We are proud of the NHS

Comment by Tom Farrier on August 13, 2009 at 9:10 pm

As much as I agree with the sentiment, this feels like a forced response due to Dan Hannan on the Glenn Beck show earlier this week.

Comment by Damien McCabe on August 13, 2009 at 9:14 pm

Here, here, David!

Comment by Dale.k on August 13, 2009 at 9:15 pm

Pumping more money into something in a time when a budget deifict has never been higher. would this be funded by increased tax rates or reductions in other vital departments such as Defence.

Comment by Littlepip on August 13, 2009 at 9:16 pm

Good to hear that your committed to the NHS, but there must be savings in non-essential services, that can then be directed to frontline care. Too much waste has gone on under Labours watch.

Comment by Nils Boray on August 13, 2009 at 9:30 pm

I’m very pleased to hear that you are proud of the NHS, as I am. I wonder if you were aware that this trend on twitter started after US TV footage of Conversative MEP Daniel Hannan being shown on the internet, in which he repeatedly condemns the NHS ?

If so he must be very out of touch with Conservative party policy. Are you able to confirm this ?

Comment by Microbe on August 13, 2009 at 9:30 pm

Sir,

You rightly say you are “proud of the NHS”.

So, what will you do about MEP ‘Ham-Fisted Hannan’ who has rubbished the social history of British medical practice to our longstanding special friends the Americans?

Comment by Clarkee73 on August 13, 2009 at 9:39 pm

I agree with the princiles of the NHS but struggle with it on a day to day basis.

I have a significant knee injury and the NHS in Hertfordshire is far too slow. I run my own business and from a referral in June, I don’t get to see a consultant until August with a further wait for surgery until either October or November.

Couple that with seeking incapacity allowance (or whatever it is called now) and still not having this sorted is a complete waste of time. Different departments do not share information and this leads to massive frustration.

The NHS needs to be funded more like the private sector, respond to the needs of patients and be able to respond. 18 weeks for treatment is incorrect and in my case and I suspect many others far too long to wait.

It will only be when all services are joined up, not supplying the same information to different departments and then looking at the clinical need of patients will this work.

As for me, I am extremely lucky to have a brother who out of his own pocket is paying for my surgery. Far quicker than the NHS that as a 40% tax payer for 20 years, I receive absolutely no benefit at all. I would suggest a tax break for a situation like this but I guess that this will fall on deaf ears. It is all about the headlines.

I would welcome a comment but I never expect to receive one.

It is all not too rosy out there and I would suspect that others such as I are feeling a bit disgruntled with the whole thing.

NHS needs more funding but it also needs the back up from the government to ensure that it is all one department, not seperate entities but I guess that you dont want to hear that

Matt Clarke

Comment by Sally Roberts on August 13, 2009 at 9:42 pm

I am delighted to read of your strong support for our NHS, David! We are so fortunate in this country to have a system which treats all according to need, free at the point of delivery. No system is perfect, but Conservatives in general are very grateful for the tireless work of our nurses, doctors and other NHS specialists.

Comment by Jonte on August 13, 2009 at 9:49 pm

I too have reason to be grateful to the NHS. My mother received years of treatment which only the wealthiest of families could have afforded and my sister, whilst she died in a hospital which was dirty by any standards still received treatment from nurses who obviously still cared.

That said we must take into account the amount who have died in our dirty hospitals who would perhaps not have done so had they been clean. We have to ask ourselves why we have so much MRSA whilst the Spanish don’t even know what it is. We have to speak to the people who operate the NHS, the nurses who know how much is wasted each day and who are prevented from carrying out their dutie by being burdoned with the crushing weight of daily paperwork. We need to get rid of the executives who have no feeling at all for the running of hospitals but suck up so much money but more than anything else we need to put the control of hospitals in the hands of people who understand them. This means that we make everything smaller so that it is manageable and don’t waste time with lay people on hospital committees who can’t spell scab let alone know what one is.

Despite the huge amount of money which has been thrown at the NHS our hospital system is still sick and likely to remain that way until such time as we start making this money work for us.

