"the Health Service Is Safe In Our Hands" ?

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34353408

The Tories have been in power for over 5 years, but according to this, the NHS is in serious difficulties. To quote from the BBC report :::

Regulators said the problems were the "worst for a generation" and demanded immediate action be taken.

dave promised us that the NHS would be ring-fenced, so why is close to collapse now ?

Just in case anybody thinks the BBC would say that, wouldn't they :::

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/nhs/11921381/NHS-faces-biggest-financial-crisis-in-a-generation.html

[anotheoldgit]

Revert back to 'OUR' National Health Service and not The World's Health Service.

[naomi24]

Hypognosis, //People who currently vote Tory will continue to vote Tory. They also have "got theirs" (wealth) and will have no difficulty affording private medical insurance.//

That’s not true at all. Most people who vote Tory rely upon the NHS as much as anyone else.

[Sqad]

Hypo......In take your point, but must agree with naomi. You are correct, those who vote Tory will always vote Tory and those who vote Labour will always vote Labour, but elections are won and lost on just a change in attitude of 5% of the electorate. A hint that there may be a change in political philosophy would be, in my opinion "Political Suicide" and both major parties realise this fact.

[sandyRoe]

Have we not come to expect too much from the NHS? Were we not happier and equally as healthy in the days of Lady Almoners and Cottage Hospitals?

[Sqad]

sandy ^^^^...you may be, but i am not ;-).

My idea would be to close more, district and cottage hospitals with more modern, well equipped and staffed, multi disciplinary units all on one site.........even though that may well be 30-40 miles from the main urban area.

[ToraToraTora]

the health service needs a serious revamp, it has plenty of money but it'd spent on 15 layers of admin and management. They have forgotten the primary function. We need a massive clear out of useless staff.

[Hypognosis]

@Sqad

Pragmatically, I accept that you're right: both parties are stuck in a fork and cannot deviate from keeping this promise to the electorate. Or at least trying to. When things fall over, a patch will be applied as necessary and if it means a solution along the lines of dentistry then they know the electorate will shrug their shoulders and accept it.

While I accept that pooling experts at major urban centres improves the excellence of specialist units, I live on a peninsular. Although I am not going to be affected, the neo-natal care unit which was smack in the middle of Pembrokeshire (~30,000 population) was closed and they have to go to a "bigger, better" unit, in Carmarthen, which is 30 miles east. 20p/mile = £12, per round trip and wages aren't exactly rip roaring in this neck of the woods.

Free at the point of use? Hardly. Service? Yes but not conveniently nearby any more. What unit will they "centralise" next?

[Hypognosis]

@naom

//That’s not true at all. Most people who vote Tory rely upon the NHS as much as anyone else. //

I will never understand why people who are not earning enough to fall into the tax-cut income band vote Tory at all. They facilitate the rich getting richer.

Maybe that is just an aspirational attitude. They want to be that rich and are afraid to vote for a party which might inhibit their chances? (eg Labour)

[Zacs-Master]

I think you've got it in one there Hypo.

[mikey4444]

Hypo....I know exactly what you are talking about !

My niece worked in the SCBU in haverfordwest and it has now been closed and moved to Carmarthen. This was done for financial reasons, not clinical reasons, and as you know, there is now widespread concern about the unit at Carmarthen not being big enough....surprise, surprise !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-28168142

If you lived in St Davids and had a premature baby, instead of a half hours journey to see your child, you are now faced with at least an hour, probably more.

[Hypognosis]

@mikey4444

St. Davids to Withybush would be about 20 minutes (few safe overtaking places, occasional agricutural traffic) Another 20 minutes to the nearest dual carriageway, then 10-15 mins to Carmarthen. Call it an hour, for cash.

Ambulances can put the flashing lights on but you can't squeeze between trucks going opposite ways up the single carriageway parts of the A40.

I gather the valleys have the same problems with ambulance times to Cardiff.

Is it any wonder it was Nye Bevan's idea to get affordable *local* healthcare in place?

[naomi24]

Hypognosis, //Maybe that is just an aspirational attitude. They want to be that rich and are afraid to vote for a party which might inhibit their chances? (eg Labour)//

I don't think they are 'afraid' to vote Labour - I think they recognise that Labour doesn't offer them what they want. However poor people may be, most have aspirations. We all want to be better off, so why would anyone with aspiration vote for a party that inhibits it? Labour makes fools of its faithful.