To feel angry at celebrating the NHS

[TaylorSwifting]

The NHS is falling apart and today people are all full of glee at the NHS yippee 75 years today, it’s making me so angry!!!!!!!!!
My family member has been diagnosed with cancer, 2 months down the line and has had no treatment and terrible delays for tests…..still yet to see an oncologist. 2 months!!!!!!!!! Family member only has pain management because us family have begged and fought to get it. It is an utter disgrace and I had no idea how bad things were until this awful diagnosis in our own family.
We are not alone / it hasn’t been a mistake or being lost in the system by accident! Record high cancer patient delays - this is what so many people are facing. I am in utter disbelief!
I won’t be celebrating today.

But the NHS and all its functions will still be there, just less people will be using it because they can afford/access private.

I'm not saying take the NHS away, I'm saying let people pay for true medical insurance. I'll still pay my NI happily, but I'd also like the option of paying for private that covers everything.

Realistically, we, as a country have two options.

1. Accept the NHS as a concept is finished and start working towards an insurance based system (along the lines of many countries in Europe, Aus, Canada, etc), where people "co-pay" either by insurance backed systems, or pay towards each treatment, or.

2.Those who wish to will pay for private health insurance (or their employers), or pay "per treatment" privately, and over time, the NHS will just get worse and end up being a second class service for those who don't want to pay.

I'd far rather have the former. Accept the current NHS is not sustainable and, whilst we have time, find alternative ways that still allow "the poor" to get health service, by properly researching alternative national health schemes (not the US system).

Trouble is, politicians continue to "weaponise" the NHS in election campaigns rather than do the "adult" thing to actually work together to find ways forward, so whilst we continue to have the adversarial two party system, and short term politicians, nothing will change and the NHS will just wither away as more and more people make their own private arrangements.

WinniFinniHadog

You believe that governments, of whatever colour, will continue to invest when a two-tier system is up and running? You’ve more faith than I!

I genuinely believe if a political party was just upfront and honest and accepted the NHS is filling but a 2 tier system would bridge the gap, that X amount of NHS funding would still be available and allow operational capacity. Then yes I'd have faith in them.

But in the real world

Red will promise it more money, but never deliver because "there is no more money" and continue to watch it limp on.

Blue will hand it over in a shocking state and say not our problem now, or if Blue win again continue by stealth to privatise it.

Selfishly and this is pure honesty.

I just want to know that if my child is sick, I can take them to a Dr and get timely treatment. If I have to pay for that I will. And whilst I'd have the utmost empathy in a failed 2 tier system for those on the end of the shit stick, my child will always come first. I understand how selfish and self centred that sounds, but I can't keep everyone alive, and I definitely want to keep my child alive. I'm sorry about how harsh that sounds, but it's the unbridled, selfish truth.

Makes you wonder - would you rather have little access to free at the point of need NHS because needs are prioritized but we're holding on to values, or have open access to private healthcare but have to pay or co-pay?

@user1497207191

"Realistically, we, as a country have two options."

+++

I agree with your post but realistically it will be Option 2 because no political party will ever get into Government on a policy of reforming the NHS into a two tier individual insurance medical care national insurance free medical care.

The average voter walkways go for the politician that promises more spending on NHS and at no extra tax to them then complain when it doesn't happen but vote for exactly the same false promise at the next election and so on.

The thing is all these PP saying that we can't adopt medical insurance system like they have in Europe because otherwise we'll have an"2 tier system" are missing the point that we already have a 2 tier system anyway!! What is the point of saying anyone can access care without paying when a significant proportion of people can't access care anyway with or without money? The NHS is completely inaccessible for a lot of people. Anyone youngish with what should be considered a red flag is ignored by doctors - that's if they can actually get to see a Dr in the first place - because younger people don't get ill. Except they do. I personally know of 2 people who died of cancer that would likely have been at the very least treatable or maybe even curable if they'd been taken seriously earlier. And plenty of PP are saying similar. So an insurance system can't possibly be worse than that. As long as the govt still fund people with wealth or income below a certain level, then we'd all get better care

@Sallywallywoowoo

"The thing is all these PP saying that we can't adopt medical insurance system like they have in Europe because otherwise we'll have an"2 tier system" are missing the point that we already have a 2 tier system anyway!! "

++++

Whilst you are of course absolutely right in what you say, no politician could can't say this publicly because that would be admitting that the NHS is overstretched and needs reform.

And the public would never vote for any political party that proposed it, even though in reality it already exists.

Wes Streeting (shadow Minister for Health) this week said:

That’s not to say the health service doesn’t require deep reforms. Where and how healthcare is provided needs turning on its head, from a hospital-centric service to one that provides far more care on people’s doorsteps and in the comfort of their own home. Every part of government should have the mantra “prevention is better than cure” drilled into it, so we live healthier lives.

So there you go - a politician who admits the NHS is overstretched and in need of reform.

But hey its free 🙄

https://twitter.com/SangitaMyska/status/1678719472125845504?s=20

GP surgeries are usually privately owned, but contracted to the NHS.
GP’s are paid per patient, not related to any care they give. I believe this started many, many years ago. I know Tony Blair changed GP contracts, so they were paid more, didn’t have to do home calls and less hours. He was also the one to build super hospitals, which we are paying for the rent to private entities, also behind devolution.
I think all governments have messed up the NHS one way or another, it’s just a big cash cow for all contractors to walk away with a winning lottery ticket from the public purse, not to mention the over bloated management making decisions that waste money…not their money and rarely held accountable. A private health system run this way would have been bankrupt many moons ago.

Not one government will look at the wasted millions, it would open a can of worms they would rather not expose. It’s all about winning elections, keeping in power, keeping the money train going.
They’re not in it for the love of politics and their country….it’s all about the ego!

Also, people ought to take responsibility for their own health instead of expecting the NHS to sort out their poor lifestyle choices and subsequently self inflicted illnesses.