Sorry but on phone as Broadband still down!
The Chart in the link showing NHS spending is a great asset in supporting my statement. :thumb:
If you compare the % increase of funds to the NHS (which rises slightly) with % inflation plus the % increase of UK population (which both rise at a greater rate) from 2012 to present day, you will see that the NHS gets less real money than before.
If you're going to throw such claims out there, I'm going to check them you know :no: :thumb:
From the Kingsway link, NHS spending is currently averaging 1.2% over inflation. So we need to see whether the UK population is growing by more than 1.2% per year.
This resource may or may not be reliable, but I see no particular reason they would lie about the stats. What do they say? UK population is currently growing by about 0.6%. So that still means NHS budgets are increasing in real terms.
What is interesting is that when we had inflation + 4% NHS budget growth, UK population growth was often lower, so those increases would have gone a long way.
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/uk-population/
The NHS seems to be a cash vacuum whatever way you look at it so I think we can only attribute that to how their costs are increasing beyond the normal rate of inflation (to be clear, the notion that funding is being cut would appear to be completely false based on the information I have been able to find). You therefore have to question efficiency, whether the procurement process is effective as it currently stands (Paracetemol costs might be an exception or they might be suggestive of wider issues), decision-making ability (I know lots of NHS people and they say it's a nightmare to get any non-routine decisions made, even where they can demonstrably save money). The aging population really doesn't help though - there are more old people than before and these cost the NHS a lot of money.
I can see no merit in giving it to overseas based multinational companies on 15 year contracts; which is what the Secretary of State for Health is trying to slide through Parliament without a debate.
I agree in part. A 15 year contract seems a long time. I also agree that any decisions need to be properly debated in parliament, such that they are made public and we can understand whether we are making them for the right reasons.
What I potentially disagree with is whether fundamentally outsourcing contracts is an issue. Whether the company is "overseas" or "multinational" is moot - the question should only be whether it improves the NHS. That must hinge on how those contracts are negotiated.
Continuing the paracetamol example further. If it currently costs the NHS #3.23 to procure, would you object to a contract that fixed the price at #1.00 a pop for the next 15 years? That's a 70% saving, despite the private company still making a large profit (vs the 20p it might cost them). I would imagine that there will be a lot of people pitching for the contracts though, and it's that competition between providers that could help to deliver savings.
Of course the contracts could cost the NHS more, but my point being that there may be plenty of good examples where outsourcing is better.
I don't like the idea of outsourcing any front-line care contracts, i.e. doctors and nurses etc. The post-natal community health stuff (I forget the name) was outsourced to Virgin Healthcare (oh the irony) and I'm not sure that was for the better. But then again, does all care need to be provided by the NHS? What about care homes - outsourced private contract that takes the elderly out of hospitals an into appropriate private facilities. Dunno.
References to elderly is not intended as an attempt to bash old people, btw!
Anyway, despite me playing devil's advocate for no real reason than I'm bored and this is the internet so what the hell, I admire and commend you for standing up for what you believe in and taking the time to raise this with your MP. I would do similar, only my local MP is..... Jeremy Hunt.
Ask yourself “What was I doing fifteen years ago?” and if life was better back then please support the petition. :wave:
I was almost certainly down the pub every day, with very little in the way of responsibilty or commitment. In many respect, that made life a lot better!!
