NHS

Thanks Lazigirl for your kind words and also, for pointing out that if privatisation was so good, the US would have the best, not one of the worst health services.

Friends who visited the cardiology and eye units for arranged appointments at our local hospital this week talked of people sitting on the floor, or standing because the clinics were so busy. These are planned, not emergency clinics.

A usually non political neighbour told me today she believes we should all take to the streets to get this government out and the NHS protected. Morgana - my Labour MP is old school, a great local representative and very supportive of our local public services, particularly the NHS. I suggest we write to Mr *unt and the PM, copying in our MP's and asking all three to respond in full to the points we raise in our letters.

I do begin to feel slightly despairing though about the impact of protests or demands on government. The last election gave the Conservatives a message, which the PM said she'd heard and would act on. - GO ON THEN!

theconversation.com/fact-check-are-there-more-beds-available-across-the-nhs-89664

May told fibs again about NHS beds.

I also believe Murphy is correct here. Hunt begged to continue his privatisation.
Murphy's wife is a GP, by the way.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/01/09/please-let-me-continue-with-my-privatisation-of-the-nhs-theresa-please/

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/01/09/why-is-our-government-is-so-keen-to-turn-a-blind-eye-to-financial-crime/

From the Panorama programme last night.

That's been said lots of times, Morgana. If people have already put their money in tax havens, we are not getting anything from them anyway.
Country by country reporting will ensure that they pay tax in the country that the transaction takes place, so there will be no tax havens.

Money laundering is actively encouraged by the government. More people should know about this.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/01/09/why-is-the-uk-government-so-keen-to-help-money-launderers/

Re comment up thread about making the rich pay up and cracking down on companies who do not pay enough tax, in order to boost the coffers of the N.H.S. Would this work or would the rich just find more loopholes/move themselves and their businesses overseas?

I think we probably all need to complain to our M.P.s (although ours is a waste of space) and join in a demonstration. Strangely enough that is exactly what D.S. was saying to me yesterday! He does not believe in the power if the ballot box.

I hope your grandchild is improving Iam. It is indeed a frightening thought that as the NHS becomes more fragmented and sold off to private companies we could return to pre NHS days, when those who couldn't afford to pay very often died. If privatisation was such a great thing the US would have one of the best health care systems in the world, not one of the worst. It is very demoralising for those working in the NHS who are struggling to do their best under awful pressure. Some of my ex colleagues have been informed that they must reapply for their jobs, and some will be downgraded if unsuccessful. This is after giving more than 20 years service at their present grade!

We shouldn't need to if we are going to get £350 million a week, OldMeg.

This is something the French are very good at Iam64 - that is coming out onto the street to protest. Middle aged wife’s will join students and OAPs to let their government see them express their displeasure,

Of course they are willing to pay a much higher rate of tax and therefore expect good value. Whereas us Brits whinge if there’s a £5 rise in council Tax.

I suppose you gets what you pay for. Though to be fair, a poll a couple of years ago found that most of us would be willing to pay a bit more in tax if it was ring-fenced for the NHS.

When indeed Old Meg? We need an opportunity to do that but I can't see the government giving us the opportunity

These ‘apologies’ we keep hearing are positively insulting especially to those whose relatives have died. When is the electorate going to stand up and say ‘Enough is enough’?

The argument that institutions like the NHS are worse managed than a private company of equal size doesn’t hold water I am afraid. It is just another silly argument put about by those who hate the idea of the state being involved in anything.

Ok so what would you do to improve that paddynan? Genuine question.

I'm not sure about hospital management systems, other than knowing there appear to be a lot of managers. GP practices are struggling under the weight of bureaucracy, the refusal of the powers that be for practices to say we're full, we can't take any more patients and of course, recruit young doctors because the pressures are so well known, few medics now want to become GP's.
We pay less into our NHS than other European countries put into their health services. I'm sure management of the NHS could be improved but that's true of every private industry as well. We either value and want to sustain/improve our NHS or we return to pre NHS days when the poor died because they couldn't afford treatment.

I think its more bad management than lack of money ,

It will just slow things up. If they want a royal commission they should put money in first, to stop the whole system disintegrating.

There are moves afoot to set up a Royal Commission. I’m not sure what that means but there are quite a few supporting the idea from all sides of the political spectrum.

How would that help please?

Tax rich people, Morgana, and sort out HMRC so they collect the tax that has been hidden offshore. Quite sensible, really.

What do we think Labour would do with the Health Service? How would they fund it?

I wonder if she kept Hunt in place so as to make it obvious that she supports him? At the end of the day she is just shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic! She looks weaker and weaker. Who's going to be P.M. next?

Justine quit. She's turned down the offer of DWP and there's nothing left.

I spent today on a children's ward where one of our grandchildren is being treated for a serious infection. I won't detail our families involvement with A and E and various other health services since Friday but inevitably, I'll praise the medical staff who are doing a wonderful job under very difficult circumstances.

I almost drove up a lamp post as I came home from the hospital, listening to news of the re-shuffle on the car radio. Hunt now responsible for ruining for what is left of our social care services, along with his continued destruction of the NHS.

Of course this country can afford to fund its NHS. It's the will that is lacking, as well as the desire to run down the NHS and have some kind of dreadful divisive system where the rich can afford to buy themselves the best of health care and the rest of us struggle as our grandparents did. My grandson would almost certainly have died of the infection he's being treated for in pre-NHS days. As it is, his grandparents could have sold our houses etc to pay for his care if needed - is that honestly what people want?

If she goes onto the back bench she’d presumably join the Remainers?

Justine Greening refusing to take DWP.
She's been in No 10 for three hours.
Probably going to wait and see what's left.

I hope you are watching Inside Out.