Can the NHS recover?

[notevenat20]

I was talking to a GP friend and she was telling me about all the hospital services that are still shut (including non emergency gynaecology) and waiting times of 40 months for heart problems.

The NHS has lost huge amounts from the lack of charitable donations. The govt has spent 14 billion a month on the furlough scheme and tax income is way down.

Can the NHS ever recover?

It will, because it has to IYSWIM

Services were beginning to be restored in late summer. Not everything paused, but a lot of routine still that would not be dangerous to leave has had to wait. And that does leave huge waiting lists.

That won't really be tackled over the autumn/winter as the NHS is basically full in those months anyhow and far less non-urgent work is listed.

So the best thing is really for everyone to comply with transmission control measures. Yes, I know the govt communications strategy has been a complete bugger's muddle, but keeping transmission low is the only way to get back to 'normal'. We really need to get through this winter without adding to the backlog. Which probably won't happen, but I'm still hoping for least worst

The cuts in the future will mean it’s very unlikely to recover - spending will take a massive hit which will mean fewer services in general.

Creeping privatisation won’t help either and suspect they’ll be more selling off to help pay for things.

I don't really understand why some services haven't resumed. My husband's hospital clinics have been back up and running for months now. Some of the services that are not running are inexcusable.

Too much is closed and there is no clear reason why. Our GP services are much improved due to Covid. DD has had some period troubles and has had her implant removed and a scan. No problem.

But the Trust providing adult ADHD is only providing telephone consultations: no Skype no zoom and not even a one hour or two hour slot. Any time between 9am and 5pm and to contact the team you have to call the main switchboard and explain the problem and someone calls you back. They can't, after 6 months divert a phone. It is disgraceful.

I think the NHS will go through a British Rail type privatisation which is wrong but because it has turned into an unwieldy badly run behemoth nobody will be prepared to give it more funding in its present form.