I am a GP working in Brixton, London.
I believe the planned government reforms shall undermine our health care service. The NHS will become localised, with postcode lotteries for care. There will be increased privatisation of services. Private business will expect to profit from their input into the NHS reducing finances available for care.
The NHS presently relies on the good will of staff and patients. Many working for the NHS put in a great deal more time and effort than they would if working for private healthcare. Erosion of the core values of the NHS shall lead to a loss of good will, increases in healthcare costs and a reduction in quality of care.
The NHS is presently as popular as it has ever been. The coalition was not voted in with a mandate to make changes in the NHS. In fact both parties promised not to make such changes.
The prime minister has correctly recognised that the cost of healthcare is increasing as new therapies become available and the population ages. Surely this means we need greater investment rather than the planned relative cut in funding.
Efficiencies and improvements can be made to the NHS, however constructive change requires planning and increased investment rather than cuts.
The planned government changes will mean that quality of care shall be eroded and as the service becomes increasingly privatised, the poor and vulnerable shall not be able to access the care they deserve.
I am scared of the planned reforms.
I agree with everything Bruce Blackwell says. The increasing aging population need looking after better than is currently the case and this will cost more money, not less! Increased technology, new therapies and treatments have made healthcare more expensive, but this development is something to be proud of. The NHS is somthing that this country used to be very proud of and we should seek to safeguard it, not reverse all the improvements made. The planned changes will mean that the poor and vulnerable will suffer.
With a small increase in income tax, which could be ring fenced for the health service, we could return to an NHS to be proud of and which will benefit the people who should benefit from it.
The NHS has to change. This country cannot afford to increase spending in the current climate. People demand things from the NHS that are not appropriate. What is crucial is the prevention of health problems. Cultural change can help with this. Let’s take away the concept that the NHS is free, a concept that everyone thinks. Let’s advertise what everything costs when people use the services so that they realise it is not really “free”. Cultural change for the future is also important. Let’s get kids doing more exercise, taxing fast food heavily so the prices increase to prevent obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc, people taking responsibity for their own health rashter than relying on the NHS. The government are doing the right thing (Regardless of which government it is as they are all working to the same outcome) so let’s just get on with it.
Scared, and with good reason. Privatisation will ALWAYS put profit before people – that’s the essence of capitalism after all! The bankers have grown rich off the backs of ordinary people; health care consultants are carving out their planned future second and third homes in the hope that that the Tory govt will let them get away with it!
Great to hear from you and sorry for the delay. We’d love it if you spread the website round your networks… http://www.whosupportsnhsreforms.org.uk. Thanks a lot!
The NHS is a fragile and scarce resource. We need to care for this most precious of common goods – keeping this latest brand of nasty little free-market conservative conceit away from it is the least we can do. I do however think the NHS is bigger and more expensive than it need be, if we took more care of ourselves and others I believe it would be in better shape and able to take better care of people that really need help. Again I blame the free-market people – this obsession with competition and status is making us all sick.
I worry about the reforms. As someone who has Epilepsy and other medical problems, I fear that if the Bill was to be passed, then I may be forced to stop all my treatment because I won’t be able to afford it, and many other patients may feel the same way as me. Many private health insurance firms won’t cover people who have pre – existing conditions, so what is the logic in that? God help us.
hello guys,to be fair,Next to peoples republic of china and indian railways,NHS has the 3rd biggest payroll,Many people in uk are working for public sectors(the govenrment has to contribute in addition to the ni contribution).how long the government can sustain this budget.it has been proposed that nhs budget will touch 230 billion in 10 years time and this country cannot afford,There should be privatisation in NHS to appreciate the talent and encourage competetiveness which is lacking in the present environment.I personally want to see hard working people getting rewarded.anyway whatever it is,Nobody can prevent nhs not being privatised in 10 years time whatever the party comes to power.i think this is reality.
How exactly do you think that privatising the NHS will save the government money? When a proportion of the cost of services is profit.. And why is it more important that we reduce expenditure than care for our people? Shall we spend the money saved on the arms trade instead?
Sad, very sad, but true. I wonder if the Govt might consider stop sending millions in aid to India any time soon – India – the land of the multi millionaires who look after themelves and spend very little on their own poor …. Sad, very sad, but true.
Brilliant comments – now we need action! Opposition from us all has stopped the progress of the bill so far. we all need to join up as a network to share tactics expertise, leaflets and solidarity. I belong to defend Our NHS and we are on Facebook.
