The very public NHS privatisation debate

[Northerner]

It has been one of the talking points of the week and one of the most hotly debated subjects on social media - is the NHS in England being privatised by the back door?

Labour has tried to push the issue, arguing that privatisation is being forced through. And one estimate put the number of contracts being advertised at nearly £6bn.

More heat is generated on this issue than almost any other area in public policy.

Some believe passionately that the very fabric of the health service is threatened by the tendering of contracts for patient care. They argue that organisations with a profit motive are by definition unsuitable to be awarded such contracts. The need to make a profit, critics argue, will result in costs and service quality being cut.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28581878

 

[ypauly]

It has been one of the talking points of the week and one of the most hotly debated subjects on social media - is the NHS in England being privatised by the back door?

Labour has tried to push the issue, arguing that privatisation is being forced through. And one estimate put the number of contracts being advertised at nearly £6bn.

More heat is generated on this issue than almost any other area in public policy.

Some believe passionately that the very fabric of the health service is threatened by the tendering of contracts for patient care. They argue that organisations with a profit motive are by definition unsuitable to be awarded such contracts. The need to make a profit, critics argue, will result in costs and service quality being cut.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28581878

It is being done, Only what labour are failing to say is they would have done it faster, a lot faster. The coalition has put £12 Billion more into the NHS, Labour planned to reduced the bill by £20 Billion. It not rocket science to say that that would either have created massive problems or that the money would have come from elsewhere.


I think the NHS is doomed, it's sad, very very sad but the three main parties in this country have been far less than honest as regards to it's future.

Every one of them uses the term "free at the point of use" None uses the term "free" leading me to believe that some people could face bills for the care they have received. Of course it's not free, we have to pay for it some how and it' is becoming more and more difficult to fund it from tax as there are so many financial pressures, but I for one want this protected and money saved elsewhere.

 

[AlisonM]

We already pay for the NHS and other things, that's what National Insurance is for... Except the government doesn't spend all of the finds raised on these areas. A significant amount is spent elsewhere and they don't tell how much. If all that money went where it was meant to go, there wouldn't be a problem.