Should We Have Listened?

[Kromovaracun]

Back in November, Jim Mackey - the head of NHS Improvement, a government watchdog - warned that if the health service did not receive a sufficient cash injection in the budget, it would have to limit the care it provided in order to survive the winter.

It seems, now we're in January, that his prediction has come true - about 50,000 routine operations have been cancelled:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/02/nhs-hospitals-ordered-cancel-routine-operations-january/

https://www.itv.com/news/2018-01-03/nhs-cancel-operations-winter-pressure/

Should we have listened to Mackey back in November? Could this decision result in deaths? Is the government capable of running a health service as a health service?

[baza]

The NHS needs a complete overhaul starting at the top, until politicians , no matter which party, bite the bullet nothing will happen. All we get is the same old guff , it's not us but the other lot.

[New Judge]

“The Tories have been in power since 2010, so who else is to blame if we are now cancelling 10,000's of operations ?”

The inept and bloated NHS management.

“They could solve the immediate crisis but providing some more funds,”

Funds are not the main issue. The NHS is awash with money. It is being wilfully wasted.

This is not a party issue, Mikey. Governments (of any colour) are just about the worst body of people to run just about anything that people need. They suffer from chronic short-termism; they are only interested in the election cycle; they are devoid of experts; they have no personal interest in the services they run, only in getting people to vote for them. Health in the UK wants removing from government control.

[ToraToraTora]

Bang on judge, we need to stop party political bickering and do some major surgery to the NHS itself.

[Spicerack]

Sigh,,,,,,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2876170/Brighton-Sussex-University-Hospitals-NHS-trust-sends-bizarre-list-guidelines-staff-make-sure-Christmas-party-politically-correct.html

[emmie]

NJ
as always right on the money..

[jlcm]

The NHS is now a political organisation,it does'nt like the tories trying to control there spending,they prefer a labour government because they will just throw monet at it ,hence all the problems it's deliberate mis management and as for all the people in ivory towers get rid of them and spend the money where it's needed,the perfect example is as above the head of NHS improvement what a nice well paid job for someone