To say the NHS should be privatised?

[Cheekypeach]

Preferably only partially, but still. I was talking about this with DH yesterday who is adamant it should stay as it is. I said I don’t think it can survive in its current form, and I for one would rather pay more and receive a better quality service. AIBU?

I for one would rather pay more and receive a better quality service.

I'm sure everyone would. But when you find out how much stuff actually costs, you'll probably be a bit shocked.

I think it's a slippery slope and we should try and keep it as it is but with a lot of changes I.e charging people for missed appointments for one thing. But I've only ever had fantastic care on the NHS throughout my life, where as someone who's had problems will likely say yes let's privatise it.

Have you seen the total dogs dinner resulting when small parts of it have been privatised? It needs collaboration and proper funding, not division.

There is nothing stopping you paying for private treatment now. Their are private practises in the UK.

@Cheekypeach

Preferably only partially, but still. I was talking about this with DH yesterday who is adamant it should stay as it is. I said I don’t think it can survive in its current form, and I for one would rather pay more and receive a better quality service. AIBU?

Do you have any idea how much things actually cost?

I'm a nurse.
Yes it should be, not partially but totally.
The NHS is a total shambles and not fit for purpose; getting worse and worse every single day.... I am genuinely scared by the corners being cut and how unsafe it is. It's a fucking shambles.

You realise that the Conservatives have had a long term plan to engineer this exact situation?

They created a white paper setting out the method for doing so around the time they were first elected to government. It went very much like this...Underfund the NHS until it can no longer function and the population feel that privatisation is the only way forward.

… because the private sector will deliver a better service, and cheaper.. they don’t have profits to pay out or anything

All my American friends are adamant the NHS should keep out private health providers. They speak from bitter experience.

There is nothing stopping you paying for private treatment now. Their are private practises in the UK.

Yeah, but if anything goes tits up at a private hospital, you'll be put in an NHS ambulance, sent to an NHS A&E, and if needed sent to an NHS ICU.

Because it worked out so well with the gas electricity and rail network 🙄

What about the people that can't afford to pay, are you aware of the wider implications of not treating illness, to individuals and society?

Have you seen the cost of private cancer care?

I for one would rather pay more and receive a better quality service

Ok but if you didn't have the money to pay would you be happy to receive no service ....

I think the model is broken, it should be a new model, preferably like the German healthcare system. People would have to have either public or private insurance, we simply don't have enough money for the NHS and it isn't fit for purpose. It's not a case of just throwing more money at it, the model was great when first introduced but not now. Lots of things change with the times, the NHS shouldn't be excluded from it.

Because privatizing the railways, transport services, water and power companies was such a success.

No.

Proper management, get rid of the leeches milking the NHS for services and make firing incompetent staff easier to do.

It already is being privatised, piecemeal behind the scenes. It has been going that way for years. PFI, anyone? Lots of parts of healthcare provision have been given over to private contracts in acute trusts all over England, Iron Mountain manage healthcare records and documents for multiple trusts for eg.

How much do you pay you for the following

Private dental treatment?
Private vet treatment and insurance?
Prescriptions

If most of NHS budget is spent on staff salaries then it is just recirculating to the economy.

Well, someone's drunk the kool-aid. Let's go to the American model, where they pay more in taxes for the national medical aid than we do and are wage-slaves forced to stay in awful jobs that come with medical insurance because they can't access medical care themselves directly in an affordable fashion. It's the best!

I really hope this doesn't happen, but fear it might.

No. It should not be privatised. I've always been relieved not to have a system akin to the American one.

aargh- voted YANBU by mistake!!!
YABU- be VERY careful what you wish for, I would say.
Investment through taxation is far more efficient and democratic.

YABVU. What the NHS needs is proper funding, not becoming run for profit.

But it is being privatised already- private companies gaining contracts and some without going into tender

I have family in America and after speaking to them, I am even more grateful for our NHS. Im glad you afford treatment privately, how do you expect others to pay hundreds in insurance premiums or huge bills.

get rid of the leeches milking the NHS for services

Can you elaborate on this please @Gingernaut?