I believe the best way to influence the 70-80 (50 Lib Dems and say 20 Tory marginals)or so MPs that stand between the preservation of the NHS and its destruction is the voice of the constituents in these seats, challenging the kind of rubbish they talked in the Commons debate last night. They need to know they represent the views of their constituents in parliament and if they don’t then they will be voted out at the next election. There are lots of ways to put pressure on:
collect a supportive group of say 5 -10 people
Get a leaflet – Defend Our NHS has one you can use
Find out when your MP holds a surgery
Make appointments and go regularly
Give out leaflets in busy places – you will be amazed at the response – no one agrees with it
Ask your MP to a meeting – just a few of you in a pub is ok
And so on -
I have a list of Tory marginals if you want to know where they are. You might live in one!
We’ve done all of this to good effect. Join us on facebook and we can all keep in touch!!
Together we can win but we need to be a loud coherent concerted voice.
Totally, Totally against the carving up of our NHS…..They have no mandate, nothing
in the Tory Manifesto the only reference to the NHS was “No top down reorganisation of the NHS” Dismal Daves depressing poster “I will cut the deficit not the NHS”, and nothing in the coalition agreement. Why does this not get TV coverage…..No documentaries on BBC or ITV showing how it will change…..Joe Public is not taking in how this will affect them….Needs to be a proper documentary on Prime Time viewing BEFORE it is too late.
I do not understand the lack of TV coverage, the changes this will cause to Britain will be shattering to many people…
I had to agree my experience of the ‘Coalition Government’ was similar. Here’s why:
* The Bill has no mandate.
* The complete reorganization of the NHS is in no party’s manifesto.
* All major medical organizations oppose this bill.
* Has had major sections put into effect prior to becoming law.
* Competition is useful in sports — not medical care.
I was born in America and lived the first forty years of my life there with their competitive, private provider, profit motivated healthcare system. It’s inhumane, ineffective, it’s cost os nearly twice that of the NHS. See below from an academic healthcare study:
Healthcare spending as a % of GDP:
o America … 16%
o France …. 11.2%
o Germany …10.5%
o UK ….. 8.7%
In closing I offer a conclusion from another academic study by Colin Prichard (Bournemouth University contact: ) and Mark S. Wallace (Department of Economics, Latymer School, London) titled “Comparing the USA, UK and 17 Western Countries’ efficiency and effectiveness in reducing morality.
A year ago today my child sustained a serious brain injury. And has, thanks to the fantastic treatment given by KCH, made a full recovery. The proposed reforms to the NHS terrify me, what if my child had another serious accident? Would I be able to afford treatment?
Glad to join in on this wondeful platform and express my utter contempt for the hacking and slashing of the welfare state by a government that I didn’t vote for. keep up the good protest. It feels good to be heard.
I consider as a healthcare worker this bill/cuts are promoting inequalities of health rather than high standards of care. I work in Primary and Secondary care and I have been seeing during the last couple of years the massive impact on patients how short staff and lack of resources are leading into more hospital admissions. Ageing population increasing demands more care and individual care is going to be difficult. Long term conditions such as diabetes/COPD are considered as QOF jobs and previously were covered by District nurses.. Nowadays , a high population will be neglected with these reforms and definitively the major impact will be on people with lower incomes and who unfortunately can not afford private treatments due pre-existing conditions are not covered by private insurance. I reckon some changes are needed but no making cuts or pressurising lower class.. Staff competencies should be reviewed and standards of care can be improved in other ways and taking advantage of staff skills and abilities. I am trained assistant Practitioner working in a Surgical Ward and I reckon career progression and investment on further training will lead into professionalisation of service and best standards of care. I could be here all day giving real situations regarding how standards of care can be improved and also even saving money with the actual structure NHS … NO TO THE BILL!
The reforms are coming from the fundamental Tory/Liberal drive to claw back spending on the NHS, whilst offering no safeguards to the British people and undermining the very survival of this venerable and highly respected institution (despite its weaknesses); this is a drive that is at once unspeakable and despicable.
These proposed cuts are a disgrace. The Government, who had to scrabble to make an alliance to actually be viable, seem to be pushing for a private system. Fine for them when you consider how many of the cabinet are millionaires. BUT they do NOT represent the majority of this country. We pride ourselves on our NHS, even with its faults. We do not want a tragically flawed system like the US.
