Starmer claims he wouldn't use private healthcare

[SadOhShea]

In the leader's debate Starmer claimed he wouldn't use private healthcare to help a loved one in a dire situation if they were on an NHS waiting list "and he felt like it was the only option".

Surely this is a lie, right? He's just saying what he thinks voters want to hear?

Wouldn't anyone who could afford it go private for a loved one in this situation? Also isn't it morally better to use private healthcare if you are very wealthy like he is and so you're not clogging up the NHS and taking the place of someone who genuinely doesn't have the option?

I just thought it seemed an insult to the intelligence of the voters to think he wouldn't use private healthcare for a loved one.

Mr Farage mentioned that but I'm against it for various reasons and one them is those that often live in social housing and on benefits rarely contribute towards anything - but have had a good ride via social housing purchase at massive discount schemes
I don't know what the answer is but I know of people who worked with me, some were admin on a lower wage others were professional/qualified and others were managers - some receiving more than the average pay - but most struggled paying a mortgage, bill, council tax, bringing up kids and two of them working

IMO and even the dull, socialist starmer agreed that the NHS needs change and be be more cost-effective

its no good throwing money at the NHS, we need stramelining

What a pointless load of drivel

And the socialist Starmer was even more stupid in the way he tried to answer it,

Why do you keep posting "the socialist" - are you trying to use it as an insult? We know you are a Tory shill, but it's a bit pathetic.

Not everyone who's sceptical about Keir / supports the Tories is a shill, you know. Even though is a popular (and very tired) accusation from the vociferous left on here.

Many thanks!!

If someone is seriously ill private hospitals (Excluding Royals) do NOT have intensive medical care. If you have cancer go private will be the exact same specialist who then uses NHS hospitals to operate.

On his beloved mums death bed he made her a promise to her dying wish , she asked him to NEVER let her husband his dad, use private care.

His mum was NHS to her soul.

Private health care is a con, a get rich scheme.

In the USA 60% of all bankruptcy is due to private care.

It is NOT a panacea its a con.

If you have cancer, yes you may well see the exact same specialist on the NHS as privately - the difference being you might get to see the specialist sooner if you pay and therefore start your treatment earlier.

My dad has cancer. Despite the 2 week pathway, he had severe back pain for quite some time before the Dr clocked that he didn't need a physio, he needed investigation for a tumour. Plus the time it took to get biopsy results and to see the specialist.

He is being treated by the NHS now and his care has been excellent. But his tumours are now inoperable, the best we can hope for is management and I do wonder whether those extra couple of months made a difference. I wish he'd been able to skip the initial nhs delays and seen a specialist for the back pain in the first place and get biopsy etc done sooner.

At the same time, I fully acknowledge that no one should need to do this - the system is overloaded and I know that people skipping queues just makes it worse.

By you seeing that specialist sooner, someone else who can't afford to pay to shortcut the queue gets to see them later.

If those are the kind of morals one wants in a leader, then no wonder we had Boris.

Why do you keep posting "the socialist" though?

"By you seeing that specialist sooner, someone else who can't afford to pay to shortcut the queue gets to see them later.

If those are the kind of morals one wants in a leader, then no wonder we had Boris."

Mostly what I want is for my dad not to die of cancer.

What I want from a leader is a reduction in waiting time for everyone so that no one has to go private. I don't want a leader taking an "I'm alright Jack" approach to healthcare. But at the same time I know that any husband or father who says he would let his wife or kids languish on a long waiting list, when they had the means to get them help is either a liar or an arsehole.

Not if you go private in a private hospital you don't (or even if you're treated on the NHS in a private hospital), as they're different lists and the consultant will have set days NHS in the NHS hospital, then set private / NHS days / times in the private hospital. Using one doesn't affect timings at the other.

So the consultant could be working in the NHS hospital when they are seeing the private patient who thinks they are more important than others and so deserve to short cut the waiting list?

No. Because that's when they're doing private work.

If the NHS wants to ban their consultants from working privately, to remove a private option, that's what they'll have to do. The consultants may well just not work those days instead though.

Labour is going to use private capacity to shorten lists, so they're not that opposed to it.

Ultimately, we have to invest in training new doctors, nurses and dentists, so we aren't totally reliant on the ones we have or recruiting from abroad ( which I also think is morally questionable, when those other countries have invested in the cost of training their own people). Successive governments really haven't been sufficiently active in this regard. Certainly in the run up to Brexit, you'd think someone in govt would have given some thought to plugging labour gaps.

In the meantime we have to prioritise getting those waiting lists down and as a temporary measure should use private services as necessary. But simultaneously having a long term strategy so private and nhs can be separate.

edited for typos

So people begging others not to use PC on death beds.. I think we need to get a grip here. If you had a loved one in pain and had the money to go down the private route of have cover with your work then of course you can use it.

The consultants might well not work the days they are doing private work. Why are some assuming that they will be??

I would like to see two things:

1. Get the cost of training for Drs and Nurses reduced but they sign a contract to work for the NHS for xx years.
2. A co payment system be investigated just like France and Spain. They seem to work better than the religion that people follow with the NHS.

It might even make people think to look after their health more if they thought they might have to pay something for it.

Starmer can afford to buy his way into a great catchment area where surprise surprise there are great schools. Starmer and his wife will also have no issues in getting tutors in.

It’s is well known that in a serious situation a person ALWAYS values their family and close friends above the other 99.99% of the population. Kier Starmer is no different, and has plenty of money. In this instance he has clearly lied, which calls into question everything else he’s claiming during the run-up to the election.