In truth, the NHS as it is has been around long enough to prove that in its present form it does not work. Like everything else in this country including politics, the NHS requires inovative change.

The habit of throwing the nations wealth into the health service merely to provide sound bites during Prime Minister question time has to stop.

As for the public telephoning relatively unqualified people for life saving advice on health matters, this too should stop and be replaced with something safer and more useful.

Comment by David12 on August 13, 2009 at 9:55 pm

I can echo a ‘hear, hear’ with regard to the excellence of the NHS and have experienced several examples recently, but NOT the policy of committing to spend more money on it.
We need more efficiency, an even better service for LESS money, not more. It is sheer cowardice to opt into NuLabour’s spending plans without a prior review.
As for making a donation, do you mean so that Alan Duncan can get a square meal once in a while, poor soul?

Comment by otahuhu on August 13, 2009 at 9:58 pm

EVERYONE IN UK MUST BE PROUD OF THE NHS,BUT IT DOES NOT COME FREE,WE HAVE TO PAY NATIONAL INSURANCE STAMPS TO KEEP IT GOING,WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS,WHAT PARTY HAS THE GUTS TO STAND UP AND SAY THAT THE NHS,CANT BE FREE AT THE POINT OF ENTRY,SURLY ALL POLIITICAL PARTIES CAN SEE THAT THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS GOING TO COLLAPSE SOONER OR LATER,HOW CAN A NEVER ENDING INFLUX OF EMIGRANTS NO MATTER WHAT COLOUR OR CREED THEY ARE, KEEP BEING ADDED TO AN ALREADY OVERSTRECHED SYSTEM,WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO COME FROM TO KEEP IT GOING,WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE COMMENTS ON RETIREMENT AGE,IT SEEMS FINE
TO ALTER THAT,BUT WHERE THE REAL COST COMES IN,NOBODY DARE COMMENT,I AM JUST WAITING TO SEE WHICH PARTY HAS GOT THE GUTS TO APROACH THE PROBLEM,BEFORE THE COUNTRY GOES COMPLETELY BANCRUPT.

Comment by nannyknowsbest on August 13, 2009 at 9:59 pm

With the greatest respect David, simply declaring that you will “spend more” on the NHS will do nothing to bring it back to anything like what it used to be. To do that, it needs root and branch reorganisation to remove the massive overheads, paying for “managers” that serve no other purpose other than ensuring that their “mini empires” defer to the business of dispensing help and assistance to those who pay for the “system”. As it is now, the NHS, no matter how much money is thrown at it, is broken and totally focused away from it’s founding principles and the “business” of “management” has become paramount – above and beyond medicine. Much as any country that has the word “democratic” in it’s name – isn’t, the word “trust” in the NHS works in much the same way. The NHS has simply been taken over by people who feel it more important to spend £4M on a new foyer than spend that money on much needed equipment in the ITU department (Barnstaple Hospital 2009). To them, it is more important to have the new foyer (the second in 3 years) to “improve the client experience” than it is to spend that money on actually saving the lives of patients – because it allows them to “look important” when they “open it”.
Until this stupidity is addressed, then, no matter how much money you throw at the NHS, it wil simply be “swallowed” in the further “glorification” of those tasked to run it. I am proud of what the NHS stands for and what it can do. Our medical staff are the best in the world (although Labour are working on breaking that right now – well. more the EU actually) and, despite the threats and fear that they work under, they are brilliant. We just need to remove the pathetic, overpaid and irrelevant “managers, sub managers, directors of diversity” and the like and concentrate the NHS as centres of medical excellence – otherwise – close it as a failed experiment. Those my friend are you choices. Want to be elected? Listen to the free men and women of this country and give them what they want and what they are forced to pay for – not platitudes and half promises.
Best regards and much respect.
Paul

