he's recorded a very passionate speech and looks very poorly indeed.
He shows a huge amount of gratitude towards the staff who have cared for him and he appeared quite shaken. Lips quivering towards the end I thought.
I really hope this is a turning point and our government will invest properly into an NHS that has been in its knees for a long time.
Maybe he will vote in favour of NHS staff pay increases next time.

I hope he can see now just how important the standard NHS 1:1 care in ICU is and revoke the idea that nurses may have to take responsibility of 6 ICU patients at a time.

I feel the same when David Cameron spoke of the NHS support with his son Ivan it was genuine and heartfelt (and very emotional)

And look what he did after his son died, he started making changes to the disability benefits they no longer needed, making the lives of other parents in similar situations (who didn't have his wealth) even harder. There's nothing "heartfelt" about using your severly disabled child as a shield to any criticism on such matters. It wasn't that genuine was it, considering what he did to the NHS?
Everytime he was criticised about the NHS or disability benefits he brought up Ivan, saying how great they were and how grateful he was. Yeah, so grateful he was happy to deprive other people of the exact same thing.

I don't think this will majorly change Johnson's views either, now he's grateful but in a few months it'll be all forgotten (with the exception of when he conveniently brings it up) and they'll carry on fucking everything up and making the lives of disabled people even more miserable.
You would think it might be a sobering thought for him, the realisation he himself could have ended up sick or disabled by the virus. But it won't, not least because he wouldn't be reliant on benefits in that situation. He wouldn't have to fight for adequate health care or navigate huge waiting lists.

@TiredofLockdown there are no private A&Es.

Private hospitals in London are within a mile or two of an NHS hospital with an A&E so if you get extremely poorly they can transfer you by ambulance to the NHS. For example the Portland is within a mile of UCLH. Due to health reforms you better hope the ambulance comes and can get through traffic to the right A&E which may not be the nearest....

As lots of NHS hospitals now have private wings if possible you are advised to have your private treatment there.

In terms of MPs and the Royal Family they can jump the A&E queue. Hunt apparently did for one of his children, there as Prince Charles is reported as not doing so for one of his injuries.

I wonder though - he has seen the NHS in action. Crucially - he survived. Will that interpret to understanding the NHS is on its knees? Rather I worry that it helps reinforce the mighty NHS, doing an amazing job rhetoric.

That "powered by love" is very much part of the problem. The government can get away with poor pay because individuals choosing to do those roles will carry on doing their best because they are motivated by more than money. I'm not sure this experience will help him see that differently.

There isn't the slightest hint in what he said that he sees a problem. Or have I missed it? He refers to pressure but that's about it - and of course it's understood as pressure from being hit by something being our control. He will have witnessed staff don't their utmost best and providing a professional service despite what they are paid and the shit they have been dealing with.

It doesn't matter how much money you throw at the NHS it will continue to waste vast amounts of it it needs a complete overhaul,which neither Labour or conservative have been willing to do up to now ,it was no better managed when Labour were in power

1:1 is standard ICU care.

ICU doctors and nurses have been fairly public about the fact the they are sometimes having to go as far as 1 nurse to 4 patients. Which is horrific.

I’d be interested to hear from some other patients who were in ICU at the same time as Boris. Presumably as Boris had a nurse all to himself the others were being even more stretched thinly.

I'm not in the least bit convinced by his speech I'm afraid and I think his experience won't change anything going forward - exactly like Cameron's experiences with his son changed nothing, as others have pointed out. In the future when questioned Johnson will drop in a few words about the excellent care he received and then go on to enact policies that will inflict more and more damage. That's exactly what DC used to do - use references to Ivan to soften what he was about to do or detract attention from it.

The powered by love bit was awful. It's not powered by love, it's powered by money and people having a vocation isn't an excuse to treat them like shit.

I think his illness is a disaster for the country. As a human being I'm glad he recovered but it's taken attention from the shit show that this government are making of this crisis and turned him to a brave hero in the eyes of far too many people. The press reporting on his own situation while not expressing outrage at the numbers of deaths and inadequate PPE has been sickening.

And look what he did after his son died, he started making changes to the disability benefits they no longer needed, making the lives of other parents in similar situations (who didn't have his wealth) even harder.
David Cameron has a lot to answer for that's for sure.

Yes he does. Cameron did some awful things.

Will that interpret to understanding the NHS is on its knees? Rather I worry that it helps reinforce the mighty NHS, doing an amazing job rhetoric

I also worry that his 5* service will give him the impression that the NHS is functioning well.
A group of smiling, happy nurses gathered round bidding him farewell as he left.
Whilst 100m away, back in the real world, nurses and doctors are in despair.

