Why are we on a steady downward decline

[Neverknowno]

What is the root cause of the UK’s downward slide? What is behind the low productivity?

Is it because we do not tax high earners enough to fund public services? Or are our taxes too high?

Is it because of the increasing number of the workforce going permanently off ill?

I disagree. Fresh air is free. Mindfulness is free. You can eat well (not perfectly, but adequately healthily) cheaply if you need to. Sleep is free. Exercise is free. People just don’t want to do it. It’s easier to make an appointment and demand an expensive counsellor or psychologist, as well as medication

Mindfulness and fresh air do nothing for my mental health. I have long term medication for sleep as l am a chronic insomniac. I actually burst out laughing at ‘sleep is free’ If only😂

Youre talking about very mild interventions for very mild mental health conditions. Most mental health requires medical support. They are ILLNESSES and therefore require medical intervention.

How can anyone misjudge mental health so much? Such a shallow uneducated comment.

Youre talking about very mild interventions for very mild mental health conditions.

Yes, I made that clear. I said mild to moderate.

How can anyone misjudge mental health so much? Such a shallow uneducated comment.

Nope. I have been very very seriously mentally unwell in the past, I work at it every day, using self care and discipline. We’ve got so used to encouraging people to give in to their negative feelings and jus throw themselves on the mercy of the GP we’ve disempowered them to help themselves. Which in turn helps nobody and creates huge waiting lists.

Jeremy Corbyn must be mortified it wasn't actually him that destroyed the UK economy after all

@frozendaisy the difference being that foreign investors don't live in the properties they buy here. I work in the industry and it is shameful the amount of properties I step into a year after being purchased that have just collected dust with the welcome drinks on the kitchen side untouched. You don't understand the effect this is having on the housing industry. We have a shortage of affordable housing, especially in the capital. We are building housing and it is being sold-off to foreign buyers as investment opportunities and nothing else. They sit vacant. It's depressing how much of the housing I am involved in in the city are wasted!

Hmm. It is becoming less liberated and less prosperous quite quickly. Safe is more complicated but personally I don't think our crime clear up rates are adequate, especially on serious sexual assaults. Satisfaction is about direction of travel. If you are used to something being quite crap, then if it moves up a bit that feels like progress.

Life expectancy is down, disposable income is down, every measure around public services is worse and that direction of travel is not good enough for me. I do love Britain, but things are not feeling great at all.

Can't hard enough for this ignorant comment.

I disagree. Fresh air is free. Mindfulness is free. You can eat well (not perfectly, but adequately healthily) cheaply if you need to. Sleep is free. Exercise is free. People just don’t want to do it. It’s easier to make an appointment and demand an expensive counsellor or psychologist, as well as medication.

Where's the nuance? Fresh air is free but how do you take the daily walk in nature if you are time poor & live in a congested area?
Sleep may be free but if your stressed about money or something else it can evade you.
I disagree healthy food is always cheaper, to do that often involves planning & time.
I think people would far rather a walk as a remedy then medication but sometimes they aren't in the head space for it.

On one hand people talk about higher prices but and any level I I‘d like to see who says no you’re not my type of buyer I’ll take a lower amount instead

We bought out last property despite not being the highest offer because we were a local family. My in-laws have a house with land for sale & wont sell to a developer regardless of price. It's that uncommon.

not that.

😂

@frankgu i understand that, but equally we have to help ourselves and the NHS should be there only when we cannot do that.

There was quite an enlightening post by a GP a while ago, exasperated by some of his/her patients appearing with trivial things which they could’ve dealt with at home or by visiting a pharmacy. Such as mild sun burn and colds. Because the NHS is ‘free’ we’ve become used to booking appointments for virtually anything rather than considering whether we really need one. We should all get 3 GP appointments free a year then they should be £10 each.

I guess it depends on the business and what percent of a business is staff wages.

I remember reading about t shirts produced in developing economies. Basically about 2p of the shirt went to the workers.

We should all get 3 GP appointments free a year then they should be £10 each

And those of us with long term disabilities or health conditions?🤨

Well it would be £10 per appointment wouldn’t it? This is how other perfectly civilised countries operate such as Switzerland and the Netherlands.

@Garethkeenansstapler where does the narrative come from that people don't help themselves? What evidence are you basing this on?

pensioners wont pay £10 a GP visit, they won't vote for it!

🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m not running for Parliament, just saying what I think!

Because the NHS is ‘free’ we’ve become used to booking appointments for virtually anything rather than considering whether we really need one. We should all get 3 GP appointments free a year then they should be £10 each.

I certainly haven't. I never go to the GP as it's such a hassle, I don't think i'm unusual!

Eyes and ears? There’s no generalised ‘how much do the public help themselves across all areas of life’, so I can’t help with that.

Nothing like being an ex-pat to reinforce that. The UK is history to most of the world.

anecdotal evidence then? my anecdotal evidence is that people don't have time to waste going to the GP for mild sunburn...

Too much compassion. Sigh.

There's loads or research that demonstrates difference that compassion makes to the bottom line. It's the lack of it that's the problem.

I do wonder if you understand what compassion is? It's action oriented. It's not leaving people to 'not perform'.

Well it would be £10 per appointment wouldn’t it? This is how other perfectly civilised countries operate such as Switzerland and the Netherlands

So someone who is young and healthy pays nothing? And someone who is middle aged with multiple conditions and maybe needs to go to the doctors every fortnight pays 200 quid?

Yeah that’s fair🙄

Tell that to the vast majority of countries in the world who have an insurance system. Life isn’t fair, essentially.

We’ve got so used to encouraging people to give in to their negative feelings and jus throw themselves on the mercy of the GP we’ve disempowered them to help themselves. Which in turn helps nobody and creates huge waiting lists

😂

Just what planet are you on? The waiting lists in the nhs are due to lack of cash and lack of doctors.

And maybe just maybe they are too unwell to help themselves. But you’re ok, because it worked for you. 👌🏻peachy.