Comment by No Display Name on August 13, 2009 at 10:00 pm

Very fine ‘waffle’ David …………However, what I would dearly like to know, (and probably MILLIONS of other voters who at present are NOT committed to the Conservatives, ) is this….
What would you do specifically about the hundreds of thousands of drunken slobs who deny genuine emergency and accident patients from having proper access to the NHS…….the morons who suffer from self-inflicted wounds and damage who descend upon our NHS, abuse our nurses and assistants and corrupt the system by their selfish and boorish behaviour……..do you have a SPECIFIC comment to make on this issue …………………..without ‘waffling’???
Kind regards, Paul Austin
w12ws@aol.com

Comment by t08ch on August 13, 2009 at 10:06 pm

I have no problem with the NHS; but it costs way too much of my and your money. The Obama plan has suggested costs of about $750 a year; my employers and I are paying more than 15x that at the moment say what you want about our system but the US system is significantly more efficient and cost effective.

Comment by macdangler on August 13, 2009 at 10:07 pm

David,
I do trust the Conservatives to uphold and safeguard the NHS without wasting too much money. There is no doubt that THERE ARE TOO MANY management positions at the expense of doctors and nurses. The same is true of my business in TV and Films.
Does the word quangos sound expensive? it should etc etc. Please cut out the waste. You know exactly what I mean.
Good luck with excess Civil Servants you do not stand a chance!

Comment by Dawn on August 13, 2009 at 10:13 pm

Mr Cameron you may be happy with the NHS in the south, but I can tell you from personal experience that I dont think much of the NHS in the north. It takes nearly six months before you get to see a consultant, the PCT according to my doctor have advised doctors not to recommend patients for the gastro band operation as its a lucky dip on who gets it, and so to keep the patient list down, you are referred to a pschyologist, who has known u for 20 min and is able to stop you from getting this procedure done. And yet the NHS have made it hard for us in society with all their nonsence about over weight people etc. As for the dentists again in my experience if you on the NHS you dont get the best of service. I work hard and pay my taxes and National Insurance and yet I cannot get a good service from the NHS.

Comment by lotus eater on August 13, 2009 at 10:16 pm

good…keep the socialists on side

Comment by Roger on August 13, 2009 at 10:22 pm

If the Blue Blog was on Twitter i could send this over the World. However Cameron does not like Twitter,so this message stays where it is. Nowhere.
Wake up Cameron.

Comment by patsie on August 13, 2009 at 10:22 pm

I lived in Manitoba for a couple of years they have a local lottery which all the proceeds went towards funding medical services, when I went to see a doctor, was concerned that I did not have medical insurance, so asked if I could pay each time I saw him, I was amazed when he told me it was free! I asked how so, he asked if I did the local lottery I said yes, well he replied that means even if you never win at least you get something in return for you money, it has also helped us invest in, all the latest technology too. Why don’t we do something like this raise extra money to help boost our NHS coffers too.

Comment by Julian Boulter on August 13, 2009 at 10:23 pm

Sorry, I have had more bad experiences than good. My beautiful six year old daughter would not be here today if we had listened to the NHS who insisted she was still born and wanted to take the “dead” foetus from my wife. A horrific experience – and how many women do not have a husband who would stand up to the consultant and tell him we did not believe him? How many babies have been needlessly lost?
Then this Easter, my daughter walked into a tree branch and I carried her crying and clutching her eye into casualty, after a 20 minute wait the Triage nurse appeared – and first helped someone’s relative with the broken vending machine – you could not make it up. A broken vending machine or a child who may have lost sight in an eye? The vending machine everytime. Of course Dave had great experiences of the NHS – I am sure all rich and famous people do. Not sure the rest of us mere mortals get the same attention.

Comment by P.M.Hughes on August 13, 2009 at 10:24 pm

well said David I think everybody in this country has benefitted from the NHS at sometime,even the ones that have had sad events,I would like to see the workers benefit more and have less administration.

Comment by No Display Name on August 13, 2009 at 10:24 pm

Fall ill ….thats what the N H S is for.
A safty net for illness.. need and emergency..
Not a free service for the world…. to cure all ills.
Money only goes so far and should be used to treat the sick not

Comment by hedgepiggle on August 13, 2009 at 10:26 pm

So we should be proud of our NHS everyone but us can access it and use all the appointment spaces, get the best care, while we have to wait.

