Petition for a new General Elections

[Bjorn Toulouse]

I was almost sick in my mouth saying this and really goes against the grain, the tories did fund the NHS, yes not to the levels many would like to see but ist not like they pulled the funding like they did with other areas. Te biggest problem is how the money is spent and system of the NHS is very inefficient, i work in defence and we have the same problem expect out operating budgets have been slashed, the equipment budget is still there but everything else is gojgn down not up. i am not close enough to the NHS to see if this is the case there, point I am making is throwing money at it is only half the job and top line budgets do not always translate to that at ground level.
As mentioned I am also in an area where health is devolved so I am somewhat shielded form it, tho do pay higher tax than England

Not that shielded, Did you not notice last year you no longer get 6 month check-ups at the dentist? I personally have had my cardiology appointment cancelled 4 times, now it is set for October 2025. Originally it was march 2023. We have got shiny new super hospitals though. The only problem is that the local A&Es have all closed so If you have an emergency good luck getting an ambulance and if it does manage to get you to the hospital before you peg out look forward to the que as A&E is full.

I thought about the free prescriptions, pretty good idea until I realised for a small fee you can get annual prescriptions in England.

 

[Justin Dean]

6m Remainers voted for a new referendum....................

 

[old dog new tricks]

Not that shielded, Did you not notice last year you no longer get 6 month check-ups at the dentist? I personally have had my cardiology appointment cancelled 4 times, now it is set for October 2025. Originally it was march 2023. We have got shiny new super hospitals though. The only problem is that the local A&Es have all closed so If you have an emergency good luck getting an ambulance and if it does manage to get you to the hospital before you peg out look forward to the que as A&E is full.

I thought about the free prescriptions, pretty good idea until I realised for a small fee you can get annual prescriptions in England.

Yes i agree it VERY far from perfect and is getting worse, just trying to offer a balanced view, I actually agree i would accept paying an annual payment for my prescriptions as well to be fair as long as affordable.

Yes pisses me off i have drive past a hospital travel across the clyde through mental traffic to get to an A&E, thankfully minor injuries and and out of GP is effective in my area.

 

[JockyBrewer]

I was almost sick in my mouth saying this and really goes against the grain, the tories did fund the NHS, yes not to the levels many would like to see but ist not like they pulled the funding like they did with other areas. Te biggest problem is how the money is spent and system of the NHS is very inefficient, i work in defence and we have the same problem expect out operating budgets have been slashed, the equipment budget is still there but everything else is gojgn down not up. i am not close enough to the NHS to see if this is the case there, point I am making is throwing money at it is only half the job and top line budgets do not always translate to that at ground level.
As mentioned I am also in an area where health is devolved so I am somewhat shielded form it, tho do pay higher tax than England

To fix the NHS needs more than just money injected in to the NHS. It needs a strategic plan that will include local authority funding for mental and social care services.

So many 'non essential' services across primary/social care have been slashed meaning that people are being forced to wait longer before getting treatment. They end up sicker and that puts more strain on the NHS than if they had earlier treatment. That has been brought to a head much faster by covid, but it was already heading that way.

The other problem is the cost of living which is pushing up the cost/ability to staff the NHS. Again it's been accelerated by a global inflation spike, but the problem was already there. The root of that problem is housing availability, which is going to take more than a decade to resolve.

 

[Rodcx500z]

And they have opened 11 more hotels

 

[old dog new tricks]

6m Remainers voted for a new referendum...................

I fear you think democracy is real its what those in power want it to be even if there was to be another vote I would put my mortgage on it that it would not be straight 50.1% is the winber rule they would rig it as per usual or tinker with the questions

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

@ old dog new tricks ....We will agree to differ
On the brexit thing, it would be different today. At least 2% of the brexiteers have died since then.

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

One good thing to say about the SNP. When Mr Salmond mentioned minimum unit pricing way back in 2010. I took up homebrewing and have never looked back. So its his fault I'm on this forum.

