The English NHS is funded by general taxation. It's available free at the point of use. There has been considerable pressure on the NHS - an ageing population, covid, brexit, ten years of...
The English NHS is funded by general taxation. It's available free at the point of use. There has been considerable pressure on the NHS - an ageing population, covid, brexit, ten years of austerity[1] etc.
Politicians come up with a bunch of ideas about how to fix this, and they often suggest changing the model from general taxation to an insurance model. They do not talk about how much this would cost, nor whether it would be cheaper to the country than the current model, nor whether it would cost individuals more than the current model. This seems important, especially because current government has repeatedly said that they dislike the amount of bureaucracy in the NHS. (Even though studies show that it is under-managed, and has many fewer managers than similar sized private businesses). Politicians will never say why paying more in tax for a social insurance model is better than just paying more in tax for our current model.
This link talks about the advantages and disadvantages of different models. It's a useful primer for discussions about the English NHS.
[1] if you're about to say something like "but in real terms they've had a pay increase" please make sure you've taken into account defunding of local authorities which has meant that public health, social care, preventative care, etc has lost funding, pushing people onto the NHS, and also that you're not mixing one-off capital spending into that.
Good summary mate. A lot of my rage is aimed at the notion of "Clapping didn't save lives" attitude that's gone on now. The fact that the current government has completly failed to turn the...
Good summary mate. A lot of my rage is aimed at the notion of "Clapping didn't save lives" attitude that's gone on now.
The fact that the current government has completly failed to turn the general public AGAINST striking Health Workers over here is hilarious. They've called them every name under the sun and even the Times / Mail have raised eyebrows over it.
Insurance is not the way for NHS funding. We really need to start looking at the very top brackets (I say this as a dude paid over £125K+) and corporations to actually pair their fair share towards the services they take for granted in the country. But successive governments are terrified that these companies will walk out of the UK. Which is confusing... because if they're making money, they really won't. Stop companies paying for private insurance for colleagues and start taking those payments and jack them into the NHS.
At the same time, start a truly digital transformation of the NHS that actually has inhouse consultants who are paid well and know what the fuck they are doing. The fact that every GP, Every Department and every system does not talk to each other is endlessly frustrating (I know some do, mild hyperbole). It needs a strategy of modernisation, digitisation and centralisation of healthcare rather than the shit show that is right now. Keep external consultants completely away from the work because they'll just circle like vultures and instead actively hire the partners / directors of external firms to come in and do the work AND be fairly compensated for it.
It often feels like we've got successive governments who see technology as a private sector problem, rather than digging in their heels and demanding that they actually be allowed to modernise / digitise the government services provided. Anything they do is cast as BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING when it's just not the case. The people are fine with private companies cashing in on their data, but government using it ethically? OH NO, can't do that!
The English NHS is funded by general taxation. It's available free at the point of use. There has been considerable pressure on the NHS - an ageing population, covid, brexit, ten years of austerity[1] etc.
Politicians come up with a bunch of ideas about how to fix this, and they often suggest changing the model from general taxation to an insurance model. They do not talk about how much this would cost, nor whether it would be cheaper to the country than the current model, nor whether it would cost individuals more than the current model. This seems important, especially because current government has repeatedly said that they dislike the amount of bureaucracy in the NHS. (Even though studies show that it is under-managed, and has many fewer managers than similar sized private businesses). Politicians will never say why paying more in tax for a social insurance model is better than just paying more in tax for our current model.
This link talks about the advantages and disadvantages of different models. It's a useful primer for discussions about the English NHS.
[1] if you're about to say something like "but in real terms they've had a pay increase" please make sure you've taken into account defunding of local authorities which has meant that public health, social care, preventative care, etc has lost funding, pushing people onto the NHS, and also that you're not mixing one-off capital spending into that.
Good summary mate. A lot of my rage is aimed at the notion of "Clapping didn't save lives" attitude that's gone on now.
The fact that the current government has completly failed to turn the general public AGAINST striking Health Workers over here is hilarious. They've called them every name under the sun and even the Times / Mail have raised eyebrows over it.
Insurance is not the way for NHS funding. We really need to start looking at the very top brackets (I say this as a dude paid over £125K+) and corporations to actually pair their fair share towards the services they take for granted in the country. But successive governments are terrified that these companies will walk out of the UK. Which is confusing... because if they're making money, they really won't. Stop companies paying for private insurance for colleagues and start taking those payments and jack them into the NHS.
At the same time, start a truly digital transformation of the NHS that actually has inhouse consultants who are paid well and know what the fuck they are doing. The fact that every GP, Every Department and every system does not talk to each other is endlessly frustrating (I know some do, mild hyperbole). It needs a strategy of modernisation, digitisation and centralisation of healthcare rather than the shit show that is right now. Keep external consultants completely away from the work because they'll just circle like vultures and instead actively hire the partners / directors of external firms to come in and do the work AND be fairly compensated for it.
It often feels like we've got successive governments who see technology as a private sector problem, rather than digging in their heels and demanding that they actually be allowed to modernise / digitise the government services provided. Anything they do is cast as BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING when it's just not the case. The people are fine with private companies cashing in on their data, but government using it ethically? OH NO, can't do that!