The NHS is collapsing - what can we do?

[FedUpWithTheNHS]

First of all, I am not interested to do more bashing on GPs, NHS, nurses and whatnot. I sincerely do not think the issue is with them. So let's leave it at that.

But I have been trying to get some support for myself and struggle to get anywhere.
I have family members who have been waiting months, turning into years for severe issues and they are left in pain and scared.
I read threads on here (the one on sepsis, cancer scare etc...) and it's more of the same.

The system is collapsing but there isn't a private sector to pick up the pieces. I had to wait 4 mnths to see a cardiologist privately.... And now another 6 weeks to be able to have the prescription from my GP (At more than £100 per month, I just can't afford to get said prescription privately).
It very much feels like we are left to die, from no healthcare, tbh.

So far, I have written to my MP.
I am supporting groups working against the 'privatisation of the NHS'.
I'd vote Labour but tbh, just now, I can't say theyve filled me with confidence they will actually do what is needed. Which is increasing funding and ensuring doctors and nurses are staying in the UK and the NHS (at the very least)

What else can I, we, do?
I feel like we need to start shouting. LOUD. Very loud. But I am at loss as to what else I can do :((

I live (and work as a dr) somewhere with a two-tier system so both public and private. The private is never going to pick up the prices.

Steve Barclay on tv right now telling lots of fibs about new hospitals and why a refurb is definitely 'new'. TV news needs a graphic which automatically makes a politician's nose bigger with every lie. Bozo would be nothing but a pair of walking nostrils by now 'I didn't do nothing guv'. It's time he emulated the rest of the 'no comment' crowd.

The private sector never has. It can’t provide the service we got from a public mail system, it can’t provide a fully private education system for all, it can’t provide a decent public transport system. Because someone wants to take most of the resources out of private systems as profit. I’ve never understood the ideological hero worship of the private sector… except that those pushing it stand to gain, and those following are over-invested in over-compliance.

(And those following at the bottom have no good choices).

@RosaGallica thanks for the link!
It's obscene, we dont live in a democracy we live in a plutocracy, a system run by the extremely wealthy for the benefit of the extremely wealthy.
There is enough for everyone but most of it is hoarded by a small number of people at the top, the rest of us are mere cogs in the machine that makes the rich richer.

I work in the NHS and as much as it pains me to say this, I think it’s too far gone and there is no saving it at this point.

@Bedbouncer I know- what next as someone said - Logan's run and compulsory euthanasia over 50! Not all pensioners have been in the position to accumulate wealthy or assets and many have been financially helping and propping up their younger family members too so assets are often depleted. Not all pensioners own homes either or have had inheritances.

I really don't think it's an either/or situation. It's a balance of priorities- one of the reasons I am fuming that Brexit has cost 400billion so far. It was never a priority

Yes. UK's be amazed what the country can afford when Brexit isn't draining the life out of us and all government contracts don't have to have massive profit for Tory donors built into them.

And that’s the thing that makes me so angry when I read ‘but it’s too expensive. We can’t afford that!’. Well yes we can. If we CHOSE TO

And it’s such a crap plan too. As a poster said, if the NHS collapses even more, there is no private sector to replace it (or not enough) even if we assume that companies are going to step in to pay for health insurance.

Whats the point of a country where people are in worse health, therefore can’t work or be as efficient/productive. How is that going to help anyone?

Btw a couple of days ago, I came across an advert from Amazon trying to recruit people. Their incentive was health insurance! Like the good old USA.
That says everything Imo about the state we are in. 😢😢

As if richer people don't (i.e. aren't main users) of cocaine??!

There needs to be an honest and probably, uncomfortable conversation regarding what we expect the NHS to provide.
Should it provide very expensive drugs to prolong life by a few months/weeks. To those who it directly affects the answer would undoubtedly be yes.
IVF, should that be funded?
Drugs such as PrEp?
Im not suggesting that any of the above shouldn’t be covered, it’s about what we now expect the NHS to actually provide.
It’s doubtful that any amount of money can sort it out in its current form.

I agree with you. I feel like people know that the NHS in its current form is not sustainable, but I cannot see any party actually coming out and saying that, let alone attempting to radically overhaul it.

