Health Secretary says no more money for NHS

Nannapat1

The NHS needs to use the funds it has more efficiently. Examples given to me this weekend: a friend receiving cancer treatment has to visit two nearby hospitals with IT systems that won't 'talk' to each other.
One hospital got his medication prescription wrong. When friend noticed this, the system couldn't amend the prescription but rather had to issue a new one for the missing item which was couriered to his home. Money wasted, which better planning could have saved.

How much did it cost? Of the billions extra the NHS needs just to train the doctors the government has promised and the 40 new hospitals?

I agree the IT systems of different trusts need to talk to each other better. However, I've been very impressed with the way the hospital I attend for my cancer treatment "talks" to me and my GP. Test results ordered by the GP are automatically generated and are on "My Chart" within hours, so that the hospital and I can read them (the same with anything the hospital does).

Oh my, Merrymary, that is a sobering read.

The IT in the NHS has not kept up with the requirements - it is getting there, but far too slowly, and in the near future every hospital should be able to talk to every other hospital and the need for bulky medical records to be physically transported from one place to another or scanned and then emailed should disappear. Efforts to become paperless are progressing very slowly but will happen once they can get all existing operating systems to be compatible.

You honestly do not want to follow or allow the US health care system into this country. My husband is American but we returned to lived here in 1984. He has nothing but respect and admiration for the NHS and all of its workers.
One of his relatives fell ill with cancer, they lost their home and ended up living in their car because of the costs incurred that were not covered by insurance.
When our son became ill, the first thing we were asked for at the hospital before anyone would see he was our insurance details. Luckily it wasn't anything seriously wrong, but it made me realise that l was living in the wrong country.

Thank you Mayal for telling it like it is. There is no doubt that our right wing government would like to privitise the NHS and this agenda will be promoted in The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Daily Express.

If you regularly read any of these newspapers just check out the propaganda.

LizzieDrip

*The writing was on the wall in 2010 when it was just getting to be really quite good - deliberate underfunding so they could flog it off to their pals (an probably themselves too) ....

Make it so bad that the 'great unwashed' will accept anything to make it better .... that's exactly what they are doing, and it is working, sadly - just awful.*

Absolutely! For all its ‘inefficiencies’ the NHS is one of the best things about this country. We should be immensely proud of it. The government is happy to run it down at every opportunity so that people will believe there’s no alternative other than privatisation. This government is gaslighting and scamming the entire UK population - we must not fall for it at the next election.

That is the real irony. If they had funded it at the correct level since 2010 it would have continued to improve, instead of which constant government interference by a series of health ministers who have absolutely no idea what they are doing has effectively set the service back to the post Thatcher era. As an ax NHS employee I find it desperately sad.

No, it's needed to 'help out' and few more of their friends.

Kim19

In my limited experience as a volunteer, admin, concerences, entertainment.

Yes, as a volunteer your experience is VERY limited!
Having worked in the NHS for over 30 yrs, finally retiring last Yr from a post as a Specialist Nurse Consultant, I think I probably know more than you! Firstly - without Admin, all clinical work is scuppered. For example, who books appointments, types and sends out letters, keeps an eye on wait times etc... would you have doctors and nurses do all that, taking them away from their clinical roles?
Secondly - conferences.... if these happen at all nowadays (and believe it or not, they are a very valuable opportunity to share and gain knowledge, educate and debate) they are usually funded by pharmaceutical companies, not the NHS.
Thirdly - ENTERTAINMENT????? What have I missed?

However, I would add that this, and all previous Tory Governments since the Thatcher years, have done their best to tear the system apart. Thatcher probably set the ball rolling with her diabolical Community Care Act, dismantling all long stay care and long term MH and LD care. Subsequent tory administrations have imposed more and more cuts to real term health spending, with less money expected to treat a growing (and aging) population.
A number of small hospitals cherry-picked by private companies quickly went bust and closed their doors. Etc etc.
Yes, there are issues within the leviathan that is our wonderful and amazing health service. Of course there are inadequacies and failures. And it has long been the case that it runs on the goodwill of dedicated staff working long hours, many of them unpaid (I routinely worked at least 50 hrs a week to cover my workload, paid for 37.5 hrs!), because we care about our patients and are still proud to be a part of this organisation. No private company can ever hope to be a source of such pride and respect in its workforce.