Comment by Anne Bender on August 13, 2009 at 10:32 pm

I have just returned from 3 weeks in the USA.I was appalled at the adverts on the tv telling utter lies about our NHS. I used every opportunity I had to refute the lies and distortions being told to the American people about our NHS. The ordinary people are being frightened by the powerful opponents to President Obama ‘s reforms. It is disgraceful that the adverts are allowed to tell outrageous lies. Our NHS is not perfect but it is better than anything they have in America. The people need to know the truth. Its unfair to frighten a population – its all about money and greed.

Comment by britishjohn on August 13, 2009 at 10:34 pm

When are we going to see real Conservatives that are true to their base and principles. If the Conservative party had any real conviction or genuine desire to return Britain to economic and political liberty, there would be more figures like Daniel Hannan, advocating private healthcare.

Comment by Leeds Exile on August 13, 2009 at 10:35 pm

I totally agree David. My wife is getting excellent treatment at the Churchill hospital for a brain tumor. It is also the cleanest and friendliest hospital I have had to deal with.

Comment by Phil Greatorex on August 13, 2009 at 10:44 pm

We have a thriving private medical sector too, one that is often a beacon of caring excellence to which many NHS hospitals should aspire.

As well as our many superb private hospitals, patients wishing to pay for better food and accommodation should be allowed to do so in NHS hospitals. The profits made from this freedom of choice could provide additional funding for the NHS hospitals providing the services.

Comment by samuelrshirley@gmaill.com on August 13, 2009 at 10:49 pm

David Cameron is right. Daniel Hannan may believe that he is being clever about pointing out the inadequacies of the NHS, which obviously exist, but what he fails to realise is that people know that it is not perfect. Then, in his self-aggrandising attempt to vindicate the presenters’ views of Fox News, he panders to their prejudices without any attempt at news. It sometimes is no surprise to me that he continues to be on the fringe, albeit populist side of the Conservative MEPs.

Comment by Ross Warren on August 13, 2009 at 10:55 pm

Clearly Politics is a full time business.
“of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS.” You bet you cotton socks we are, most of us are absolutely in its debt. It is also an important employment sector, its is utterly essential to most people. So it very cheering to see support for this institution that has been so co-opted by the screaming pinks. Yes we will continue to spend most of our tax receipts on the Welfare of those who pay in. We will not destroy the National comfort blanket, but that’s not to say we will not reform the service, because we will.
Within two years much of NU-Labours administrators will either have been replaced by conservative ones or we will have convinced or converted the rest. We will be utterly ruthless (as Labour have been) in feathering our own nest so that our fledglings might fly the better.

Comment by Dickie on August 13, 2009 at 11:05 pm

This sounds good, but I’m also worried about the funding and provision for the vast silent suffering sub class in Society of developing children/teenagers/young adults with serious learning disabilites.Funding and provision under Labour is very very difficult. “Under” or rather the new expression “With” the Conservatives, would it be better. If not, would we have to suffer waiting 5 years before we could get another change of leadership to fulfill the same old expectations.Such is the paradox of democracy-we lose it as soon as we have voted.
dickie

Comment by GAZVANI on August 13, 2009 at 11:09 pm

Dear David,
I came to the UK twenty years ago to work in the NHS as I thought it was the most ideal system. I am now a consultant in a teaching hospital and have been watching the NHS crumble in front of my eyes. Unfortunately Labour party’s policies made it a system full of administration. It spends more time and money on formalities and meetings than patient care.
I hope we can change the NHS back to its former glory.
Best wishes

Comment by Janet on August 13, 2009 at 11:17 pm

Investigate DNA appointments. Do something about it please.
Make sure medical secretaries have a qualification in the same way that legal secretaries do.
Investigate tertiary systems of appointments in hospitals and gather statistics of existing patients to confirm they have not been turned away.
Place a PALS Administration in the Areas so that Managers dont overstep authority.
Otherwise, we are all proud of our NHS but it needs a clean bill of health

Comment by No Display Name on August 13, 2009 at 11:18 pm

I agree we should be proud of the NHS and abide by its founding principles but we shouldnt be afraid to bring it up to date and reform it where necessary, making changes that are good for the patients,the staff but also that give good value to those people who also make it possible the taxpayers of this country.

