The previous discussion can be found here.
The UK is a densely populated and diverse island nation of just over 67 million people. The UK is the only country in the world that provides a state-run, free at the door “health service”. Over the years, the UK government has sold off the NHS assets, sold it off to public-private partnerships, and blended health and security. With Public Health England gone, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was created. When did health become a security issue? Does the NHS work in the best interests of those who provide it or has it become a 'conditional health service' regardless of age or gender? Is it a postcode lottery? Is the NHS making us healthy or sick?
With winter fast approaching, the National Health Service is far from healthy. “New variant of COVID-19” With the COVID-19 pandemic looming on the horizon, some scientists and experts seem to be in favour of reinstating restrictions similar to those imposed in 2020/2021. Is this necessary and what impact will it have on an NHS that is in disarray?Concealing the cracks'?
There is room for doubt as to whether the NHS is fit for purpose. Are NHS patients safe? Are staff safe? What does 'safe' mean in UK healthcare in 2023? Are patients treated with respect, kindness and compassion, and given the dignity that all human beings deserve, or, as many anecdotal reports suggest, the opposite is true – patients are belittled, blamed, reprimanded, humiliated and made to feel a burden on an overburdened NHS? Some patients are denied food and drink, others are isolated from their loved ones and left alone and vulnerable. Are patient concerns and complaints being listened to? Are whistleblowers being intimidated and silenced? Where is our data going?
Health services that were once run by doctors and nurses are now run by managers who may or may not have experience managing in a clinical setting. Lucy Letby This incident has raised many concerns about the regulation of NHS managers, but are the “regulators” functioning and who regulates the regulators? Who is running our hospitals?
What's going wrong? Why are home-grown doctors and nurses leaving the country in droves? Who will replace them and where will they come from? Is a career in medicine a calling in 2023 or just a job?
Debi Evans rejoins the discussion and it continues.
Roy Lilley, Health Policy Adviser, former Chairman of Homewood NHS Trust in Surrey and former Mayor of the City. Roy is Guardian, The Sunday Times And that The Daily TelegraphAs a policy advisor and visiting fellow at Imperial College London, he was instrumental in establishing the School of Health Service Management at the University of Nottingham and was a founder member of the Federation of NHS Trusts, which today comprises NHS UnionRoy's e-mail It is read by over 300,000 managers working within and outside the NHS. Co-authored with Ed Smith, 200 Questions about the future of the NHS… and the elephant in the room.
Dr Duncan White is a nursing and care systems consultant who challenges the notion of privatising the NHS. He began his career as a registered nurse and has progressed through the ranks to senior roles in acute care and psychiatry. He has worked both domestically and internationally in the healthcare industry and has extensive experience and knowledge of global healthcare systems. Dr Duncan has worked for the Department of Health, Department for Business, Care Quality Commission and Skills for care
