I aint Luke and you aint Anakin. You can keep your dark side...
Current Affairs National Health Service
- Thread starter Jebus_lives
- Start date
- Status
He’s gone to the clearing at the end of the path, mate. You’re shouting into the literal void.
Never underestimate a cockroaches will to survive...
I’m sure we’ll see Rod Ball arrive soon: a new poster, with a fake looking moustache and even more questionable views on the health service and immigration
Spadge Vernacular
Player Valuation: £70m
I think this response sums up the thoughts of the Tories. Years ago, you’d never get any MP being so open with their thoughts, especially when they’re as strong as he’s written there. Instead, they’d produce a sound byte as to not leave themselves open to criticism. Now, they just say what they want as there are no repercussions.
That's the frustrating thing about the NHS. One side is convinced that all of the problems are down to the government, the other that everything is the fault of the NHS. The reality is that it's a bit of both, but no one will ever admit to that.
wainy
Player Valuation: £35m
This is the problem with the tories, they just wash their hands of the problems and expect others to sort them. Who does he think has the power to implement the reforms he is talking about? I do agree with him that the nhs is full of useless middle/senior management, I see it daily in work, but to suggest the government can do nothing is laughable. His last paragraph sums up everything about this Tory government, as you say, no repercussions for what they say.
I could be wrong, but I feel like a major issue is life expectancy increasing over the past few decades.
Retirees are living far longer in retirement, where they draw a pension and aren’t contributing to the health service through NI. The younger working citizens have to cover this increased cost but the current tax take isn’t large enough to cover the bill.
Hence all this nonsense from the Government about investing “above inflation” amounts into the NHS being just that. Acting as if the only thing which is significantly impacting increased health and social care costs is inflation, and that putting money in above this is a good enough answer.
The whole “too many managers” thing does my swede in also. There are a lot of crap managers I’m sure, but the NHS has 4% of the workforce doing management as part of their role, compared to 10% in private companies in the UK.
There have been numerous studies showing that a problem with the NHS is too few (and not good enough) managers rather than too many. As @Jebus_lives highlighted a few days ago, it's a misnomer to focus purely on the NHS as well, as social care comes under local government, which has seen its funding cut quite considerably, which, as you point out, with an ageing population isn't ideal, as most of what keeps them out of hospitals has been really struggling financially.
I just wish the issue could be spoken of as hugely complex and we stop trying to boil it down into hugely over-simplified soundbites to try and score points against whomever (royal) you perceive to be the villain of the piece.
The ageing population is pretty important factor and has been for a while now. Its not just us, I know the Chinese are absolutely crapping it. All the evidence suggests the older people get the more they use healthcare (and more is spent per head). And our population is getting older in general terms.
Having said that, focusing on age alone can obscure that remaining healthy in older age is influenced by social class, ethnicity and gender. Put simply if you are a wealthy white bloke living in the South of England you'll probably live longer and with fewer health ailments.
If you're a poor woman in the North you'll probably die younger and live with a number of chronic conditions from a younger age.
The NHS tends to be to be the crunch point. A lot of the problems start much earlier and outside of health care.
Last edited:
Oh, I'm not sure the NHS gets all of its funding via NI. I think it comes from general taxation, so even if you are retired you pay some form of tax potentially (VAT, Road Tax etc).
www.kingsfund.org.uk
How the NHS is funded
The NHS is mainly funded from general taxation and National Insurance contributions.
The NHS does need an overhaul,
It's up to the government to do it.
How many are ending up in hospital, because the don't access the local , gp services, mental heath services especially anybody that has had to deal with that side of things will see is totally broken.
We spend 73 billion less than Germany, 40 billion less than the French, but its no good throwing money at it until they have a plan to fix it and target it at the right places.
I have family, quite a few in the NHS , managers and on the ground floor, some of the stuff they tell me , just seems daft, can't sack this person ect.
It's up to the government to do it.
How many are ending up in hospital, because the don't access the local , gp services, mental heath services especially anybody that has had to deal with that side of things will see is totally broken.
We spend 73 billion less than Germany, 40 billion less than the French, but its no good throwing money at it until they have a plan to fix it and target it at the right places.
I have family, quite a few in the NHS , managers and on the ground floor, some of the stuff they tell me , just seems daft, can't sack this person ect.
Oh, I'm not sure the NHS gets all of its funding via NI. I think it comes from general taxation, so even if you are retired you pay some form of tax potentially (VAT, Road Tax etc).
How the NHS is funded
The NHS is mainly funded from general taxation and National Insurance contributions.
Fair but it’s the same with income tax for retirees. Most don’t pay much if any tax on their pension income in retirement.
Broad brush, before you’d work for 45 years, retire and die after 10-15 you now work maybe 45 and die after 20-25. All those extra years using the NHS more but contributing hardly anything.
Governments like to talk about reform or wastage because it’s easier politically than the truth which is the NHS/Social Care simply requires a lot more money, and the only way to easily do that is tax more or reduce spending elsewhere.
- Status