How would you fix the NHS?

[PinkFruitbat]

The Government is asking for ideas on how to fix the NHS.

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

What would you do to fix it?

There is no point in doing scans for those whose health is beyond treatment.

It's a long standing problem. Blair agreed the new GP contract to "cure the GP shortage" by letting them work fewer hours, opt out of anti social hours, etc., which sounded great in theory. What no one provided for was that if GPs, on average, moved to part time from full time, then you'd need twice as many of them being trained up. That didn't happen. In fact the BMA voted against increasing the number of training places and voted against new medical schools being opened. That's why we now have more GPs, but there's still a shortage because so many are working so few hours, whereas prior to Blair, GPs (wrongly) were typically working 5/6 days per week and out of hours call outs too! As with lots of things, the pendulum swung too far the other way and the absolutely foreseeable "unforeseeable" consequences weren't provided for!

It seems one of the key pathways to reform is to remove the power from the BMA.

You ve taken that amount completely out of context as well you know.

Saving 46m isn't going to fix the NHS, that was the point i was making.

Of course every little helps but the NHS according to independent analysis, is one of the most efficient in the western world.

Ah yes "Blame Labour/Blair" GPs were leaving the NHS, as they would do in droves if some of the more crazy ideas like making them work 60/70hours over 5 days, which what they would be doing if they went FT... a GPs job doesn't stop when he/she sees there last patient at 6pm.

So suddenly its a unions fault as well? funny that the Tories over the last 14 years never ever take any notice of any union, let alone the BMA.... the BMA don't make policy and if the Govt as advised in 2015, wanted more GPs they could have gone and at least tried to get them... but they didn't just as they didn't get more nurses etc etc

No, GP numbers have fallen because its simply not possible to get them the placement training they need and med students don't want to go into work where they will abused and spoken to like shit by the public plus made to work long hours....

The BMA is now crying out for more GP/training posts. Let's hope Wes listens.

But no point training more medical students if we don't have jobs for them at the end. 1,000 came out of Uni this year with no immediate job to go to. Many are now on basic hour contracts and don't know where they'll be next year. After 5-6 years of hard work you're told there's no job for you here.

Here's another one.

My dad had an appointment booked (15 minutes!) to discuss the results of a recent scan.

The result? The scan was clear. Surely it's easier and more cost effective to send that by text or even put it on the NHS app? It's like when my smear was clear and I got a message on the app, a letter and a telephone call. One of the three would've sufficed!

Employing practitioners as cheaper than GPs

Sadly they're useless and cost more in the long run.

I had a booked appointment to discuss blood test results. They were clear. 3 weeks of worry and a wasted gp appointment for nothing.

@TigerRag it's ridiculous! Just put a short note on the app

"Results reviewed by Dr X, nothing of concern, all within normal range". Takes two seconds

The problem with that are the health anxious

They'll want to know numbers, the texts of any reports and if they're still symptomatic, they'll want to know what's next.

ETA: They don't feel normal, they have symptoms and a quick update on the app will only fuel their anxiety

@Gingernaut the numbers come up on the app.

The NHS is in no fit state to cater to the health anxious.

Yes but the obesity leads to multiple other diseases and cormorbidies which takes up a significant part of the remaining budget. Speaking as a healthcare professional.

Raise income tax across the board to the level it used to be at when the system was working:so 30 pence in the pound basic. (That was before the politics of self interest and greed took-hold in the 1980s for those who are too young to remember). Also raise taxes for those on middle to high incomes.

Our health is the most important thing we have. And the NHS is the most important asset we have as a nation. Most of the stuff we spend our disposable incomes on are less important and we could do without it to fund this.

Unpopular opinion, I know, but I'm a realist.

If you want to raise income tax to 80s/90s levels, then you need to reduce VAT, employers NIC, remove all the other new indirect taxes, etc.

Income tax isn't the only game in town. Yes, it's been reduced over the years but it's smoke and mirrors because other taxes have increased and we've several entirely new taxes that previously didn't exist.

We're really not a "low tax" country despite what some people think. When you factor in ALL the taxes, we're actually a pretty highly taxed country.

Plunge millions of people into poverty to support those who have taken advantage of the best times, sounds ideal

It cost 137 b to clean up sellafield. And the annual budget for the nhs is 164bn.

When do you consider these 'best times' to have been, out of interest?

@ruethewhirl those who took advantage of low property prices and now have large nest eggs?

When was that, then?

@ruethewhirl

If you're going to pretend that there hasn't been a property boom that has benefitted a certain generation then it's not worth talking about it to be honest.

The simplest fairest way to £35Bn in raised revenue would have been to add a penny on income tax from 12,570. But having sworn not to do so, the Chancellor has to pluck money from elsewhere, in ways that are going to distort the economy and send people like us overseas. Small business owners are going to disappear fast looking at the way this government seems to want to impose new work rules. By the time you've done all the compliances, there's no profit left, so why would you continue trading?

The 'boom' you're talking about was only a thing in certain parts of the country. You're talking as if the whole generation was able to amass these 'large nest eggs' you talk about. That's not the case.

You also sound like you have a fair-sized chip on your shoulder.

There has been a property bubble, but mainly because savers with cash deposits got no return on any savings between 2008 and 2022, despite inflation. Anyone with a brain looked for alternatives to keeping their money in a savings account. So they bought small houses and let them to renters. Some were decent landlords, but not all.