Is the NHS now about treating 'shi t life syndrome'?

[mids2019]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/03/the-guardian-view-on-labours-nhs-plan-it-is-right-to-celebrate-medical-science-but-delivery-is-the-hard-part

A Guardian article but it seems like this push to reduce health inequality is making the NHS look like part of our benefits system. While I agree with good health for all is this strategy going to appeal to a middle class tax payer base who are a lot of their tax going to a struggling NHS with the money ultimately flowing from their pockets to more deprived areas? It seems like the poorer the area the more snazzier and funded your health service will be and I just wonder if ultimately this may too the balance towards a more health insurance based syatem?

What else did you want to put a windfall tax on, by the way? In addition to the 9 year long (and counting) 'temporary' windfall tax on the energy sector. 35% of profits - on top of the usual 40%, taking the rax rate to 65%. The EU one lasted only 1 year, btw.

https://taxfoundation.org/blog/uk-windfall-taxes/

Using the 'Prevention is better than cure' method can save hundreds of ££££ per every ££ spent

Fewer sick children, fewer heart attacks and strokes, fewer housebound people, lower disability benefits bills etc

Can do, for the right prevention. Or can be a waste of money.

The pp said 'economic analysis'. I'm not seeing any analysis from Labour on this policy. Ie looking at the actual numbers and analysing what will work and why, based on what has actually happened in the past.

Just ideological wishful thinking. If we throw yet more money at the same set of people, surely some of it will stick. And some of it will help. Same old fuzzy Left thinking.

See the pp above about the cost of Consultants having to move between different hubs, and the inefficiency of having expensive equipment in local medical centres with nobody skilled to operate it.

The pp said they favoured health hubs due to "increasing visibility of public health in the community."

That's 'show' politics, to make self-righteous people feel good. Typical Woke Left. But it doesn't necessarily make people any healthier.

Sure, throwing hundreds of millions of pounds somewhere will always make someone happier. But those hundreds of millions of pounds could potentially make a bigger difference spent more thoughtfully. There are limited funds. You need to do the analysis to figure out what the most cost effective way is of actually making people healthier.

And Labour - as usual - haven't done their homework to figure that out, and have just gone for the self-righteous 'show' policy of throwing yet more money around.

Redistribution. Redistribution. Redistribution.

Labour (and some on here) don't actually care if the money is being thrown down the drain.

They see any difference in wealth within the population as the actual problem, so taking money away from people is always their solution - and then throwing it in the direction of those who have less. They don't bother to try to consider the consequences. It's beside the point for them.

I think our bias and division in healthcare and society would be a great way to start bringing equality in treatment and access to healthcare.

How many times are referrals for treatment blocked because they initially make assumptions "hormones, anxiety or stress".
A new mum "Ah its hormones or stress"
Any history on record of challenges in your youth.."ah its anxiety"
Work full-time and in a the 'middle class' "ah your stressed"

So i can quite see that in deprived areas where it is assumed their patients are a particular demographic or hold some of the political sticking points condemnation right now, ingrained unconscious bias would be affecting the initial diagnosis of symptoms especially if they are not tick box symptoms a quick blood test can diagnose.

My DH got referred to the nearest location for a specific treatment that was out of area. You get treatment elsewhere if they identify what you need. But you need to access a GP first, get the GP to refer to access it..and you don't.

Ah, @RosesAndHellebores, consistently vile as ever. I always hope that they are just a troll as their views here are positively Dickensian.

But you have to give back to society.

It's not leftie ideology, it's Christian values.

You could do a widespread media public health campaign, but we have never ever encouraged health as personal responsibility in the UK, as its against the interests of fast food, alcohol and previously tobacco companies. And, because we value freedom of choice.

We say its personal responsibility. Then we don't do enough to prevent junk food and so on.

So by doing public health promotion on the ground in the communities it's more out of sight from mainstream media, out of controversy, and gets the message to where its needed.

It worked in countries like Africa for HIV prevention, why can't it work for obesity in the UK.

I actually think some people just don't care whether other people live or die to be honest, that's the only explanation I can think of for why some people just hate the idea of preventative health care.

However the tobacco and vapes bill is an example. The bill didn't just materialise overnight. People worked on smoking cessation for years, decades.

There are studies like this happening looking at a number of things such as the underrepresentation of people from poor backgrounds, women and ethnic groups in clinical trials, and their disproportionate access to health care, as well as the cost to the economy of not treating certain conditions, which will lead to more data being published.

"Countries like Africa". Dear God. And FYI, this is an ongoing battle and hasn't worked everywhere. Nothing is that simple.

Exactly!

nhsproviders.org/resources/health-hubs-a-community-centred-prevention-initiative-to-address-health-inequalities

It's really nothing to do with Christian values. :Do you really think that non-Christian societies don't encourage pro-social behaviors?!? Or that non-Christians don't care about others in their community?

It's to do with human social behaviour, where over time it increases an individual's survival - or their relatives - for people within the social group to give each other help when needed. So we have social behaviour, compassion, all the usual human stuff.

But it only works up to a point.

If others in the social group take too much - or even worse show that they despise the individual (and so it's a reasonable assumption that they wouldn't help in return) - then it absolutely doesn't make sense to give. So people no longer feel that drive towards pro-social behaviour.

It's much more pragmatic than Chritian. It's just that hundreds of thousands of years of evolution make it so natural that you don't realise what your own drivers are.

And it's certainly not Leftie ideology to give back to society. Don't make me laugh!

Leftie ideology is all about one-way redistribution!

It's entire aim is one-way taking of other people's money then giving it to the same groups time snd again, because it makes you feel good. Regardless of whether that actually makes any kind of long-term difference - or even makes things worse.