@Geof_Cox , a very clear and coherent report indeed.
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In politics, the usual process is to begin with talking, move on to debate and final is implement.
The chatter has begun
It’s an open secret that the Tories want to privatise the NHS - indeed have been doing so by stealth for years.
Despite the total disasters of inefficiency and incompetence and greed they have wrought with the UK’s railways, water, electricity, etc, perhaps they persist in believing that private ownership is better than public. Or do they? Have they rather abandoned all belief in anything, and just see it as another opportunity for their friends to make a financial killing?
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There is likely to have been a long term plan regarding the NHS, possibly in agreement with US suppliers and providers. ‘Selling’ bits to US companies may be part of the post Brexit economic deals the UK has been making across the pond. There may be no other choice now.
All I can say is they had best hurry up and get on with the building up part, charges or no, as more people are at urgent risk.
I’m afraid that won’t work either… just look more carefully at the US model 
You get injured in a traffic (or other) accident - ambulance requires sight of your insurance before they handle you - and that continues right through the system. If I understood it correctly, that’s why Obama-care was sooo important.
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Definitely not what is wanted, or I would imagine what the UK government hopes to achieve but possibly something in between. One that would involve partial patient payments, perhaps means tested, rather than 100% free for 100% of the population.
I’m not saying this is good or easy but I’m predicting. Thing is, a totally free healthcare system in UK is popularly seen as a ‘right’. The trouble is, that it is not even a ‘human right’ and its existence and continuance is at the mercy of government choices, albeit an elected government.
Clearly, unable to continue as is, what indeed are the options? There are numerous issues contributing to the overall breakdown, staffing being one and demographics another. Not unlike in France but to stop the whole NHS house of cards from collapsing the government has to act quickly on at least one front. Costs.
Here’s an idea
the present UK Junta - perhaps…
I’m afraid the C&UP is split between cynics, who think like that, and realists, who don’t but equally can’t see any solution acceptable to the extremists who now seem to be in charge.
I think it was probably originally seen as a great leap forward, and a privilege, but those who think in terms of their own “rights” (rather than “responsibilities”) have encouraged the general population to think on the same lines.
And few consider the effect of a population that is “ageing”. Hence the bewilderment of British people who can’t understand the French outrage at having to wait until 64 to retire!
There was a good article in this week’s New Statesman about the NHS. I think this must be the audio version: https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/audio-long-reads/2023/01/a-doctors-prescription-for-saving-the-nhs-audio-long-reads
Essentially (if I understood it correctly) there’s a problem at the “front door” of hospitals, eg because people use A&E as a sort of drop-in service, and 111 sends people there as a precaution; and at the “back door” because of the poor availability of social care. One hospital, for example, estimated a third of its beds were occupied by people who could clinically be discharged but who were stuck because of an absence of social care places.
Good collection of letters on this subject:
Being of a ‘facts and evidence’ bent, I was especially struck by…
Independent sector spend by NHS trusts increased by 659% between 2012 and 2021. Privatisation creates waste. Research from the Centre for Health and the Public Interest shows we waste £4.5bn on managing the internal market created by NHS privatisation.
40% of NHS doctors and dental professionals are likely to resign or retire within the next five years as a direct result of “workplace pressures”.
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Sadly in Frace too, my GP in Paris, joined the last strike movement for the first time in his life.
Mine too - went on the protest march in Paris - all the way from Brittany. He is, like any good socialist doctor here, worried about forthcoming changes - or rather the fact that they fail to address the real problems.
But he knows - as do I - that there is no comparison between the problems here, and those facing the NHS.
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This could actually be posted in a number of live topics on SF but this one will do…
Delusional or what? “The reason for the high number of vacancies in the NHS is because we’re recruiting” at 3:00 minutes in WTF is this idiot on!!!
Two research reports out today make interesting reading…
Over 3 million people in the UK would like to work but cannot do so for health-related reasons - the real UK unemployment rate is over 12% - Andy Haldane, former chief economist at the Bank of England, is among economists that say the declining health of the UK population is preventing people from working, and note the association with declining investment in healthcare and other public services.
Also today, other research links obesity with low productivity - in the least productive areas of the UK, an average of almost 70% of the population are overweight.
A vicious circle. Food is fuel but it is also consolation for things like sadness and boredom.
Maybe instead of targeting obesity, the powers that be should try to solve those root causes? Bring back the social clubs. Initiate and fund more volunteer self help programs. Reopen libraries and add IT learning sections. A bonus in also helping to solve other social challenges, especially for young people with not much else.
There will be some who say the young and others will not want these activities offered, preferring to do nothing. Not in my view, a good enough reason not to try. We just need to vote in people with the right ethic (!)
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Food is fuel and the “food scientists” know that they can create addictive food. By all means consider the issues that cause comfort eating, but that, of itself, will not resolve obesity when the comfort food itself is poisoning us and causing addiction.
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They definitely do want them, many former initiatives are a victim of the ideological austerity drive.
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They’re coming for our pets next. I am actually wondering why my supermarket own-brand catfood shows sugar as an ingredient on the label.
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Ours are hyper enough without sugar in their food 
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