Private hospitals in London are within a mile or two of an NHS hospital with an A&E so if you get extremely poorly they can transfer you by ambulance to the NHS

Private sector health care would be screwed without the NHS propping it up.

@echobelly. You don't want to be sick enough to have 1:1 nursing!

1:1 is standard on ICU. And if we have a child who is very sick on the ward, we will reallocate the workload so that child is 1:1.

Surely Johnson saw the very best of the NHS (and I’m not criticising that) the 1:1 care, the amazing feats the staff do on a daily basis. He won’t have seen the haphazard, just getting by on the skin of their fingernails side, the avoidable mistakes made by human error that is inevitable through lack of staffing and resources.

So why would this make him fund the NHS properly? They’re doing just fine, and he knows, he’s been there in the thick of it, he saw what the NHS is capable of doing right now in the middle of a pandemic. If it’s capable of doing that amazing work in these difficult times then surely it is adequately funded?

This won’t change a lifetime of Tory idealism. If anything it will be used to prop up his existing beliefs.

Toddler: 1:1 is standard on ICU.

As it should be! But as another posted upthread, at the moment, in this current situation, some ICU depts are stretched to 3:1 or even 4:1.

Should that be 1:3 and 1:4?! I don't know!

I've long thought Boris an opportunist, going where the wind takes him to get an advantage rather than having sincerely held beliefs. I think his speech was the most honest and genuine things I've heard from him ever, and sounded like for once he drafted it himself without speech writers or PR spin. He is a good writer generally (as a journalist he has to be) but doesn't really get the opportunity to write his own stuff these days much. I can't say I agree with him on much, but I warmed to him a little today.

I can't say I agree with him on much, but I warmed to him a little today.

I agree that we saw a humbled person that's for sure. He tried to keep up his 'chirpy chappy' routine but he was crumbling a bit.
Good. About time he showed a bit of humility.

This won’t change a lifetime of Tory idealism. If anything it will be used to prop up his existing beliefs.

There is the danger.

I’m glad he made the speech and hope he’ll pay it forward in his government’s support of the NHS. Glad he is better.
I hope when this crisis is over, future governments (and all of us as voters) can all keep in mind the NHS’ fiscal fragility, as well as its strength in its amazing staff and their bravery and resourcefulness.

the most honest and genuine things I've heard from him ever
He has been through a terrible experience, he seemed shaken, he most certainly was grateful for the help he had received. You'd have to be pretty cynical not to believe that was sincere. He was showing his vulnerability. But not sure about humility.
Where was the reflection over his actions/policies re NHS generally and more specifically in recent months - at least some sense of accountability over the thousands of deaths. The numbers are horrendous.

What about the Gordon's brown did he do anything for disabled people? I remember
TV program about children with disabilities, Rosa Monckton, Princess Diana old friend. Said we should have best funding and care because both people in gov have disabled children...

Zilch.
Having disabled child was no fun under Blair either, patronising, insulting checks on dc with severe disabilitys.

If I was pm I'd get shit hot team to scour what's going on in best health care systems in the world... Namely Germany and work on those models here.
Chucking money into NHS won't help. It needs over a haul, cleaning brought back in house, tightening up.

Eg on wards there is alcohol gel but no staff encourage or ask people to use it when they come into the ward.
Family visits... Loads of family, no washed hands crowding round beds

And I'm afraid apathy and non sensitive care by nurses.

Not every nurse is fabulous actually. It's easy to become de sensitised.

Everything needs an over haul. It's too clunky. Slow and sloppy.

We need more hospitals. Better pay for nurses.
Better environments for nurses eg staff rooms with good facilties. No staff should ever ever ever have to pay to park at work! Dreadful!!

Better work hours. Over all we need to raise how we treat hospital staff. Better wages, conditions, perks.

Hospitals based on German models. Better funding but only when... All issues are ironed out.

Doesn't Germany work on a private health insurance type model though? Correct me if I'm wrong.

What about the Gordon's brown did he do anything for disabled people?
TBH, this thread isn't about Labour v Cons.
Labour brought in charges for dental care and eye care, Cons introduced charges for prescriptions. NONE of them have managed the NHS well.

The point of this thread is, Cons are in gov. right now.
BJ is PM
What is HE going to do next?

Just to add, I am no Tory but I am not deluded and know that previous governments have not invested enough in the NHS over the years either.
Thatcher, Blair, Brown, Cameron, May and now BJ. (Have I missed anyone?!)

edit : MAJOR!