Comment by Allan Bean on August 13, 2009 at 11:21 pm

Apart from a few annoying incidents, the experiences I and my family have had with the NHS have varied from good to excellent.

However, I do believe that this is in spite of the Government’s efforts rather than because of them, and can be attributed mainly to the extremely dedicated NHS frontline medical staff.

The red tape, bureaucracy, unhelpful targets, and waste of resources need to end.

David, can you and your party achieve this? I certainly hope so because I, and millions of others, will be relying on you to do so after the next election.

Comment by Peter D. Wilson on August 13, 2009 at 11:22 pm

Yes, we need the NHS but I’m not convinced that it need be so expensive. How much could be saved by confining free treatment to genuine illness or injury? Options such as fertility treatment or plastic surgery (beyond reconstruction) are a luxury that I suggest we should not be expected to subsidise.

Comment by davecoledotorg on August 13, 2009 at 11:40 pm

In that case, would you distance yourself and the Conservative Party from comments made by Dan Hannan in this clip and other places?

Comment by sarbuthn on August 14, 2009 at 12:04 am

“So yes, we will spend more on the NHS”. Realy? Why ? Is it such a transgression to suggest that a bloated state requires a “head and shoulders”? DC stand up and be counted.

Comment by Mark Johnson on August 14, 2009 at 12:23 am

I wish you wouldn’t play popularism and demonstrate some principals. I personnally believe the NHS has blown billions of pounds with inadequate improvement as middle and senior management combined with excessive GP and consultant pay, suck up the easy money that was going. in the same way you should show pride pride for the hard work, you should express shame at the GP’s, Practice Managers, Administrators and Consultants, who have moved themselves up in terms of their financial ‘richness’. Whilst doing this, in the long-term (just like the bankers, our politcians and our financiers) they have lowered their standing as viewed by society in the long term.

Expenditure on drugs is just uncontrolled. Pharmacuticals are the new banking system – it’s so obvious but money flows like rain.

I encourage you to raise your principals, not your popularity, Mr Cameron.

Mark Johnson.

Comment by Michael Corby on August 14, 2009 at 12:29 am

Dear David

Hope you have had a good hol.

Yes we do have to conserve the health service. It has many merits, and should generally be free at point of delivery.

I welcomed your comments on treatment of the elderly at last conference. This is a major issue which needs addressing.- my 101 year old mother was fine until she went into hospital for a minor accident. About two months later she died form multiple infections.

When she went in she was walking, talking coherently and fully continent, and living life to the full – she went to Glyndbourne a few weeks before, and walked to the polling station to vote for Boris.

She was also writing a book!

When she was sent home there was no care plan, the local doctor was not informed, and no arrangements were made. She was dumped on us and abandoned.

She was doubly incontinent, unable to walk, and incoherent.

When I got the district nurses involved they, and the local carers were first class.

Hitherto the service to my mother had been good. A cataract operation done quickly and well and good care for deafness. But, at the last it all went wrong.

The essential problem is that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, and, the lack of a clear chain of command. There was nobody seemingly in control of the ward, and a large number of temps. And everyone was “passing the buck.”

It is part of your “broken society” the elderly are not regarded as “national treasurers” but are patronised, and neglected.

I apologise for a lengthy comment, but could not make it shorter, and this is, I suggest, a very big issue – most of us will be old one day.

With very best wishes

Yours sincerely

Michael E Corby

Hon VP Dulwich & West Norwood

Comment by Mark Curry on August 14, 2009 at 12:38 am

I have this evening received your email saying how proud you are of the NHS.

