Extract from article by Owen Jones in the Independent yesterday (link below for rest of it):
"Farewell to the NHS, 1948-2013: a dear and trusted friend finally murdered by the British Government.
Nothing is more gut-wrenching than watching a close friend dying in front of you. And I mean beyond close: a friend who brought you into the world, helped raise you, and was there whenever you were most desperately in need. So, spare a moment for our National Health Service. Time of death: midnight, 1st April 2013. Cause of death: murder.
From today, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are formally abolished. Some £60bn of the NHS budget is now in the hands of clinical commissioning groups, supposedly run by GPs. This is a sham, though one which turns local doctors into human shields for the privatisers. In reality, the vast majority of GPs will keep on doing what they do already – looking after patients – while commissioning will be managed by private companies.
The public sector will shrink away, and the private sector will grow. All NHS hospitals will be forced to become foundation hospitals, laying the ground for them to be pushed into the private sector.
This is big step towards the broken USA Health care system, will this lead to 17% of the population not being able to afford health care insurance in the years ahead like the USA? time will tell. "
Doctors as human shields for the privatisers sums it up well. And time will tell how this will affect those of us with long term conditions, but it doesnt look good.
I remember my GP telling me "I trained to be a doctor not a b****y accountant". That was about fifteen years ago! The money-grabbers have been working for a long time to get their hands on the NHS.
Today they have succeeded.
Telling us that GPs are now in charge is arrant nonsense.
When I had a stent put in my heart arteries I'm darned glad I wasn't being operated on by a chartered accountant. GPs will have to be constantly looking over their shoulders to see if the bankers (remember them - they're the ones whose incompetence cost us billions before they rewarded themselves with millions) approve of the treatment they are giving or, more accurately, its cost.
Beveridge must be spinning in his grave.
GPs and their practice managers are also cashing in though. According to a report in the Times, more than 33% of GPs sitting on the new Clinical Commissioning Groups - which are in charge of the budgets - have an interest in one of the private firms bidding for work from those groups! Huge potential for conflict of interest, even if there are procedures in place intended to try & prevent this. I'm afraid GPs are getting greedy.
Not great for confidence in the doc/patient relationship - how will we know why a GP is recommending a particular treatment? Should we ask them if they have a vested interest in it? And would that jeopardise our being on their list?!
Our patient participation group is now vetting people before they are allowed to attend the PPG meetings - the practice clearly doesnt want to be accountable or transparent, and it will be left with a compliant PPG membership that provides a smokescreen of democratic representation while many issues just wont be touched on. jean
Agreed WeymouthJohn - this is the result of a long process that precedes this dreadful government. If all the people who oppose it now, like the royal colleges, the BMA etc, had come out against it when the Health and Social Care Bill was first published over two years, I dont think we would have come to this point today.
And this is just one thing out of so many more, bedroom tax starts today, DLA goes next monday, food stamps which stigmatise the poor - its endless. And heartbreaking.
jean
I feel the same Jean, a very very depressing day for anyone who is either sick or in need, and also those who might be in that position in future. This govt has treated the ordinary British public in a cynical and contemptible manner, I just hope Labour in 2015 has the courage to reverse all these changes, but from their record under Blair and his ilk, I'm not optimistic
ff x
• in reply to
ff - I am deeply disillusioned with all politicians - think they should have a stint living for 4 month's the life of the really under privileged. I can remember life years ago, nothing like computers and all the trappings of the 21st century but we all contented with what we had. No crap MPs. Life was good.
I too, don't like the changes. Not just for us but future generations. I think there will be far more postcode healthcare, not less.
Unfortunately history shows that new Governments do not rescind such changes, in the main, as it suits them too in many ways.
Lynne xx
Wasn't only our NHS we were only looking after it for the ones after us what will they think of us letting this happen a sad day when bankers look after their selfs
Thank you for that KOTC we do need to speak up and be heard. The groups you mention are all fighting to save the NHS from privatisation, I myself am a member of several and Have petitioned to save the NHS.
King of the cocktails ,my friend Richard ,you are so right ,we all have to fight against these changes .
Next month on May 2nd there are local authority elections in many areas ,these local authorities provide many of the services we all require,it is a fact that Tory controlled councils have cut further and deeper and in the case of Notts county council with obvious glee and enjoyment.
The tories opposed the introduction of the NHS ,before the last election Cameron promised and pledged there would be no great changes to the NHS.
On May the 2nd many of us can give this government a kicking and show them what we think of their lies.
Can I first say that I agree with much of the comment I have read in these articles. I would not like to be operated on by an accountand.
And my opinion counts - I WAS ONE FOR 47 YEARS.
In defence of my profession I would like to ask people what they would do without accountants and their staff - no salaries or wages, ordinary bank accounts going wrong untraceably, no food, no petrol, your mortgage or your rent completely miscalculated or misrecorded, your supermarket and department store refusing your cards or suing you for not paying, your football club going bust even if it and Wayne Rooney paid it's taxes (unlikely), etc etc.
So please be kind to your accountants - we make money go to the right places and do what it's told.
So why should I be any happier to see £60 billion handed to people whose knowledge of finance doesn't go beyond their over-inflated current salaries and the juicy extra profits their ALREADY PRIVATE practices are going to make - most GP's I believe are not directly employed by the state on an annual salary - they're making whatever they can because their professional association employed professional negotiators to out manoeve our amateur civil servants (the ones brought in by polititions).
Balance in all things, eh? Unlike the incompetent greedy thieving lying politicians no one voted in
You should know, Frank. It was good to hear your side. It would be interesting to hear what the ++++MPs have to say for themselves. An awful lot I cant understand here. These MPs just blow my mind. Just name one that I can respect!
so who can admit to voting for the people who are now hurting us so ? as with Thatcher, her voters disappeared !
Juliekay - I voted Lib Dem for the first time in my life cos I didn't trust either of the others - so that wasn't the first mistake I've made in my long life - but it turned out there was nobody to trust so what do I do next time?
Tough way to learn through a mistake. For me it has to be those with their hearts in right place...or is that left place even tho they didnt do enough good they did far less harm. I can forgive errors with good intention but this lot dont have good intention except fir their rich buddies who now enjoy cash raided from the rest of us!!! Reversal of robin hood right now is happening. X
totally agree warwickstag,I signed the petition and sent him an e-mail urging him to do just that,along with thousands of others ,he describes these actions as a stunt,without wishing to be crude many peoples obvious retort would be rather rude.
He is paid (rather than earns)almost £2,000 a week ,so if he can live on £53 a week why does he need all that money.
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even tho they didnt do enough good they did far less harm. I can forgive errors with good intention but this lot dont have good intention except fir their rich buddies who now enjoy cash raided from the rest of us!!! Reversal of robin hood right now is happening. X
Does hospital design make a difference?
Sick patients dying ‘unnecessarily’ in NHS because of poor care 
