[Link] Not much of an excuse as the Tories deliberately ruined the N.H.S. over many years.

Agreed.

It will take real courage to reform the NHS and I doubt our lord and masters have that. Even Thatcher shied away fro the reforms that are really needed.

The management structure is wrong and needs fixing but there are too many untouchables that someone need to address.

Far too many people use the NHS as a back stop to their private consultant / nurse career. A consultant can't see you for 6 months but will see you next week if you go private (a nice incentive for his private work).

This all dates back to the foundation of the NHS and despite the doctors claims to defend the NHS was all about them lining their own pockets.

Staff should be told you work for the NHS or go private but you cannot have two masters.

To be clear I am not against someone working part time but if they have spare working hours they should be doing that for the NHS. Imagine telling your boss you can't work next week because you are working for one of his rivals.

Agency's should be given a ultimatum agree to reduce fees or lose you NHS contract. Agencies should not be allowed to charge more than 10-15% above the pay scale for that person.

Short term there would be uproar but once you get past this I think you would see the number of NHS staff rise as agency staff realise they are better off in the NHS and consultants decide to actually do a weeks work.

Edited by Badger11 (29 Apr 2024 1.17pm)

One more point

I hold that view.

Hilarious.

They have cost the NHS and therefore the taxpayer a fortune with PFI contracts.

Is the correct answer.

I saw something recently about the Princess Royal Hospital in Farnborough costing £118m to build, but the tax payer has to pay back as part of the PFI agreement £1.2 billion over 60 years.

And this is just one of many.

They knew the country would be in hock for decades to come, but it made them look good at the time.

Exactly. I'd be livid if I voted for him as a Tory, but then found my vote has effectively elected a Labour MP.

It's wrong any way around, and should not be allowed to happen.

What's to stop (in theory) every MP defecting to the Monster Raving Looney Party for example, and then them having an unelected majority ?

Is a bye election where someone really wants the chance to say tata? A bit like a by-election but sadder.

He was always a wet. My first thought was he wanted to stand again at the election and needed to change colour to succeed. But no, not nicking the opportunity from another Labour candidate. Just seeing out a few months as any replacement would not have had time to become effectual. Actually seems a man of principle.

Edited by Mapletree (29 Apr 2024 10.52pm)

I agree but will he be selected as Labour candidate for his existing seat?

Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

Add to that the PFI has the right to do any work needed which cannot go out to tender. They charge double the cost of non PFI's for any building work needed.

Boris had a great idea of buying out the current contracts and getting them to build more hospitals with the dosh but at new and vastly different contracts. All but one agreed. But then covid put paid to that idea.

When the PFI contracts run out I'm pretty sure that they wont be renewed!!!!

Why is the NHS no longer seen as satisfactory?

Half a million new people here every year, an ageing population,
more and more services covered, huge amounts of waste, PFI contracts, staff who don't speak proper English, under trained staff, high levels of incompetence and a lack of commitment to patient care.

That might be why.

Your endless irrational hatred of the Tories blinds you to the reality.

Until there is a cross party effort to deal with these problems, the current idiotic adversarial approach will only make things worse.