I’m sorry but I fully disagree.
I think that feeds from wha5 we’ve been told so many times about too expensive and no magic money tree etc…

Strange how they can find Money from that magic money tree for unusable PPE, brexit etc….
Strange too how some country like Germany copes with the aging population etc… and STILL can look after its citizens.

You can of course also go down the route if Canada and MAiDs. Amazing when you fund ‘choosing to end your life because it’s too hard’ and you don’t fund medication to alleviate pain etc… people chose to end their lives. It’s a good way too isn’t it. Reducing the length of cancer treatments because too painful. And really you simply don’t unnecessarily lengthen their life right?

Where do you out the limits? How do you evaluate that someone’s life is worth living?

as for PrEp? Really? I mean really? You’d rather go back to the epidemic if the 1980 (remember it affected straight people too), pay for the cost of people being ill etc.. do you REALLY think it makes sense economically?
Or do you assume promiscuous people, unable to jus5 out a condom, drug users anyway and judge away whilst thinking it’s their own fault? 🤬🤬🤬🤬

Such shortsighted view of how an economy works

@FedUpWithTheNHS as I said, I’m not suggesting these examples shouldn’t covered. They are treatments that are available and we expect all them to be on the NHS. Do we as a country want the NHS to fund everything we want?

I assure you, I’m not judging anyone, There but for the grace of god, it could be me needing the life prolonging drug. I came from an alcoholic mother who was also a drug user and as I’m mid 50’s, can well remember the terrifying AIDS stigma and campaigns.

I think there will be a point where there will be some type of top up health care system. Similar to how work place pensions were brought in.

IVF, should that be funded?
without IVF birthrates would be dropping even more quickly than they are!

Yes but perhaps we need to rethink birth rates and population size in an adult way

We can't grow the country or world populations for ever , smaller would lead to less problems for the planet

And the only reason we think we need tons of younger people to pay for the old is because of the capitalist mindset around continual growth anyway

Also funding for IVF has been reduced to nothing.
Most places now only fund one cycle not 3, have limits in age etc…

Its not as if everyone could have multiple IVF cycles as and when they want.

@YorkieTheRabbit the problem is that your examples exactly the sort of things that should be covered.

The NHS has already pared down to the very basic what they offer.
As someone with a chronic illness, I read what patients in the US have access to, the tests in particular and the difference in between the two is 😵😵
Treatments are the same, incl the possibility to use drugs not originally developed for that particular illness (which often work too).

You are suggesting that some stuff on the NHS isn’t really necessary. That’s coming from the idea that we have a cushy system that gives an over the top service.
IT IS NOT.

@verdantverdure people were totally sold a pup- Brexit was not a cost free guaranteed one way street to riches- it was a massively, massively expensive operation for zero gain for 'most ' people. If I was in politics I would be seeking to rejoin ASAP and call it something else- the economic uplift would be immediate and very large.

@FedUpWithTheNHS I’m not suggesting that the NHS is providing over the top services. I’m saying that it needs sorting out. It provided free dental care at its inception, however, the government brought in charges after a few years because it was unaffordable.
The treatments available and costs now are completely different to when the NHS came in to service.

If we want it to continue in its current form, free at point of use, it’s going to take far more money than many in charge will admit to.

The country is going to wrack and ruin because the Tories have bled it dry - and no forward planning .

I think most people who voted for it can see that now.

And luckily the Leave campaigners said a lot of vague old nonsense like "Brexit Means Brexit" and "Nobody is talking about leaving the Single Market " so anything short of having MEPs again is still Brexit.

I think we will fully rejoin, and relatively soon,

All objective observers can see that we need to.

"Luckily" for the Rejoin sude of the debate, Vrexit starts badly and gets worse so nobody holding out for the supposed "benefits is going to see any.

You can trace most of not all of our most pressing problems to Tory policies.

Mrs Thatcher's sell off of our vital infrastructure for example.

I agree.
I think one big problem for the government is that they don't have enough people who are fit and able to fill the work roles that need doing in this country, if healthcare is only available to those who can afford to pay there will be even fewer of us who are fit and able to work 😬