UK NHS crisis
- Thread starter Second Summer
- Start date
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When the threat to lives comes in the form of terrorism, there is understandably no end to the measures politicians are willing to take. But when the threat is underfunding of the nation's health service, then best they can muster are empty promises.
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More: Teachers and NHS staff could get pay rise after MPs' vote (27. June 2017)
No magic money tree? There seems to be magic money trees for a number of other things, just not for the NHS and public sector salaries.
I am certainly not an expert, but I think that almost everyone in society (apart from the poor) should pay more tax to get a better NHS service. If people don't want to do that then I think the NHS needs to be reviewed and people need to pay for the care they get and then get some of their money back afterwards. The NHS seems to be a black hole and money from taxpayers is thrown into it, but the service isn't improved.
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If the NHS is a "black hole", a large part of the explanation is that they're treating more conditions, including some that are very expensive, and more patients than ever in history. And a large part of the explanation to why the service is sometimes poor is that the NHS has been deliberately underfunded in an effort to kill it so that health services can be privatised.
Do we really want a society where everyone is on their own with regard to health services? Does the UK want a situation like in the US, especially before the Affordable Care Act, where only wealthy people can afford proper health care? I don't think so.
Right, I agree the NHS was created when the UK was a very different place. I don't know what the solutions are in regards to the NHS, but clearly we are failing at the moment. I know that the Conservatives have taken money away from social care and so people are ending up in A&E instead, which is obviously a bad idea.
5% of the working people in the UK cannot provide all the money for the rest of the 95% of us, despite what the Labour party say.
I think tax should be increased on everyone except the poor, which is people earning under £11,500.
Income Tax rates and bands
Band Taxable income Tax rate
Personal Allowance Up to £11,500 0%
Basic rate £11,501 to £45,000 20%
Higher rate £45,001 to £150,000 40%
Additional rate over £150,000 45%
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Again, the NHS is at a breaking point, having postponed all non-urgent operations to cope with the "winter crisis".
I'd agree that taxes should be raised, if that is what is needed. It would also make sense if the government's income from sales tax on certain health damaging products was earmarked for the NHS.
Here's from an opinion piece by Ravi Jayaram who is an NHS consultant paediatrician:
Harsh words, but yes, I suppose it's either incompetence or else it must be deliberate.
I'd agree that taxes should be raised, if that is what is needed. It would also make sense if the government's income from sales tax on certain health damaging products was earmarked for the NHS.
Here's from an opinion piece by Ravi Jayaram who is an NHS consultant paediatrician:
More: I'm an NHS consultant and I can tell you exactly what caused this winter crisis (4. January 2018)
Harsh words, but yes, I suppose it's either incompetence or else it must be deliberate.
Spoiler alert: It's not health tourists or refugees.
I wish that paying a little more tax would solve the problem, however it's likely that the money would just fall into a vacuous hole and nothing would change.
My feeling is that the problem is largely to do with bad management of people and funds. If they itemised every spend within the NHS it'd be interesting to see where all the money actually goes.
I love the NHS and what it stands for, and wouldn't want to see it go
I have health insurance through work, and in the past when I have needed an onward referral the NHS GP has refused to refer me privately. Which makes no sense - if I am willing to go to a private hospital why force me to take up a space on the NHS wait list?! I've heard many others have had the same experience where they've been discouraged from going privately. The government also keep increasing insurance premium tax which means that less and less people can afford private medical insurance, so they use the NHS instead pushing extra demand in.
Personally, I think NHS consultants are paid too much. My husband had to see a cancer consultant and the guy was crap! I bet he is paid a fortune compared to nurses.
My husband works for TFL and you would not believe the amount of money they shell out for idiotic things. It would make any person who has to pay for travel furious so I won't say, haha.
The money is totally mismanaged and I assume the NHS is the same way.
I meant to say earlier that some care on the NHS is really good. However I have had terrible service too. I had to switch to four different GP surgeries just in the time I have lived in this area. When I called an ambulance in 2009 it didn't turn up and I had to get a lift in a police car instead. But, then afterwards I did get very good care so it seems like the service is always very hit and miss. 
I think some parts of the NHS have improved in the last few years. My GP surgery is open on the weekends and also early and at evenings during the week. It seems to me that there have been steps taken to improve efficiency.
I think some parts of the NHS have improved in the last few years. My GP surgery is open on the weekends and also early and at evenings during the week. It seems to me that there have been steps taken to improve efficiency.