Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The Great Health Robbery
A poll in 2010 (1) found that 70% were satisfied with the NHS. Most politicians or businesses would be overwhelmed by 70% satisfaction however the NHS has also proven to be cheaper (2), more efficient and saved more lives (3) (4) than most other health systems in the western world. Of course there are areas that could be improved but that is always the case in a service that is so complex and extensive as the NHS.
Remember ‘no top down reorganisation of the NHS’ (5)? This Con Dem government has brought in the biggest top down reorganisation of the NHS in its history, saying they were doing it on grounds of efficiency and cost despite evidence to the contrary, while at the same time increasing the layers of management and bureaucracy (7) and spending 3 billion pounds to implement it! These changes were opposed by the majority of GPs, hospital doctors and health workers. We own the NHS, we pay for it, but we were not given the opportunity to vote on these fundamental changes
Remember “no privatisation of the NHS” (6)? This Con Dem government has now brought in legislation to support the privatisation of our NHS even though there was no mandate for these changes. Commissioning of our health services (e.g tests, operations) in England will now be put out to tender with legislation to ensure that private companies will be able to compete with the NHS ‘on a level playing field’. Even if the present provider is providing a good service it will be put out to tender. The prime purpose of private companies is to make money (9) so they will only be interested in the profitable areas that generate cash (cherry picking) leaving alone the more complex areas such as patients with multiple problems, geriatrics etc. There is only one pot of money for our health, this is provided from our taxes and as more and more of it goes to the private companies the less will go to the NHS (or England Health as it is now called) leading to piecemeal fragmentation of services and closures and increasing costs (4).
Remember ‘The NHS is safe in our Hands’? Since this government has come in we have had health rationing with patients having to choose which eye or hip to have operated on increasing the number of patients having to consider paying for their operations (8). Closure of NHS ‘walk in’ clinics. (All clinics in Haringey were closed at Christmas the nearest is at the Homerton!). Stringent cuts in budgets, £20 billion to be ‘saved’ by 2015, despite the government saying it is ring fenced. Threats of hospital cuts and closures, Lewisham, Whittington etc, in London alone there are plans to close 9 A&E departments. The ‘urgent care’111 phone debacle brought in despite concerns from medical staff that it would bring chaos to ambulances and A&E.
This government holds the public and medical staff in contempt creating unnecessary upheaval and chaos, leaving hospital and clinic staff, A&E, GP centres, ambulances trying to pick up the pieces and to keep things going on our behalf. Support your NHS.
(1) 2010 British Social Attitudes
(2) World Health Organisation data shows that at the height of the last Labour Governments increased spending on the NHS we still only spent 9.3% of GDP on health as opposed to Germany -10.7% and US a massive - 15
(3) 2010 The Commonwealth Fund compared health systems in US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Holland and Germany and our NHS came out as the most efficient. Looking at other factors such as quality, access to care the NHS came second.
(4) Independent peer reviewed research (2011. Journal of Royal Society of Medicine) compared the USA, UK and 17 Western countries, it looked at the reduction of mortality rates between these countries from 1979-2005 versus GDP/ health expenditure and found that the US was least cost effective in saving lives while the UK NHS was among the best, ranking higher than most other western countries
(5)D Cameron 2010
(6)Langley 2012
(7) 2 layers of management have been replaced by 4 layers. 10 Strategic Health Authorities and 152 Primary Care Trusts have been replaced by 212 Clinical Commissioning groups, 27 Local Offices and 4 Regional Offices together with an NHS Commissioning Board to ensure that the private sector will compete with the NHS.
(8)Poll by Com Res for BMI Healthcare found that 70% of GPs now unable to refer patients for treatment at least 1/month as they no longer qualify under local criteria.
(9)Vested interest and conflict of interest from parliamentarians voting for privatisation, 71 MPs have interests in private health companies and also 145 Lords.
Remember ‘no top down reorganisation of the NHS’ (5)? This Con Dem government has brought in the biggest top down reorganisation of the NHS in its history, saying they were doing it on grounds of efficiency and cost despite evidence to the contrary, while at the same time increasing the layers of management and bureaucracy (7) and spending 3 billion pounds to implement it! These changes were opposed by the majority of GPs, hospital doctors and health workers. We own the NHS, we pay for it, but we were not given the opportunity to vote on these fundamental changes
Remember “no privatisation of the NHS” (6)? This Con Dem government has now brought in legislation to support the privatisation of our NHS even though there was no mandate for these changes. Commissioning of our health services (e.g tests, operations) in England will now be put out to tender with legislation to ensure that private companies will be able to compete with the NHS ‘on a level playing field’. Even if the present provider is providing a good service it will be put out to tender. The prime purpose of private companies is to make money (9) so they will only be interested in the profitable areas that generate cash (cherry picking) leaving alone the more complex areas such as patients with multiple problems, geriatrics etc. There is only one pot of money for our health, this is provided from our taxes and as more and more of it goes to the private companies the less will go to the NHS (or England Health as it is now called) leading to piecemeal fragmentation of services and closures and increasing costs (4).
Remember ‘The NHS is safe in our Hands’? Since this government has come in we have had health rationing with patients having to choose which eye or hip to have operated on increasing the number of patients having to consider paying for their operations (8). Closure of NHS ‘walk in’ clinics. (All clinics in Haringey were closed at Christmas the nearest is at the Homerton!). Stringent cuts in budgets, £20 billion to be ‘saved’ by 2015, despite the government saying it is ring fenced. Threats of hospital cuts and closures, Lewisham, Whittington etc, in London alone there are plans to close 9 A&E departments. The ‘urgent care’111 phone debacle brought in despite concerns from medical staff that it would bring chaos to ambulances and A&E.
This government holds the public and medical staff in contempt creating unnecessary upheaval and chaos, leaving hospital and clinic staff, A&E, GP centres, ambulances trying to pick up the pieces and to keep things going on our behalf. Support your NHS.
(1) 2010 British Social Attitudes
(2) World Health Organisation data shows that at the height of the last Labour Governments increased spending on the NHS we still only spent 9.3% of GDP on health as opposed to Germany -10.7% and US a massive - 15
(3) 2010 The Commonwealth Fund compared health systems in US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Holland and Germany and our NHS came out as the most efficient. Looking at other factors such as quality, access to care the NHS came second.
(4) Independent peer reviewed research (2011. Journal of Royal Society of Medicine) compared the USA, UK and 17 Western countries, it looked at the reduction of mortality rates between these countries from 1979-2005 versus GDP/ health expenditure and found that the US was least cost effective in saving lives while the UK NHS was among the best, ranking higher than most other western countries
(5)D Cameron 2010
(6)Langley 2012
(7) 2 layers of management have been replaced by 4 layers. 10 Strategic Health Authorities and 152 Primary Care Trusts have been replaced by 212 Clinical Commissioning groups, 27 Local Offices and 4 Regional Offices together with an NHS Commissioning Board to ensure that the private sector will compete with the NHS.
(8)Poll by Com Res for BMI Healthcare found that 70% of GPs now unable to refer patients for treatment at least 1/month as they no longer qualify under local criteria.
(9)Vested interest and conflict of interest from parliamentarians voting for privatisation, 71 MPs have interests in private health companies and also 145 Lords.
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