This seems like damage limitation exercise to me following the enormous backlash from the British public to the lies and half-truths being told about our NHS by sections of the US media and by Republican politicians and their supporters.

The Conservative party are ideological bedfellows to the US Republican Party – that is well-established.

Do tell me -who is this Daniel Hannan MEP guy? A maverick lone eccentric voice?

No Daniel Hannan MEP is a key member of the Conservative Party high-command – part of the new look Conservative Party. One of the Tory’s leading lights in Eirope.

Here he is on Fox News slamming and denigrating our NHS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wcWlHTRcTE

Once again it is clear that the NHS is NOT SAFE in your hands – you don’t like it, you won’t fund it and as soon as you have the chance you will do your level best to dismantle it and put it into the hands of the same people who run the healthcare system in the USA – people that Daniel Hannan MEP for the Conservative Party thinks would run our health system better.

You can fool some of the people some of the time – but now the British people can see your true colours about what you will do to our NHS…

Comment by Tom on August 14, 2009 at 12:57 am

Of course we are proud of the NHS as a Healthcare provider but as an ‘efficient’ spender of money, it is a disgrace. It is run by ‘quango’ Boards that possess no comparison to commercial counterparts. There’a a myriad of ‘secret’ deals such as the Taxpayer funding of GP surgeries with the GPs walking away with 100% of the sale value and nothing back to the Taxpayer. GP funding lacks proper supervision and detail. I estimate there to be £1bn wasted funding in this area. What you gonna do, David? Talk or act???

Comment by disgruntled expat on August 14, 2009 at 1:53 am

David, I just wrote something highly supportive about you to be published soon in a new book and may need to edit it, having read your blog today.

How can you say Britons are “proud” of a system that is statistically one of the worst in Europe? Where hospital infection rates e.g. MRSA are off the top of the charts? Where cancer survival rates are dismal? Where taxpayers are forced to fund medical care for thousands of illegal immigrants?

Having experienced the NHS as both a patient and a service provider, I have been appalled from both angles. I was very glad that I had private health insurance when I had several major surgeries in two NHS hospitals, because I saw the NHS wards and they were a frightening sight. These were in two London national referral centres. I shudder to think what NHS wards are like in smaller cities.

Comment by Doug Staples on August 14, 2009 at 2:27 am

It’s almost politically incorrect to criticise the NHS, – but the bottom line is that in the 60 years it has been in place, it has been abused and undermined by sequential governments, – by those who really should not benefit from it, and by those who have used it to further political rather than medical objectives.
I believe that ONLY those who contribute should benefit, I believe that the NHS cannot do everything, and that we the public must accept that.
The NHS is simply a medical insurance policy, and just like any insurance policy, it CANNOT cover everyone and everything.
We should re-define what we expect from the NHS, – we should re-define who gets service, and we should stop simply shoving loads of money into a broken and worn out machine.

Comment by dasmon777 on August 14, 2009 at 6:58 am

I doubt you even read these comments…but, David. Right now the electorate are so angry at politicians they are looking for something different. The one thing that could separate your party from the odious labour is honesty. End spin completely.
We KNOW the NHS in principle is good, but we also KNOW that the NHS is letting is down in oh so many ways.

Dans attack was about the sludge like administration, quangos and bureaucracy that entomb a 60 year old institiution.

Why not be ‘honest’ and say it is important for representatives of the poeple (i.e.other politicians) to have views that represent their communities, what we the conservatives are doing is having a party line that absorbs those views (i.e. Dan hannan (who is right by the way)) and uses those arguments to improve things further.

That attitude carries A LOT more weight with the voters.

Comment by Digger49 on August 14, 2009 at 7:03 am

David, you are easily pleased, in my view the NHS is NOT fit for purpose, my repeat prescription is often wrong, I was referred to a hospital specialist in 2005 and have never been seen. My gp has advised that there is still a long wait and has now cancelled the request and referred me elsewhere

Comment by Marsden on August 14, 2009 at 7:56 am

I have personally received excellent care in hospital, but after care is virtually non existent. I have experienced the French Health service, and there is no comparison. Unless you compare both you have no right to praise the NHS which is of a low standard. A bureacratic system, inefficient, and poor in too many cases from doctors to consultants.