The government denies that privatisation is the aim of the Bill or that access to the NHS for patients will be restricted. My main concern is that it may mimic the system used by dentists, and that some practises may become wholly private, and that where NHS service is available, the full cost may not be met. Patients may have to make a significant contribution unless exempted due to low income.
Our NHS was the envy of the world, please don’t let the politicians ruin it.
I feel the problem with the NHS is that it is heavy with managers instead of medical staff. Managers cannot treat or care for patients, they have no medical use but take a large amount of the NHS budget, perhaps bringing Matrons back on wards would be a much better use of some of that money.
This government seems to want to put everything out to private companies, yet how is it possible to pay a company to do the same amount of work plus make a profit, without cutting the service, charging more for the service or cutting the conditions of the people doing the work.
Think what has happened with dentists, it is hard to find an NHS dentist, if you do then you still have to pay a lot of money for treatment and many people who are in need of treatment do not go to the dentist because they cannot afford to, I myself am one of those. Do we want the rest of our health care to go the same way.
How come the ‘Memebers of the public’ bubble is the same size on both sides? If size of circle represents the number of people included in it, it should be way bigger on the left.
At first glance it looks like members of the public support the bill – which is kind of contentious..!
Well that’s completely unbiased and fair, well done! You could of course put all your lovely circles on the left into two circles: unions, who have a vested interest, and people who work in the NHS (i.e. union members) who have a vested interest in the billions of pounds poured into the system. Everyone else is bored of union bullying, inflexiblity and waste. Still, all done now. Now for fair regionalised pay and something (anything) with the schools and the teaching unions. Really enjoying 2012 so far.
We failed. Despite all the opposition from the public and the vast majority of healthcare professionals, the government has spat in the face of our democracy. I’ve written to the Queen to ask her to refuse Royal Assent of the bill, but deep down I know it’s a useless gesture. We’re doomed.
protect the nhs from these savage cuts
Well done! Really innovative way of showing opposition to the NHS reforms
Many thanks, and we hope you’ll spread the word round your fellow MPs! Here’s to beating this nasty bill.
I am a GP working in Brixton, London.
I believe the planned government reforms shall undermine our health care service. The NHS will become localised, with postcode lotteries for care. There will be increased privatisation of services. Private business will expect to profit from their input into the NHS reducing finances available for care.
The NHS presently relies on the good will of staff and patients. Many working for the NHS put in a great deal more time and effort than they would if working for private healthcare. Erosion of the core values of the NHS shall lead to a loss of good will, increases in healthcare costs and a reduction in quality of care.
The NHS is presently as popular as it has ever been. The coalition was not voted in with a mandate to make changes in the NHS. In fact both parties promised not to make such changes.
The prime minister has correctly recognised that the cost of healthcare is increasing as new therapies become available and the population ages. Surely this means we need greater investment rather than the planned relative cut in funding.
Efficiencies and improvements can be made to the NHS, however constructive change requires planning and increased investment rather than cuts.
The planned government changes will mean that quality of care shall be eroded and as the service becomes increasingly privatised, the poor and vulnerable shall not be able to access the care they deserve.
I am scared of the planned reforms.
I agree with everything Bruce Blackwell says. The increasing aging population need looking after better than is currently the case and this will cost more money, not less! Increased technology, new therapies and treatments have made healthcare more expensive, but this development is something to be proud of. The NHS is somthing that this country used to be very proud of and we should seek to safeguard it, not reverse all the improvements made. The planned changes will mean that the poor and vulnerable will suffer.
With a small increase in income tax, which could be ring fenced for the health service, we could return to an NHS to be proud of and which will benefit the people who should benefit from it.
The NHS has to change. This country cannot afford to increase spending in the current climate. People demand things from the NHS that are not appropriate. What is crucial is the prevention of health problems. Cultural change can help with this. Let’s take away the concept that the NHS is free, a concept that everyone thinks. Let’s advertise what everything costs when people use the services so that they realise it is not really “free”. Cultural change for the future is also important. Let’s get kids doing more exercise, taxing fast food heavily so the prices increase to prevent obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc, people taking responsibity for their own health rashter than relying on the NHS. The government are doing the right thing (Regardless of which government it is as they are all working to the same outcome) so let’s just get on with it.
Scared, and with good reason. Privatisation will ALWAYS put profit before people – that’s the essence of capitalism after all! The bankers have grown rich off the backs of ordinary people; health care consultants are carving out their planned future second and third homes in the hope that that the Tory govt will let them get away with it!
