NHS failure is inevitable – and it will shock those responsible into action

[Northerner]

Barely a day passes without a new NHS tale of inadequate performance, excessive patient waits, services not delivered, trusts effectively bankrupt, or even preventable deaths attributed to unbearable pressure on services and staff.

The reports come from doctors, august professional bodies, trusts, patient watchdogs, patients themselves and expert commentators. But somehow this isn’t yet registering as general public uproar that the NHS is now failing. Why on earth not?
I think the explanation lies in the fact that NHS healthcare, unlike, say, the Grenfell Tower disaster, doesn’t give us a calamitous across-the-board failure. It is so varied and comprehensive that while many services may be on their knees or worse, particularly at times of maximum pressure, others will be delivering adequate or even great services at the same time. There is a mixed picture. And for those who don’t want to see or face up to the hard facts, the possibility of highlighting other ones, and carrying on as before, presents itself.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/06/nhs-failure-health-service

 

[kentish maid]

All rather worrying isn't it? There was once talk of patients from Kent having access to French hospitals for routine treatment, I don't think it really took off, but of course with Brexit I doubt it would work now. Not even sure that I think it was a good idea in the first place

 

[mikeyB]

NHS England is dying on its feet, and unless significant amounts of money are put into nurse and doctor training, and restoring bed numbers which have been slashed over the last ten years, it will collapse. It’s just money, and my fear is that after Brexit austerity will last our children’s lifetimes.

And just to rub it in, Phil the Greek gets hip pain for a month, gets admitted to a private hospital and gets a hip replacement. We’ve paid for that. The rest of us wait years. It’s just beyond satire, it’s a sick joke.

 

[trophywench]

Oh come on mikey!

If he'd done the job he really wanted to do he'd by now be a well retired RN Admiral, and have had it done years ago (cos none of us know how long he's been in pain and being treated for it) instead of taking a completely unsalaried position and having people poke him in the ribs for his non-PC sense of humour. I've always thought he'd be bloody good fun, frankly!

You and I would have paid his salary anyway, though he'd have paid 40 years NI and Income Tax, and we'd still be paying his RN Pension. Yes he would have paid a teensy bit towards he and his family's health costs, exactly the same as you and I have. I've certainly had more out of the NHS than I've paid in like almost everyone else, so I don't begrudge Philip a couple of hips.

There's such a danger of dictatorship without a totally impartial, fair leader as figurehead but with sufficient power to apply a brake if necessary, in my view - so it suits my peace of mind to have a Monarch.

 

[mikeyB]

I don’t want to get into a discussion about monarchy, Jenny, I was just comparing the experience of the super rich with us proles.

 

[trophywench]

Just pointing out that in terms, the man is actually a retired civil servant like other folk ! LOL

 

[mikeyB]

If you really think Prince Philip is like other folk with an army of servants and never having to make his own bed, never cooked a meal, and never paid National Insurance contributions, then I’d very much like to meet the folk who are like him.

 

[Lucy Honeychurch]

Call me cynical, but I can't help thinking that one of the aims of this Government IS the failure of the NHS. Surely that was the premise of The Health and Social Care Bill and the 'Small State', public money into private hands ideology. Not to mention cosying up to Mr Fart post Brexit vote