 

[Bitter_Dave]

Good points Nicky, es

To fix the NHS needs more than just money injected in to the NHS. It needs a strategic plan that will include local authority funding for mental and social care services.

So many 'non essential' services across primary/social care have been slashed meaning that people are being forced to wait longer before getting treatment. They end up sicker and that puts more strain on the NHS than if they had earlier treatment. That has been brought to a head much faster by covid, but it was already heading that way.

The other problem is the cost of living which is pushing up the cost/ability to staff the NHS. Again it's been accelerated by a global inflation spike, but the problem was already there. The root of that problem is housing availability, which is going to take more than a decade to resolve.

Good points Jocky, especially about social care 'bed blocking' which is another factor that ain't easy to fix. But spending is an important issue - as I'm sure you would agree - population ageing has increased demands on NHS and spending has fallen behind demand.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Yes i agree it VERY far from perfect and is getting worse, just trying to offer a balanced view, I actually agree i would accept paying an annual payment for my prescriptions as well to be fair as long as affordable.

Yes pisses me off i have drive past a hospital travel across the clyde through mental traffic to get to an A&E, thankfully minor injuries and and out of GP is effective in my area.

Minor Injuries Unit was closed in my area during COVID, and was never reopened. Essentially puts more pressure on Emergency Department to see patients that are not in need of emergency care. A lot of brainless things done in the name of "efficiency".

 

[Brew_DD2]

Good points Nicky, es
Good points Jocky, especially about social care 'bed blocking' which is another factor that ain't easy to fix. But spending is an important issue - as I'm sure you would agree - population ageing has increased demands on NHS and spending has fallen behind demand.

This is the part I'm concerned about with Wes Streeting. He's talking big overhaul, but he's barely mentioned social care and council budgets. You're never going to fix the NHS' myriad problems without solving social care crisis. Our population is old, and getting older.

 

[old dog new tricks]

@ old dog new tricks ....We will agree to differ
On the brexit thing, it would be different today. At least 2% of the brexiteers have died since then.

I never mentioned brexit, that is almost as toxic as indy ref haha.

I replied that the system is rigged to get the result those in power what they want

 

[JockyBrewer]

Good points Jocky, especially about social care 'bed blocking' which is another factor that ain't easy to fix. But spending is an important issue - as I'm sure you would agree - population ageing has increased demands on NHS and spending has fallen behind demand.

Oh it needs money, lots and lots of money. My point was that any recent additional funding has been patching over the holes created by cuts in services, a lack of affordable housing and an aging population. These problems are decades in the making, and will take a decade or more to reverse.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Oh it needs money, lots and lots of money. My point was that any recent additional funding has been patching over the holes created by cuts in services, a lack of affordable housing and an aging population. These problems are decades in the making, and will take a decade or more to reverse.

This is it. We are doomed to fail if we look at Health in isolation. Especially secondary care, which is reactionary by its very nature.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Minor Injuries Unit was closed in my area during COVID, and was never reopened. Essentially puts more pressure on Emergency Department to see patients that are not in need of emergency care. A lot of brainless things done in the name of "efficiency".

I don't think any of these things were cut in the name of efficiency. They had to cut costs, so they cut from the stuff where people weren't in immediate danger of dying - prevention, primary care and minor injury treatment.

Treating at the earliest stage is usually more efficient overall as medical problems don't tend to go away or lessen, they get worse and then need more intense care later.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I don't think any of these things were cut in the name of efficiency. They had to cut costs, so they cut from the stuff where people weren't in immediate danger of dying - prevention, primary care and minor injury treatment.

Treating at the earliest stage is usually more efficient overall as medical problems don't tend to go away or lessen, they get worse and then need more intense care later.

They were done in the name of efficiency* (i.e. cost-cutting). The idiocy comes from the fact that it doesn't save any money.

I work within Primary Care and am unfortunately all too familiar with the local pet projects (with zero consultation with frontline staff) that are launched to great fanfare, in the name of service improvement, only for them to quietly die a death 12 months later.

*Apologies, I am using the word efficiency in the euphemistic way that politicians do.