The #NHSCrisis is only encouraging private firms to bite larger chunks from the health service
[Image: Martin Shovel.]
The crisis has created a perception that the public health service is unable to cope. Private firms can capitalise on this – and don’t forget that more private contracts are being offered up for NHS work, every day. Here’s the latest:
In the middle of an NHS Crisis, the Tories are still offering chunks of your NHS to private health. This for exmaple https://t.co/AdpD4hagsC
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) January 13, 2017
It’s for an ‘integrated urgent care service’ (whatever that may be), offered by Kernow CCG (in Cornwall?) and is worth nearly £50 million.
It should be remembered that private healthcare will not offer treatment for the most complicated, long-term conditions; the people who need it most. Instead, they take contracts that draw funding away from their treatment.
And the ‘crisis’ narrative gains momentum – but it lacks one major element.
The only reason there is a humanitarian crisis in the NHS is underfunding by the Conservative Party in government. They will have inflicted nearly £40 billion of cuts by 2020, and have already passed on around £20 billion of funding to private companies, much of which will be transferred to shareholders’ bank accounts as profit, rather than having anything to do with treatment of illness.
The bureaucratic cost of private involvement alone is astronomical.
Yet Theresa May tried to blame the crisis on the increase of elderly patients, in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
In fact, decades of ward closures have led to the bed crisis. Bed-to-population ratios are worse than in some eastern European countries. Funding of the NHS, in total, is well below the EU average. But Mrs May keeps rattling on about a “strong economy” being the answer. Didn’t Philip Hammond say our economy is the strongest in the developed world, during his Autumn Statement last year? Yes, he did.
I am sick of hearing Tories say a strong economy will help the NHS. Utter nonsense. It needs funding to the EU average @DLidington #bbcqt
— Dr David Wrigley (@DavidGWrigley) January 12, 2017
The only way the NHS can receive proper funding is the removal of private sector involvement from the National Health Service and the redirection of the funds this frees, back into healthcare.
That must be the first priority of any campaign to save the NHS.
The way to achieve it is simple: Destroy the Tory narrative.
The aging population isn’t blocking up A&E – Tory underfunding and bed closures did that.
Why isn’t the NHS properly funded, considering the Tories say we have the healthiest economy in the developed world?
If the Tories didn’t want A&E departments flooded with non-urgent patients, why did they close walk-in centres and pharmacies?
There must be no let-up, no relief for Conservative pro-privatisation mouthpieces. They must be challenged at every opportunity.
Their answers must always be challenged. If they fail to provide adequate answers, the question should be put again.
Challenge the narrative. Undermine their confidence.
Win back your health service.
As you point out the Tories are deliberately underfunding the NHS as compared with France for example. No matter what spin they try to put on it they are strangling the life out of a publicly funded free to use Health provision, leaving the field open for expensive insurance driven private medicine whose sole motive will be profits for the shareholders rather than the health of the nation.
This must be fought tooth and nail; as Nye Bevan said ‘it will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it.’ So Hunt and co’s aim is to destroy that faith by creating crisis after crisis through their attacks on budgets, beds, nurses, doctors and all the other staff. They hate socialised medicine and have consistently sought to destroy it for the last seventy years. They’ve been beaten back time and again though making inroads and leaving scars in the structure.
Being an older person, I am rather tired of the old chesnut of blaming older patients for the NHS crisis. These Morons have the same information as commerciial companies ,i.e birth records. census records, etc. If they cant estimate how many people are in the country why waste the resources? These records let them know how many schools, homes etc are needed so why do they pretend its such a big surprise! One thing that is never mentioned is the fact that most older people were lucky enough to have proper jobs and were paying taxes and raising the next generation of taxpayers. Counts for nothing of course in view of the destrucion visited on our economy since the advent or tory govt and austerity.
Thank for posting that Kernow link, I emailed my MP about it with some very discouraging words. NHS/Social Care “outsourcing” has been a disaster in Cornwall without adding to it.
With such tight manning what this lame brain government does not understand, having no common sense whatsoever, is that the staff on the ground constantly working all hours are also falling ill. Not surprising, when they are confronted every day by germ ridden patients, that they fall ill and knock-on their ranks attendance falls making their remaining colleagues even more work and stress. Maybe that’s part of their cunning master failure plan which they think no one outside themselves can see.
Privatisation will never be cheaper but quality will certainly decline no matter what false justification figures they present.j
Called an ambulance yesterday, they came within 10 mins. Arrived at hospital about 7.15pm. I was surprised to find the A&E quite quiet. There were trollies in the hallways – all empty. Did not see any elderly people waiting to be seen, I was the only one. Was seen almost immediately, no triage. A number of samples taken, nebuliser, chest xray, heart tested, etc. Mentioned to the doctor how quiet it was, he said yes, but it had been very busy over the past few days. I said he must be glad to have a break. Left there at 10.15. There were a few more people there when I left, but looked capable.
I love the NHS.