Would you pay an additional tax for the NHS?

[Whatisthis543]

I’m torn on this one, surely our taxes should cover a well funded NHS but it seems that they don’t...

Is that systematic I.e too much bureaucracy and poor allocation of resources (within the trusts and elsewhere) or is there genuinely not enough money with an ageing population and rapid growth?

@BillyElliotsLeftShoe

I agree that some people pay in and get fuck all.

Others, including my own relatives in some cases, have paid in very little yet don't appreciate what they get. Example: OAP family member consistently forgetting to put medication in the fridge, rendering it unusable. When on holiday, no NHS nearby, being landed with a private prescription charge of several hundred pounds = remembered to put it in the fucking fridge for once. It's a joke. As a taxpayer I won't find that forgivable, yet who's stopping situations like that?

This really pisses me off. I think all prescription meds should have the actual NHS cost on them to stop this.

My DH is on a cancer drug that is over £10k a month without all the extra tests, ct, mri etc

I had a 'simple' keyhole gallbladder op last year that ended up being done laparoscopically privately. The bill was £11k fir 4 nights hospital.

I think people just don't realise how much 'stuff' actually costs.

the procurement is a shit show.

@SewingWarriorQueen76
National insurance pays for the NHS as a separate tax already

No it isn’t. The NHS is primarily funded through general taxation, with a small top-up from NI.

NI primarily pays for pensions and in-work benefits.

Educate yourself: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service_(England)

MaskingForIt you do know that 1000s of retired people actually pay tax you don't need to be in employment to be a tax payer

Not until they sort out the NHS a trust system .

Yes but I'm a relatively high earner and probably unusual in that I generally think our tax rates in the UK are relatively low, I would be accepting of paying more across the board to get schools etc funded too.

I'd support a 1p increase in income tax base rate, inheritance tax, capital gains tax and small business tax. Plus 2p on the top rate of income tax.

That way everyone pays towards the cost of covid, only for the period necessary. That way we won't lumber our children with huge debt.

Nope. Not because it’s not deserving, but there needs to come a point where businesses (like Amazon) are taxed properly.

Taxing in a fair and reasonable way would massively help the country. Unfortunately, nobody has had the balls to sort that out yet.

You can't tackle Amazon without global consensus

Or if customers vote with their feet

I work in the NHS and never cease to be amazed at the demands and sheer entitlement of many of the public with scant regard to the costs and a total disregard of the needs of others
I agree with the posters saying such a huge organisation needs managers, we do but what we don't need is the numbers at CCG and Trust level who seem to be endlessly employed in reorganising things

I would be happy to pay more but DH and I have taken out private health insurance in lieu of that

No I would not pay more tax for the NHS. I would pay more tax for a different healthcare system but the NHS is broken. Failure to admit a problem prevents it from being fixed.

That extra 350 million a week promised would be good.
NHS is about the most efficient organisation in western world but has been chronically underfunded for decades.

No. Because it wouldn't be spent wisely.

Yes, not least because taxes are abnormally low in the UK but people still don't understand why the national infrastructure and public services are substandard despite being the fifth largest economy.
It costs people more to pay for things individually or to fix things in their lives that don't work properly than paying the tax that would ensure things for the common good actually function.

Yes definitely

@ekidmxcl

No I would not pay more tax for the NHS. I would pay more tax for a different healthcare system but the NHS is broken. Failure to admit a problem prevents it from being fixed.

This is so untrue. If the NHS was funded anywhere near the level of other European systems, it would once again be the absolute envy of the world. Our problem is we have chosen not to fund it as well as any other country in the developed world. Despite that, the NHS holds it’s own on most performance indicators. People see failings and think it is inefficiency when in truth, it is chronic underfunding and misuse.

The Civil service estates finances also could probably do with close inspection, you would be surprised how many buildings that are classed as owned by the Civil Service are actually traced back to the Cayman Islands

Name ten such buildings. Or even five. This is utter bollocks.

The NHS is the worlds 5th largest employer and manages enormous budgets so they are going to need a large teams with specific expertise to manage Human Resources, finance, project management etc.

This! I’ve already filled my bingo card on this thread: too much red tape, bring back matron etc etc.

Tell me, how would dear old matron cope with installing a new IT system? How would she deal with a cyber attack? Would she dash off a set of accounts in her tea break? How about managing medical records for thousands of patients? All of this whilst simultaneously wandering around in a starched white apron and matching hat, reproving doctors and supervising nurses scrubbing floors, like Hattie Jacques in a Carry On film?

No.

They need to reorganise it properly. Too many middle managers. Too much waste.

Too much money wasted on bed blockers because social care is a mess too.

Sort that out first.

They need to reorganise it properly.

What precise changes would you make?

Too many middle managers.

How do you know? How many is the correct amount?

Too much waste.

How much is being wasted, and what is being wasted?

Let’s look at how UK healthcare spending compares with the other countries mentioned on this thread (2019 figures, OECD).

UK - $4,653 USD per capita
Canada - $5,418 USD per capita
Germany - $6,224 USD per capita
Switzerland - $7,732 USD per capita

If we want a better healthcare system we have to pay for it. The idea that the NHS is poor value for money just isn’t true. I would be happy to pay more in tax, as I think that’s the fairest system.

Too much money wasted on bed blockers because social care is a mess too.

Social care is also run on a shoestring budget, thanks to government cuts and a lack of joined-up thinking.

I'm in hospital for most part of the last 10 weeks having absolutely world class treatment.

My DS needs to see a specialist regarding a chronic skin condition, there is currently no services running for this at the moment so we are going private in the NY.

I bloody love the NHS but I think we need to accept that it can't treat less serious common conditions quickly. I hope that our route has helped the NHS in some way.

No
I do t think it’s under funded
I think it’s poorly managed, inefficient and over consumed

I'd quite like companies and the very wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. I'd like companies to pay staff a living wage and I'd like poverty and inequality to be tackled as well as obesity and associated issues.

We might them find that the average worker doesn't need ticket any extra taxes to properly fund the NHS.