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Think the NHS is safe in Tory hands? Think again

(121 Posts)
Whitewavemark2 Sun 03-Nov-19 09:54:48

Polls show that we are more proud of the NHS than the Royal Family or the armed forces.

The NHS is the closest thing we have to a religion., and Labour launched a warning about the threat of US trade deal, saying that the NHS is not for sale.

The Tories immediately hit back, calling Corbyn’s warning a pathetic scare story and even Trump waded in with saying “all we want to do is trade”

It would be political suicide for the Tories to try to unpick the fundamentals of the NHS, to pave the way for large-scale privatisation, and to introduce an insurance based system, or to bring in significant user charges..

But the Tories malevolent influence is more insidious.

It has starved the NHS of resources, and introduced the means for big pharma industries to extract profit at the expense of the tax payer.

The Tory record speaks for itself.

The NHS has come under severe strain as a result of the cuts imposed upon it by successive Tory chancellors.

As they dolled out generous tax cuts to o more affluent family costing billions of pounds a year, the NHS was continually starved of funds.

Indeed the NHS is now experienced the tightest funding since its inception. Spending on our health service is significantly lower than most of our international competitors.

The independent Kings Fund has stated

“The NHS is clearly under-resourced”

That is why winter after winter we hear of a crises in our NHS.

Last winter it took the unprecedented step of cancelling all non-urgent surgery.

There is increased waiting lists, understaffing, and bed occupancy rates consistently above the levels that permit safe care.

Tory ministers continue to misrepresent the level of funding, consistently claiming that it is getting mor3 money than it actually is.

So the Tories have are putting the NHS at risk in order to fund unnecessary and expensive tax cuts.

There is no reason to believe that they won’t continue along this road.

A US trade deal is the cherished objective of the hard right, which now dominates the shell of the Tory party, and this deal pushes a serious risk to the NHS.

It will open the door to rising drug costs to the tune if billions a year.

The US governments desire to liberalise access to the international drug market, and this has been the subject of many meetings between the U.K. and US trade negotiators.

The hard Tory right is desperate for a US trade deal and want to align with the US regulatory standards, it is one of the reasons why they want to leave the EU.

After the economic fallout of a Johnson Brexit the U.K. will not be in any position to exacting demands, and we will be in danger of signing up to a trading treaty that will bind the hands of future generations to make Britain a rule taker from the US.

We will have left the EU , an institution over which we have a democratic say in its laws and rules to become a vassal of the USA..
The ideological right has taken over the Tory party and is prepared to sacrifice the country’s wellbeing in order to get the version of the future it wants.

Think it will exclude the NHS?

Think again

Observer
8/10/19

Pantglas2 Fri 15-Nov-19 09:45:29

Love that man! ‘If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people whom we despise, we don’t believe in it at all’.

jura2 Fri 15-Nov-19 09:23:20

And we haven't got to flu and 'slip and break' season either.

But it is all part of the great scheme- it is how it is all planned to work. Classic, well-know ... and so so simple:

“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.” (Chomsky).... in despair.

Grany Fri 15-Nov-19 09:13:34

I meant this video but the other link is good too worth a watch

twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1195257629292974080?s=20

Grany Fri 15-Nov-19 09:10:54

If you don't believe the NHS privatisation
Watch this doctor

This doctor is speaking out

#NHScrisis

twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/1195247374081437696?s=20

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 19:10:01

This

Grandad1943 Thu 14-Nov-19 18:17:05

The real winter pressures are still to be placed on the NHS and already we are witnessing the worst A&E patient handling statistics since figures were recorded.

The NHS has never been safely maintained in any Tory Governments hands, and today's statistics prove that is still the case.

Greeneyedgirl Thu 14-Nov-19 18:17:01

I spent my whole career in the NHS and I despair at the way the NHS has been allowed to get in this state. I cannot believe that any more evidence is needed for people to realise that if they vote Tory in this election, the NHS will cease to exist in the future. Privatisation that has been going on, unknown to some, will accelerate until we have an insurance based system similar to US, which will discriminate against the poorest and cost far far more.

Grandad1943 Thu 14-Nov-19 17:19:41

Whitewavemark2, in regard to your post @16:45, I believe that today's dreadful published statistics on the NHS performance, may well prove to be the big factor that this election may turn on.

Those figures prove that you cannot trust any Tory government with the NHS, and it is there for all to witness

pinkquartz Thu 14-Nov-19 17:04:10

It would be relatively easy to begin to change the pressure on hospitals by giving money to Social Care Budgets and Ring fence it so the Councils cannot spend the money on anything else.
Then many patients could be moved home.
Also if councils were able to return to employing carers like the old home helps people could be safe in their own homes and freeing up a lot of beds in the hospitals.