A good idea how would we link to our website?
Great to hear from you and sorry for the delay. We’d love it if you spread the website round your networks… http://www.whosupportsnhsreforms.org.uk. Thanks a lot!
Kill the Bill not the NHS!
The NHS is a fragile and scarce resource. We need to care for this most precious of common goods – keeping this latest brand of nasty little free-market conservative conceit away from it is the least we can do. I do however think the NHS is bigger and more expensive than it need be, if we took more care of ourselves and others I believe it would be in better shape and able to take better care of people that really need help. Again I blame the free-market people – this obsession with competition and status is making us all sick.
I worry about the reforms. As someone who has Epilepsy and other medical problems, I fear that if the Bill was to be passed, then I may be forced to stop all my treatment because I won’t be able to afford it, and many other patients may feel the same way as me. Many private health insurance firms won’t cover people who have pre – existing conditions, so what is the logic in that? God help us.
hello guys,to be fair,Next to peoples republic of china and indian railways,NHS has the 3rd biggest payroll,Many people in uk are working for public sectors(the govenrment has to contribute in addition to the ni contribution).how long the government can sustain this budget.it has been proposed that nhs budget will touch 230 billion in 10 years time and this country cannot afford,There should be privatisation in NHS to appreciate the talent and encourage competetiveness which is lacking in the present environment.I personally want to see hard working people getting rewarded.anyway whatever it is,Nobody can prevent nhs not being privatised in 10 years time whatever the party comes to power.i think this is reality.
How exactly do you think that privatising the NHS will save the government money? When a proportion of the cost of services is profit.. And why is it more important that we reduce expenditure than care for our people? Shall we spend the money saved on the arms trade instead?
Sad, very sad, but true. I wonder if the Govt might consider stop sending millions in aid to India any time soon – India – the land of the multi millionaires who look after themelves and spend very little on their own poor …. Sad, very sad, but true.
Of course we are fed up with the ConDem Government and here’s a simple way to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT >>>> http://tinyurl.com/3auwzvq
….Pass it on across the Internet.
Can we bring them down?
Yes we can.
Brilliant comments – now we need action! Opposition from us all has stopped the progress of the bill so far. we all need to join up as a network to share tactics expertise, leaflets and solidarity. I belong to defend Our NHS and we are on Facebook.
I believe the best way to influence the 70-80 (50 Lib Dems and say 20 Tory marginals)or so MPs that stand between the preservation of the NHS and its destruction is the voice of the constituents in these seats, challenging the kind of rubbish they talked in the Commons debate last night. They need to know they represent the views of their constituents in parliament and if they don’t then they will be voted out at the next election. There are lots of ways to put pressure on:
collect a supportive group of say 5 -10 people
Get a leaflet – Defend Our NHS has one you can use
Find out when your MP holds a surgery
Make appointments and go regularly
Give out leaflets in busy places – you will be amazed at the response – no one agrees with it
Ask your MP to a meeting – just a few of you in a pub is ok
And so on -
I have a list of Tory marginals if you want to know where they are. You might live in one!
We’ve done all of this to good effect. Join us on facebook and we can all keep in touch!!
Together we can win but we need to be a loud coherent concerted voice.
Totally, Totally against the carving up of our NHS…..They have no mandate, nothing
in the Tory Manifesto the only reference to the NHS was “No top down reorganisation of the NHS” Dismal Daves depressing poster “I will cut the deficit not the NHS”, and nothing in the coalition agreement. Why does this not get TV coverage…..No documentaries on BBC or ITV showing how it will change…..Joe Public is not taking in how this will affect them….Needs to be a proper documentary on Prime Time viewing BEFORE it is too late.
I do not understand the lack of TV coverage, the changes this will cause to Britain will be shattering to many people…
I had to agree my experience of the ‘Coalition Government’ was similar. Here’s why:
* The Bill has no mandate.
* The complete reorganization of the NHS is in no party’s manifesto.
* All major medical organizations oppose this bill.
* Has had major sections put into effect prior to becoming law.
* Competition is useful in sports — not medical care.
I was born in America and lived the first forty years of my life there with their competitive, private provider, profit motivated healthcare system. It’s inhumane, ineffective, it’s cost os nearly twice that of the NHS. See below from an academic healthcare study:
Healthcare spending as a % of GDP:
o America … 16%
o France …. 11.2%
o Germany …10.5%
o UK ….. 8.7%
In closing I offer a conclusion from another academic study by Colin Prichard (Bournemouth University contact: ) and Mark S. Wallace (Department of Economics, Latymer School, London) titled “Comparing the USA, UK and 17 Western Countries’ efficiency and effectiveness in reducing morality.
