Helen, The country just can’t afford this system it will have to change.

Comment on General Election 2010 Poll Results by Sarah in the Desert.

Helen,

The country just can’t afford this system it will have to change. All the improvements that you are talking about cost money (tripled funding since 1997, not saying its a bad thing but I question its affordability now and in the future) and will keep costing more for reasons not even connected with the improvements you’re talking about…

“The NHS needs real terms funding increases of 1.1 per cent a year just to keep up with population growth and demographic changes. But bringing the NHS up to international standards through extra investment in public health and prevention would require £3.6bn a year on top of the economists’
most optimistic 2 per cent real terms increase scenario. “
https://www.hsj.co.uk/news/finance/cost-of-nhs-growth-revealed/5004247.article

The budget for 2010-2011 for the NHS is 110 billion gbp (a shortfall of around 8-10 billion in what is actually needed so wait for the cuts just in time for the next Government!), income tax revenue predicted for 2010 is 140 billion.

Another interesting article relates to the seven years of plenty and now seven years of famine for the NHS – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8091427.stm

“I’m not aiming for controversy or surprise in my posts, just conveying how I feel.”
Me too, being a forces child and now an expat I also happen to have experience of many healthcare models outside the UK some of which are hugely successful.

“If a person has clinical depression, leading to morbid obesity how would you categorise this patient? If a patient has a genetic propensity for caddiovascular disease, but also drinks above the recommended number of units of alcohol (like most of the population), how would your new system prove the underlying cause of that disease?”
I personally couldn’t, I’m not a doctor I would leave it to qualified professionals who could categorise and advise on the best way to manage this scenario. Forcing my arm, I suspect it would be something along the lines of root cause so in effect you would be treating the clinical depression and the morbid obesity would be a symptom of that. If this particular aspect of the model didn’t work then it would have to be modified, I have no issue with saying that I have already said it isn’t perfect! I didn’t think I would need to account for every eventuality in putting forward my ideal of reform!

“This proves you base your view of the NHS on anecdotal, outdated evidence.”
I accept that my opinion is based from the latest 2004/05 but ask yourself, is it likely to be outdated when the cuts that are now being forced really start to take effect? The NHS is at the mercy of the Government and the budget it’s allocated.

“Will the waiting rooms of your new health model not contain ill people? Will the doctors have unlimited time? Time is money especially in the private sector.”
Of course there will be ill people, the more important question is, are the waiting rooms more or less likely to be brimming with lots of ill people, therefore will the doctor have more time to spend with each patient or increase the times set for individual appointments? Time IS money, are you suggesting these doctors work for free??? Do NHS doctors work for free? Do you?

“Surely money is better spent of helping people live healthier lives in the first place?”
Sorry, again that was my lack of finer detail, I just assumed that people reading would realise that my statement of the Government low cost basic healthcare means having a stake in something that costs them money therefore they more than likely would attempt to mitigate that cost as much as possible through various means such as promoting healthier living / screening, etc.

“It is also worth mentioning that private healthcare institutions in the UK are just as capable of letting patients down.” You are correct as I know of 2 people who had surgery where it failed them when it shouldn’t have done, I also happen to think that if you open the market and increase the competition you tend to up their game too.

My belief in the reform of the NHS is about giving MORE people more of a choice as well as their own responsibility for their healthcare. Sometimes the “one size fits all approach” or “if it’s good enough for me it should be good enough for you” ideology is just not appropriate or acceptable to many people.