Can cleaning be brought back to in house?
Can we eliminate half the managers ?

It is so obvious that the Tories are starving the NHS I don't understand how anyone defends them
The statistics in the thread showing how far behind other EU countries we are in items like CT scanners.
How will this work out in future years?

I am not a Labour supporter. I cannot bring my mind to support any of the present Political Parties because they all lie.

If things go more USA style people like me cannot survive.

I need medications and I am not wealthy. In the US you pay so much for medicines and if you don't have the right insurance or money you go without.
I am very worried about this, not just for myself btw

All the families with sick children....can they afford to pay? I doubt it.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:45:54

Jonathan Ashworth
@JonAshworth
·
It’s official - the Tories have pushed our NHS into crisis:

?4.4 million people waiting to start treatment, ⬆ on 2018

?A&E performance worst on record with 1 in 4 people waiting more than 4 hours in Type 1 A&Es

? Almost 81,000 people waiting more on trolleys.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:25:19

Vote Tory if you want a collapsing health service.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:24:31

Seven. Policy failures elsewhere are placing further pressures on NHS provision.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:23:19

Six. I'll wait on a trolley in A&E for HOW LONG?

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:22:01

Five. Longer and longer delays - if you can get your GP to make a referral.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:20:52

Four. More and more URGENT operations being cancelled.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:19:57

Three. Fewer and fewer nurses and midwives.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:18:49

Two. Targets for cancer patients also collapsing.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 16:17:27

How the Tories are snuffing out the NHS in seven charts.

One. A&E waiting times targets collapsing.

varian Thu 14-Nov-19 15:23:26

A&E waiting times in England at their worst on record

NHS figures show one in six patients waited longer than four hours in A&E last month

Less than three-quarters (74.5%) of people who sought care at A&E unit in England in October were treated and then discharged, admitted or transferred within four hours – the smallest proportion since the target was introduced in 2004.

That is far below the 95% of patients that ministers and NHS chiefs say should be dealt with by A&E staff within four hours.

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/14/ae-waiting-times-in-england-hit-worst-ever-level

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 13:32:20

Lies and more broken promises

Mary Creagh
@MaryCreaghMP
·

You can't trust the Tories with the NHS.
They promised 5,000 extra GPs in 2015.
Today, there are almost 1700 fewer than in 2015.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 14-Nov-19 13:19:39

Told you!

Worse figures since records began.

It will get worse and eventually implode and then be wide open for privatisation.

The Tories are on plan.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 06-Nov-19 08:39:19

Mental health cuts

Jonathan Ashworth

The Tories have cut over 5,000 mental health beds.

growstuff Tue 05-Nov-19 21:13:03

The standard rate of National Insurance Contributions is now 12%, which is over half the standard tax rate. Pensioners and people with unearned income don't pay it, which is a considerable saving on the amount paid by working people, who are effectively paying for those who don't pay. The vast majority of retired people paid nowhere near that rate when they were working.

growstuff Tue 05-Nov-19 21:06:25

Eloethan I'm not disagreeing that there are some pensioners who are struggling. There are people of working age who are struggling too. Nevertheless, I find it unfair that people without a PAYE job (which includes pensioners) are taxed less as a percentage of their total income. I don't think it's appropriate to say that pensioners stop paying for healthcare when they retire. That might have worked when the average life expectancy was much lower, but not now. As far as I know, pensioners in other countries are expected to continue paying for healthcare according to their means.

Eloethan Tue 05-Nov-19 19:04:19

Whilst there are some pensioners who are living very comfortably, there are also pensioners who are hardly managing at all.

Even people who are on average incomes or are comfortably off would find it difficult to pay for health care and may be discouraged from seeking medical help when it is needed, which in itself could in the long run create more expensive problems.

Pensioners may not be paying now but most people have worked for a large part of their lives and paid into the system during that time. I have been fortunate enough up until now not to have required many visits to doctors or hospitals and do not need to take any medicines. If and when the time comes that I require more visits to the doctor or hospital or in-patient treatment, I think it would be most unfair to, in my old age, to be expected to pay. Conversely, those who are unfortunate enough to have suffered a variety of illnesses or have a chronic health condition requiring more medical input should not, in my opinion, be penalised by being made to pay.

I personally think taxes should be raised to 50% for the top 5% of earners - and people and companies that are making enormous profits (and often paying poor wages to their employees) should be contributing more. Simplify the tax system and close those loopholes which are primarily being used to avoid taxes rather than encourage useful investment.