But sadly now, because of successive pay freezes, unrealistic targets, cut backs, etc, many highly qualified and experienced clinical staff are leaving, retiring, going on long term sick leave, all due to workload stress and lack of respect from this Govt.

I knew, as we all stood and clapped on our doorsteps, that the love everyone felt towards the NHS would be short lived, and soon enough we'd be back to complaints and service-bashing! It certainly didn't take long!

Annewilko

songstress60

What about the money Sir Tom raised during the pandemic. Wasn't that for the NHS?

A tiny drop in the ocean.

It was never for services that central Government should be funding. It is managed through NHS charities...

Personally, I would willingly pay something towards it , not well off , but if it would help I would ... wonder how many more would ...

Now aged 75 we have been living in France for 13 years and as we've aged we've needed more health care. At times we've both felt like health tourists as we've used the health system more than we ever did whilst in the UK.

We currently pay 207 euros per month for the two of us for our top up insurance which doesn't cover everything. For example, I went to an osteopath for 3 appointments. Reimbursement for the first was 60%, 40% for the second and 20% for the final visit. My DH has recently had shoe implants made at a cost of 150 euros and the reimbursement was 45 euros.

On the other hand last year I was referred to a chest specialist about my asthma which hasn't been very well controlled. Each time I've visited I have been seen at the appointed time. No waiting. My medication bill is about 1300 euros per month. I pay nothing towards this and nor does my private healthcare, the reason being that I have a life threatening disease and the state pays the full costs for this.

It has taken a long time to get to this stage which is understandable because the doctors need to be sure that there is no other treatment suitable before resorting to the more expensive treatments.

A friend died recently of cancer. She wanted to be at home and was prescribed 3 home visits a day. Because of covid the nurses could only do 1 visit per day, which she did get. Sadly her husband who is older and frail could not manage and so she returned to end of life care in a nearby hospital.

From our experiences here and talking to friends in the UK plus following the news, it doe seen as though the NHS is not working too well overall at the moment and that it should get the additional funds needed asap.

songstress60

What about the money Sir Tom raised during the pandemic. Wasn't that for the NHS?

As welcome as it was - the amount would keep the NHS going for then next 2-3 hours

Beautful

Personally, I would willingly pay something towards it , not well off , but if it would help I would ... wonder how many more would ...

I don't know about you, but I've already paid thousands of pounds towards the NHS (and still am) through taxes and formerly National Insurance Contributions.

From our experiences here and talking to friends in the UK plus following the news, it doe seen as though the NHS is not working too well overall at the moment and that it should get the additional funds needed asap.

Maybe it's time that, like you, people of every age should pay for the NHS. France spends more per head on healthcare than the UK. As a matter of interest, how much is siphoned off to outsourced providers in France?

Growstuff
I have worked all my life even part time when my children were small aswell ... I have paid in thousands aswell no doubt many more people have aswell ... if people disagree with me no problem, but I stand by what I put ... I would willingly put a bit extra to help

Beautful

Growstuff
I have worked all my life even part time when my children were small aswell ... I have paid in thousands aswell no doubt many more people have aswell ... if people disagree with me no problem, but I stand by what I put ... I would willingly put a bit extra to help

Do you mean as a tax payment or as a "one off" for individual treatments? Maybe I've misunderstood you and I apologise if I have.

Personally, I don't think we should be making "one off" payments. I think everybody needs to pay a bit extra, including pensioners, and that payments should be based on ability to pay.

Growstuff
Apologies too if if has been misinterpreted ... I personally mean I wouldn't mind paying extra from my pension monthly ... saying that not everyone could afford to pay , I accept that , but ... they if can should ... every little helps ... although I do know people who can afford to would strongly object