One-in-seven adults in England advised to go private by NHS.

 

The Conservative Party and the doctor’s union the British Medical Association (BMA), were initially opposed to the introduction of the NHS in 1948. The BMA opposed it because they thought doctors would lose money. You might say that they put their own backyard before the fate of the nation.

Aneurin Bevan, the Labour Minister for Health, was asked how he'd persuaded the doctors to accept the NHS and he replied: " I stuffed their mouths with gold." What Bevan meant, was that British doctors or consultants, could continue to see private paying patients if they accepted NHS patients.

The Conservatives opposed the NHS because they believed it would lead to a full-time salaried service for doctors which was a threat to the patient-doctor relationship and they believed, it would also wreck the voluntary hospital system. They were also incensed that Bevan had abandoned their 'Willink plan' for health reform as unworkable. The Conservative health minister, Henry Willink, had produced a White Paper in 1944, entitled, ‘A National Health Service’. However, under the Willink proposals, it was accepted that no doctor or patient would be forced to join the new service and it was assumed that private practice, would continue on a substantial scale.

Bevan wanted the full nationalisation of hospitals and socialised health care that was free of charge. The Conservatives voted consistently against Bevan's NHS Bill. From day one, Bevan included dental, ophthalmic, and hearing services within the NHS. Prescriptions were also free. Mental and physical health services were also integrated. The Bill had plainly stated that it was the duty of the Minister of Health to provide a comprehensive health service to improve the physical and mental health of the people free of charge. That responsibility was removed when the Conservative-led coalition government introduced the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.

For some years now, successive British governments have presided over the managed decline of the NHS, culminating in staff shortages, lower funding, growing waiting lists, and delays in patients accessing health care. This is a political decision. Patients are going private because of delays in accessing health care and growing waiting lists for hospital surgery, which is creating a two tier health service. Some people are crowdfunding to pay for health treatment or going abroad. Some NHS hospitals and medical staff are actively encouraging people to go private so they can jump the queue and get prioritised. The Observer newspaper says that one in seven adults in England have been advised by the NHS to go private.

The Daily Telegraph reported in August 2023, that GP pay had risen by 20% in the past three years despite GP's seeing a third fewer patients face-to-face. According to published data, GP's earned an average of £118,000 in 2021-22, up from £98,000, in 2018-19, before the pandemic.

Since the COVID lockdown in March 2020, many GP practices removed walk-in surgeries and never reinstated them. They replaced this with triage. Despite NHS England issuing guidance to practices in 2021 which says GP patients must now be offered face-to-face appointments if that is their preference, many GP's are still reluctant to see patients face-to-face and are resorting to phone and video consultations. This has led to increased pressure on emergency departments and A&E services. Unlike, molly-coddled and over-paid British GP's, hospital doctors and nurses have to deal with patients face-to-face, they have little choice in the matter.