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?

What is the definition of those who can pay. My dh and I are paying 700 quid per month for medicine and consultations (and are insured). There are reports of private insurers not paying out for cancer treatment which is 100k. Most people do not have 100k sitting in a bank account so while they may be on higher incomes, should they pay?

Also big difference between a 20 something couple on 100k and a family of 4 on 100k. Latter would struggle to pay for adhd medications, epilepsy medications etc or a stint in A & e esp if they all happened concurrently. Former would probably not need any expensive healthcare for years..

The thing with private insurance is that it operates very much on a case by case basis. What's available for some won't be for others, all depends on their policy. What you say might be true - and awful if so - but we don't know the circumstances around this particular case.

Lots of things could happen in the next 4 years.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the councils they've taken control off. In lancashire one councillor is already being investigated it's only been a week ffs. Employees are beng told to join unions and there's has to be clarity on flying the lancashire flag

It's an uncomfortable time for NHS employees and patients with chronic illnesses. I had to laugh last week when my consultant apologised for saying crap.

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2024.07.22-233304/www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/bupa-doubles-premium-of-kc-fighting-cancer-to-163-000-9dq02n8jk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2024.07.22-233304/www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/bupa-doubles-premium-of-kc-fighting-cancer-to-163-000-9dq02n8jk
Guthrie, 72, has been a customer for more than 20 years. For peace of mind he always made sure his insurance, which also covers his wife, Lu, a calligrapher, was fully comprehensive and included “cancer cover”.
Before he got cancer, he had been paying about £7,000 a year. Since getting bowel cancer in 2017, however, his premium has gone up — and up. It almost doubled from about £42,000 in 2020 to almost £82,000 last year, a bill that arrived when he was seriously ill and receiving chemotherapy.
Last month, a bill arrived for £163,639. “This seems to miss the point of insurance,” said Guthrie, whose older brother is Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, the former chief of the defence staff.
“It seems to me outrageous that Bupa can make money from people who are perfectly well but when they have the misfortune to become ill they either want to get rid of them or charge a premium they can’t possibly afford, so they can avoid taking responsibility.”

They also have low obesity rates, only 11% of population own a car so they walk more, exercise more, older people more likely to live with or near family. Very little binge drinking, vaping banned. National service so men below age of 40 need to pass a physical fitness test every year. The women are extremely weight conscious.

I've long thought a good place to start reforming the NHS would be to shift the focus to wellness rather than illness. Provide incentives so the above is more achievable for people. It stands to reason: fewer sick people = less strain on the NHS.

So, this is James Guthrie KC, yes? Reading between the lines, I reckon BUPA were of the opinion that one of the country's top barristers could afford to pay top whack for healthcare!?
Doesn't make it right, of course not, but goes some way to explaining his individual circumstances.

The NHS is in trouble now. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgle2xkg3wpo

In my trust there are needed, used services that actually help bedflow being closed. Library services, the information /research backbone of medical services, are being cut too. The savings made are paltry for the 6th richest country in the world - a hundred thousand here, a million there, and add up to staff being turned into slaves.

New Labour were a bunch of lying traitors, they forced globalism, buy to let, internal marketplaces and various cut-and-hide financial shenanigans down our throats. It looks like this Labour is going down exactly the same path. I don’t think the answer is reform, but there is not another on the horizon. We are lying helpless in the hands of authoritarians and disaster capitalists who actively want Victorian wealth divides and squalor, who are forcing systems to be run down so they can sell us to America. Who believes we’ll get European health systems here?

We’re headed for collapse ever more quickly, driven by greed.

Oh, and guess which group are going to be hit first. Hint - it’s not trans, nor viagra, nor any men, wasn’t there a push for ‘men’s health’? Meanwhile women are to be left to die. https://rcm.org.uk/media-releases/2025/04/shocking-budget-cuts-will-compromise-the-delivery-of-safe-maternity-care-in-every-way-says-rcm/

Never forget, this was a free choice from the well-off and the baby boomers. The 6th richest country in the world can afford better and can distribute that wealth better. It has done so, and they were warned where neoliberalism led. https://speakola.com/political/neil-kinnock-i-warn-you-campaign-1983

‘I warn you that you will have pain–when healing and relief depend upon payment.
I warn you that you will have ignorance–when talents are untended and wits are wasted, when learning is a privilege and not a right…..– I warn you not to be ordinary
– I warn you not to be young
– I warn you not to fall ill
– I warn you not to get old.”

Social care is the problem. There is no point in giving the NHS more money if you’re not funding social care; it’s like filling a bucket with a hole in. I haven’t read Reform’s policies on social care but it’s hard to imagine an anti-immigration party making social care better as the two are intrinsically linked. Who do they think is working in our care homes and providing care to people in their homes?

If only one prospect of Reform coming to power makes you worried about the NHS, and given that you work there, I gotta ask: are you sleeping under a rock? It's a total dysfunctional shit show as it is. Have you not noticed?

Australia is definitely a hybrid, but the Spanish system is just like the NHS only with less waiting time. You can generally get a GP appointment within 36 hours and A&E is amazing, but elective stuff has waiting lists. There is also a private system in Spain, which again works a lot like in the UK (e.g., BUPA): You have it to make things go a bit quicker, but it's mostly disconnected from the public system.

Very far right 😆 🤣 you don't get why ex Tories would tactically vote to give Tories a wake up call?