Privatisation of our NHS

Link

voxpoliticalonline.com/2021/07/14/law-to-put-private-companies-at-the-centre-of-the-nhs-passes-second-reading-where-are-the-news-reports/

Keir Starmer hasn't said much about the health bill , but then he's not said much about anything except Antisemetism #bloodyuseless

NB this is England only, Health is devolved to the other nations.

Just before I retired from the NHS due to Covid, I noticed that some of the clinics were sending out letters to patients and GP's on private companies headed notepaper. The thin end of the wedge.

If you look at the UK Gov Web site for Parliament bills this has not even got to the committee stage where it will be assessed and pulled apart.
If it gets any further, then even more stages before it goes to HoL then 5 more stages before Final assignment then if its accepted by everyone then Royal assent.
By no means is this a forgone conclusion. Unbelievable!

Private companies dipping into the NHS has been going on for many years i wish it wasn't but my fear is its inevitable. ?

It really irritates me that people insist on calling it "Our" NHS. It's become our national religion and no-one is allowed to criticise it, despite the fact that it's a bottomless money pit. If we stopped looking through rose-coloured spectacles and accepted that the system in some other European countries is better than ours we might actually make some progress to make improvements. As it is if anyone suggests any change it is howled down as an affront to our idol.

The NHS was doing well before privatisation started costing more. Keep private profiteers out of our NHS it's a public service was the envoy of the world. It is the jewel in our crown and we have to fight for it.

Privatisation has been part of the NHS since it’s inception in 1948. GPs always remained independant contractors working under contract to the NHS although obviously not for profit. In 1952 charges were introduced for prescriptions, dental care and spectacles. Think we all need to be aware, increased demand for services, 1.2 million approx undocumented people, who are entitled to free care , but don’t pay regular taxes, more complex surgery and treatments which people need and deserve, cannot all be met without some form of tax rise. Personally would gladly do so.

It's the PFIs private finance initiative that cost millions to NHS to pay back. Bringing these into NHS was wrong idea Remember it worked well as it was intended to
and supposed to do always will do. It does not need a take over by privatisers. Read The Deceit Syndrome by Dr Paul Hobday. Or The Great NHS Heist a film by Dr Bob Gill.

Will agree with you on that, worst is the time length of the contracts, anything from 25 to sometimes more than 40 years, .
Currently more than 700 in place, value of 57 billion
www. nao.org.uk. Thanks Major who introduced it and Blair who increased it.

The whole process is explained here very clearly. The last few stages are being 'hidden' by Covid.

fb.watch/75eaPTAFEX/

It is all hiding behind Covid- but it is very deliberate and planned.

adebayoadeniran.medium.com/the-british-government-is-determined-to-destroy-the-nhs-94523b02b17a

An elderly friend had a massive operation on her leg last week (after having her op cancelled 3 times, the week before at 7pm on the day she was admitted) - after 3 days in hospital, she was discharged at 11am- ready to pick up by ambulance at 3pm, with friends waiting home to help her- and she was picked up after midnight and arrived home at 12.30 am- with no-one there to help her (she told her friends to go home as she would not be going home until the morning). Just despicable.

Another friend had cancer of colon 2 years ago, and has been waiting for a reversal of colostomy for 6 months. They called her to say she would be operated on the next day. She got herself all ready, husband took day off to take her in. They phoned at 8 am to cancel, and they said they have NO ideal when it could happen. And so many similar stories with friends and family.

In the meantime, those who have private health insurance just say 'when' and they jump. Often the same surgeons/Consultants who have no time for the same op and huge waiting lists on the NHS side of their practice.

Remember when we all clapped for them? Who knew we were clapping "Goodbye"?

In the meantime, those who have private health insurance just say 'when' and they jump. Often the same surgeons/Consultants who have no time for the same op and huge waiting lists on the NHS side of their practice.

This is the problem, IMO. Surgeons who are trained in the NHS and use NHS facilities to carry out 'private' operations are creating a lot of the queues for those without insurance. If people who use private medicine were expected to fund it fully - training the staff, building the hospitals and so on, the premiums would be astronomical, there would be very few who could afford to do it, and a fairer system, based on clinical need, could be instituted.

Actually surgeons often use private operating facilities to operate on NHS patients. The problem is there are not enough surgical facilities in NHS hospitals to enable them to work full time in them. They are shared by different disciplines. I know several people who had their NHS operation in a private clinic. It's a question of massive underfunding. Of course the NHS pays the private clinic to use its facilities. So it costs more in the log run.

The technique is so so simple, and it works. It is so blindingly obvious now with the NHS

*"That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital."

Noam Chomsky''*

In this case, even better- people get more than angry, but the constant pain and fear for their lives multiply the effects.