To worry about the NHS if Reform get into power?

[Vicjo]

I'm not really a follower of politics tbh but can't help worrying about the future of the NHS if Reform were to get into power.
I've spent most of my career in the NHS and the thought of it being abolished is so depressing.
Do other NHS staff worry about this?

We should all be worried about the future of the NHS if Reform get into power.

And everything else that they would fuck up.

Tbh I worry about the state of the NHS now. I’ve worked in the same dept for over 20 years, I fear it’s closer to breaking now than ever. They are closing wards, services and departments left right and centre in my trust due to lack of funding and debt. We are all worried for our jobs and most importantly, where our patients will be housed in winter as we are minus beds every day now with trollies clogging up corridors before the closures have all taken effect.

I cannot stand Reforms values personally. However, I believe they are the least of our worries currently.

The NHS is on its way out - I'm potentially being made redundant from NHS, used to be a job for life but not anymore. Both my nan and mum worked most of their life for NHS and I've got 20 years in.

I'm worried as they have some very major reforms that seem to be moving towards dismantlng public healthcare. However the NHS is struggling.

My hope is that we can hold on long enough that AI becomes a thing as I think there will be major cost savings due to AI.

I don’t think any party can save the NHS, it’s just far too costly. Everyone in the country could hand over 100% of their income in tax, with it all diverted to the NHS, and it still wouldn’t be enough.

If you’ve spent most of your career in the NHS then surely you recognise that it is no longer a viable model of healthcare.

You don’t need to worry about Reform forming a majority government; that won’t happen because despite a racist streak in a large proportion of the population, the majority of the electorate isn’t that thick, uneducated or bigoted.

if there is a David Steel moment in future I’ll take it in good grace and admit I was very wrong, but I’d bet almost everything I owned against this outcome.

Another pearl clutching Reform thread 🥱 Farage doesn't need to do all the heavy lifting because you're doing it for him.

I am worried about the nhs now.

Bingo: uneducated and thick and bigoted. Yet, YOU are the bigot when you other people.

The HSJ reported that the budget for mental health services has been slashed by 8% by Labour. Labour were the unions and the public sector's best hope for saving the NHS. If we reach a point where even Labour cannot find enough money to support it, then I think we need to accept that, in its current form, it cannot survive. The Tory's tried and Labour have tried, it isn't working and something has to change. The possibility of Reform getting into power is horrific on all fronts but there are many, many more real and current threats to the NHS. They are the least of the problems at this point in time.

So am I.

However, it recently saved my husband’s life.

The pathway was awful but when he was finally diagnosed, his treatment was world class.

Just because it sometimes works doesn’t mean it is functional.

So Farage has suggested another model, one which explores alternatives to which has been failing for years. One which has seen money thrown at it and wasted on ridiculous job titles and fat cats creaming. Yet you worry about what Reform propose!

You’re definitely right to worry, but it’s struggling now and the whole system needs a massive overhaul. I’m not against private sector involvement providing that the basic principle of free at the point of demand is maintained. Sadly no politician of any party is willing to go there; the NHS is like a religion, and the model can’t be questioned.

oh I agree, @Labraradabrador . It took 3 emergency admissions with waits of 18, 32 and 54 hours in A&E, twice with sepsis, to finally reach diagnosis. Which was inhumane and almost unbearable for us both,
But, when he was finally admitted, his treatment was outstanding and life saving.

I don’t know what the answer is. The pathway was diabolical but in the end, his life was saved by expert surgeons (both immigrants).

I agree with this. My DH had a terrible accident last year, it was abit bumpy to begin with but once in resus the care he received was nothing short of outstanding. I felt very proud to be part of such an amazing organisation at that time.

That said, I’m not sure what will be left if all the planned cuts go ahead this year. Our trust is aiming to save £60 million in 12 months. This will, without doubt, be detrimental to patients, and ultimately they are why we turn up every shift 😢

I can understand that frustration is causing people to protest vote, but I think it is really important for people to know that the privatisation of the nhs in some form is one of the cornerstones of Reform’s policies. Do we want to end up like America, where people can’t afford to have the medical care they need or end up deeply in debt? How is that a good working model?

The NHS is not fit for purpose.
I wish someone could find a solution.

Why does this debate only concentrate on the current model and the American model, like it was one option or the other. There is, surely, a happy medium to be had?

But the opposite of the NHS is not an American healthcare model. There are numerous, and excellent, alternatives across the globe.

Thank you for what you do 😊

One of the HCAs caring for my husband told us that the trust (Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, Lancashire) has to save £50m every financial year.
How is that possible?

I find it unbelievable that some people see a struggling health service and say time to ‘get rid’ . Have they considered the alternative? It really frustrates me that people seem willing to sacrifice this and that our children will never get the benefit. They will be working 60 hour weeks to afford private healthcare.

Have you an example of a successful current working hybrid? Genuinely interested if you do.

So you're not much of a follower of politics but you know enough to start this goady thread. Right.