Comment by Jason (London) on August 14, 2009 at 8:03 am

Well said David. Lets also remember that any insult to the NHS is an insult to those extremely hardworking and dedicated people on the front line of the NHS. I have lived in Italy for many years and although they have a fantastic health system (But very expensive) it does not come near the NHS as I found out recently when I returned to the UK and needed a hospital appointment. the “grass is always greener” concept is at play here but I can assure all those that have made negative comments about the NHS on this blog that if it didn’t exist, and we had a US style system, you would be arguing the other way! Long may it last but always strive to be more efficient and customer focused.

Comment by hairyj on August 14, 2009 at 8:20 am

Ten years ago I had to have my left leg amputated as a result of contracting a bacterial infection. I was taken to my local hospital where I had to wait for over 10 hours, in a great deal of pain, before being shipped off to the Gloucester Royal Infirmary, still waiting for a diagnosis. The amputation could have been averted if the infection had been diagnosed a lot quicker.
Ten years on I am still battling the bureaucracy in the NHS which states that I cannot put a privately purchased foot onto a NHS supplied prosthetic limb to improve my life and health.
The current view of the NHS needs to change bearing in mind the pressure on public services over the next 5 years. We need to allow people who have the means and are willing to pay for something that will ease the burden on the NHS and improve the individuals health and I sincerely hope that when you form the next government is something you address quickly.

Comment by Citizen Direct on August 14, 2009 at 8:56 am

Daniel Hannan’s comments in America are a disgrace to this country, I don’t expect to see elected British politicians running us down abroad. This is damaging to the Conservative party. While Mr Hannon has very interesting things to say about direct democracy, he completely negates them, by attacking the *principle* of the NHS. No one will argue that the management and organisation of the NHS can be improved significantly, but there is very little support in Britain for dismantling it.

Comment by Allen Keyte on August 14, 2009 at 9:15 am

I support the NHS and have personally experienced services over the last 3 years. The services and consultants range from excellent to poor/rude. Cleanliness and organisation are generally very poor. The NHS does NOT need more money thrown at it but rather an overhaul. And get rid of targets which totally distort everything.
IDEA: Set up a forum on this site of ideas for improvement

Comment by Peter on August 14, 2009 at 9:21 am

I am all for spending money on the NHS but lets get rid of the waste i.e. the over burden of management. It seems to operate with too many chiefs and not enough indians and billions of pounds spent on a computer system that is not even working. There seems to be an attitude of a bottomless pot of money with no one accountable and a couldn’t care less attitude as it “is only taxpayers money” GET THIS SORTED AND THE NHS WILL RUN PROPERLY. STOP THROWING MONEY AT IT.

Comment by Freeman on August 14, 2009 at 9:29 am

I agree it is the organisation of the NHS that needs reviewing. My extensive experience of the NHS has been of a remarkable organisation staffed by dedicated and caring individuals.

The problems people seemed to have experienced do not seem to be down to the NHS per se but to individual mistakes that are seen all over the world. As it happens I have been involved in a debate online this week regarding the US system of healthcare which has more shortcomings than ever I hear about the NHS.

Don’t think other systems are perfect. We ARE right to be proud of the NHS.

Comment by Dave Rodwell on August 14, 2009 at 9:34 am

THe BBC is once again is carrying out a witch hunt against the Conservatives. Hannan, Duncan etc, all discussed on Radio 4 this morning in another Labour PPB!

Comment by Dee on August 14, 2009 at 9:34 am

Of course we are proud of the NHS, because the front line workers are constantly trying to do a job within healthcare that management teams want to change and review. If the NHS is so wonderful, then why has Lord Darzi and Dr William Moyles decided to leave. Why have the Parliamentary Select Committee reported on their concerns re patient safety and why is your Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley calling for a public enquiry ‘again!’ into failures of care at Mid Staffs.

