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Health: happy birthday, NHS. Stay public for us all Health: happy birthday, NHS. Stay public for us all
(3 months later)
"We have been the dreamers, we have been the sufferers, now we are the builders," announced Nye Bevan at the beginning of the 1945 general election campaign that gave Labour victory. Three years later, at a time of food rationing, a housing shortage and profound poverty, the National Health Service was born in the face of fierce opposition. It promised a comprehensive service, funded by taxation, available to all and free at the time of need. It has developed, over the years, into an institution rightly esteemed around the world and much-loved by the British people whom it has mostly served well."We have been the dreamers, we have been the sufferers, now we are the builders," announced Nye Bevan at the beginning of the 1945 general election campaign that gave Labour victory. Three years later, at a time of food rationing, a housing shortage and profound poverty, the National Health Service was born in the face of fierce opposition. It promised a comprehensive service, funded by taxation, available to all and free at the time of need. It has developed, over the years, into an institution rightly esteemed around the world and much-loved by the British people whom it has mostly served well.
On Friday, the NHS celebrates its 65th birthday. It is of pensionable age but there is much work still to do and, in spite of myriad reorganisations, including the ongoing Byzantine demands of the Health and Social Care Act, it is in robust health. At its conception, acute care was to the fore. Now, medical advances and an ageing population means that its main concerns are the 15 million-plus people who live with long-term chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes. A major challenge ahead is how to combine social care, health and early intervention to keep us all living healthily for longer.On Friday, the NHS celebrates its 65th birthday. It is of pensionable age but there is much work still to do and, in spite of myriad reorganisations, including the ongoing Byzantine demands of the Health and Social Care Act, it is in robust health. At its conception, acute care was to the fore. Now, medical advances and an ageing population means that its main concerns are the 15 million-plus people who live with long-term chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes. A major challenge ahead is how to combine social care, health and early intervention to keep us all living healthily for longer.
Looking back over the life so far of the NHS, we know that at times of cuts to its budget, public satisfaction plunges. Waiting times for operations increase; Accident & Emergency departments find it difficult to cope. According to Ian Mulheirn, of the cross-party thinktank the Social Market Foundation, health spending must grow at around 4% a year in real terms if it is to meet patients' expectations.Looking back over the life so far of the NHS, we know that at times of cuts to its budget, public satisfaction plunges. Waiting times for operations increase; Accident & Emergency departments find it difficult to cope. According to Ian Mulheirn, of the cross-party thinktank the Social Market Foundation, health spending must grow at around 4% a year in real terms if it is to meet patients' expectations.
When spending increases – under Labour it saw an increase of 5.7% a year on average – satisfaction is high. Now, and for several years ahead, in spite of a ringfenced budget, spending will flatline and demand will increase. That means the NHS could face an effective cut of £36bn by 2018. The choice ahead is whether better services are paid for through tax rises or private spending on healthcare by those who can afford it.When spending increases – under Labour it saw an increase of 5.7% a year on average – satisfaction is high. Now, and for several years ahead, in spite of a ringfenced budget, spending will flatline and demand will increase. That means the NHS could face an effective cut of £36bn by 2018. The choice ahead is whether better services are paid for through tax rises or private spending on healthcare by those who can afford it.
As the NHS moves into its senior decades, it would be a tragedy if the increasing pressures on services and an ever-tighter budget were used as an excuse to open the door wide to the private sector – a sector not committed to the training of professionals, the reduction of health inequalities vital for a prosperous society or the collection of nationwide data that is a necessary part of good public health. A private sector that is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, depriving us of access to important information and limiting accountability and transparency.As the NHS moves into its senior decades, it would be a tragedy if the increasing pressures on services and an ever-tighter budget were used as an excuse to open the door wide to the private sector – a sector not committed to the training of professionals, the reduction of health inequalities vital for a prosperous society or the collection of nationwide data that is a necessary part of good public health. A private sector that is exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, depriving us of access to important information and limiting accountability and transparency.
A "comprehensive service funded by taxation" continues to represent the heart of the NHS. Its pulse is the hugely impressive sense of vocation that, in spite of recent appalling cases, the majority of NHS staff display on a daily basis for relatively little reward. We send good wishes to the NHS. May it continue to flourish as a public institution for many years to come.A "comprehensive service funded by taxation" continues to represent the heart of the NHS. Its pulse is the hugely impressive sense of vocation that, in spite of recent appalling cases, the majority of NHS staff display on a daily basis for relatively little reward. We send good wishes to the NHS. May it continue to flourish as a public institution for many years to come.
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