A year ago today my child sustained a serious brain injury. And has, thanks to the fantastic treatment given by KCH, made a full recovery. The proposed reforms to the NHS terrify me, what if my child had another serious accident? Would I be able to afford treatment?
Glad to join in on this wondeful platform and express my utter contempt for the hacking and slashing of the welfare state by a government that I didn’t vote for. keep up the good protest. It feels good to be heard.
I consider as a healthcare worker this bill/cuts are promoting inequalities of health rather than high standards of care. I work in Primary and Secondary care and I have been seeing during the last couple of years the massive impact on patients how short staff and lack of resources are leading into more hospital admissions. Ageing population increasing demands more care and individual care is going to be difficult. Long term conditions such as diabetes/COPD are considered as QOF jobs and previously were covered by District nurses.. Nowadays , a high population will be neglected with these reforms and definitively the major impact will be on people with lower incomes and who unfortunately can not afford private treatments due pre-existing conditions are not covered by private insurance. I reckon some changes are needed but no making cuts or pressurising lower class.. Staff competencies should be reviewed and standards of care can be improved in other ways and taking advantage of staff skills and abilities. I am trained assistant Practitioner working in a Surgical Ward and I reckon career progression and investment on further training will lead into professionalisation of service and best standards of care. I could be here all day giving real situations regarding how standards of care can be improved and also even saving money with the actual structure NHS … NO TO THE BILL!
The reforms are coming from the fundamental Tory/Liberal drive to claw back spending on the NHS, whilst offering no safeguards to the British people and undermining the very survival of this venerable and highly respected institution (despite its weaknesses); this is a drive that is at once unspeakable and despicable.
These proposed cuts are a disgrace. The Government, who had to scrabble to make an alliance to actually be viable, seem to be pushing for a private system. Fine for them when you consider how many of the cabinet are millionaires. BUT they do NOT represent the majority of this country. We pride ourselves on our NHS, even with its faults. We do not want a tragically flawed system like the US.
The government denies that privatisation is the aim of the Bill or that access to the NHS for patients will be restricted. My main concern is that it may mimic the system used by dentists, and that some practises may become wholly private, and that where NHS service is available, the full cost may not be met. Patients may have to make a significant contribution unless exempted due to low income.
Our NHS was the envy of the world, please don’t let the politicians ruin it.
I feel the problem with the NHS is that it is heavy with managers instead of medical staff. Managers cannot treat or care for patients, they have no medical use but take a large amount of the NHS budget, perhaps bringing Matrons back on wards would be a much better use of some of that money.
This government seems to want to put everything out to private companies, yet how is it possible to pay a company to do the same amount of work plus make a profit, without cutting the service, charging more for the service or cutting the conditions of the people doing the work.
Think what has happened with dentists, it is hard to find an NHS dentist, if you do then you still have to pay a lot of money for treatment and many people who are in need of treatment do not go to the dentist because they cannot afford to, I myself am one of those. Do we want the rest of our health care to go the same way.
How come the ‘Memebers of the public’ bubble is the same size on both sides? If size of circle represents the number of people included in it, it should be way bigger on the left.
At first glance it looks like members of the public support the bill – which is kind of contentious..!
…I mean it should be bigger on the right. oops
Great work, just noticed a small issue – Paul Ireland is listed as For, but his quote is quite clearly against the Bill.
I have a GP who failed to diagnose an obvious health problem from which I suffer …. and the Govt wants to put my future care in HIS hands??
Well that’s completely unbiased and fair, well done! You could of course put all your lovely circles on the left into two circles: unions, who have a vested interest, and people who work in the NHS (i.e. union members) who have a vested interest in the billions of pounds poured into the system. Everyone else is bored of union bullying, inflexiblity and waste. Still, all done now. Now for fair regionalised pay and something (anything) with the schools and the teaching unions. Really enjoying 2012 so far.
It is hard enough to get GPs to do what they should be doing without giving them extra duties!
We failed. Despite all the opposition from the public and the vast majority of healthcare professionals, the government has spat in the face of our democracy. I’ve written to the Queen to ask her to refuse Royal Assent of the bill, but deep down I know it’s a useless gesture. We’re doomed.