Saturday, August 24, 2013

NHS in Crisis?

NHS in Crisis?
The Coalition government keeps on telling us the NHS needs to reform. It has to persuade the public of this, so it can push through privatization. There has been surprisingly little media scrutiny of the claims made. The claims of 13,000 unnecessary deaths made by some newspapers were swiftly rebuffed by the author of the report being "quoted", Professor Sir Bruce Keogh. £500 million is being used to "bail-out" failing A&Es, but this comes nowhere near the £2.2 billion "underspend" returned to the treasury. Smoke and mirrors some might say.
The Lancet criticized the Coalition for treating the NHS like a failed bank.The mantra of "clinical and financial sustainability" is being repeated by the Trust Special Administrators at Mid Staffs. Financial sustainability means what exactly? Simply that the Coalition is cutting the NHS (which they have been forced to concede after a rebuke by the UK Statistics Authority). How can any part of the NHS be singled out as making a loss? It is a public service. It is never going to "make a profit"

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