As previous blogger Gazini commented “I came to the UK twenty years ago to work in the NHS as I thought it was the most ideal system. I am now a consultant in a teaching hospital and have been watching the NHS crumble in front of my eyes. Unfortunately Labour party’s policies made it a system full of administration. It spends more time and money on formalities and meetings than patient care.
I hope we can change the NHS back to its former glory.”

Yes, the NHS is a wonderful concept and works very well for the world’s third largest employer….but money is being poured in at a rate where we rarely hear it ever hit the bottom….too many management consultants and interim CEOs seeking to climb the ladder rather than deliver the care.
Seeking to learn lessons ishould also be seen as a strength and its that, that is not happening as often as it should……
I think the NHS is wonderful as it saved my life…but a teaching consultant also misdiagnosed me by ignoring his diligent pathologists scientific and choosing to rely instead an his impression of class and race…..and what affects them!I almost died, this led to severe mental health problems for my youngest son and he was ‘found’ fatally wounded in hospital, …this case is ongoing some four years later! The CEO of the Trust has stepped down in advance of publication of a Healthcare Commission Investigation Report http://www.cqc.org.uk (which my family have worked tirelessly to see published!) The CEO now has another public job at NHS London. My elderly father was diagnosed with cancer and died just two days later….in hospuital almost alone and my sister and I kept him alive long enough for my mother to say Goodbye!
My elderly aunt was sent out of hospital with a fractured hip, only to be taken back in 7 months later for emergency treatement under the Governments 48 hr Emergency Hip replacement target , and whilst the tick box and data may well register ‘successful procedure carried out in less that target time’, this will not I suspect mention the 7 months of pain my aunt endured at home.
I do think the front line staff at the NHS are wonderful and must be allowed to deliver their expertise without constant need by some managemnt teams to have policy review after policy review justified as jobs within healthcare.
I care about the NHS which is why I have remianed within the NHS Complaints system for four years now. I intend to now explore the new ‘streamlined’ Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman system (given that the Healthcare Commission not longer exists for us…..and were we ever consulted on its closure?) and see if resolution can be found.
The way I see things is: if regulation is not enforceable then we must question its need. A complaints system must be about resolving the complaint and not justifiying the job! Healthcare must be about treating ill people whether in mind, body or soul. Its no good spending zillions on obesity publicity and yet allowing half the world to starve! Questionable priorities should be the focus now. Walk the talk time has arrived!

Comment by Michael Willis on August 14, 2009 at 9:45 am

What can I say but agree with David 100%.
18 months ago I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and since then have been in and out of the Churchill Hospital in Oxford almost on a monthly basis. Contrary to what I have been indoctrinated to expect I have found the Hospital and everyone who works there to be fantastic. I cannot speak too highly about them. I have also had treatment at the Nuffield Hospital and again am not able to find fault. Needless to say my G.P.in Chipping Norton is also brilliant.
I absolutely thank God that if I am going to be ill at least I live in the U.K.

Comment by patrick on August 14, 2009 at 9:47 am

all small groups will be subject to problems if one or more gets a expensive illness perticurly a mental one. so the largest eg NHS has to be best

Comment by stuart k on August 14, 2009 at 9:59 am

It’s always good to reaffirm our commitment to the NHS. But increased spending on frontline services must be funded more by cuts in other areas rather than large increases in taxes. We must not let the public pick up the the bill yet again for Labour’s incompetence and continued over spending.

Comment by Ian Manchester on August 14, 2009 at 10:11 am

otahuhu (13.8.09) displays a lot of common sense.Thanks to reciprocal arrangements with E.U. Nations, our citizens are entitled to health care when travelling in the EU just as theirs are here. Our problem is that of ‘Health Tourists’ from Commonwealth and/ or ANC countries who fly in with the sole objective of receiving NHS care to which they have not contributed a penny. Obviously the NHS will supply treatment on ethical grounds but these people should not be here anyway. Start charging the airlines who fly them in for the full cost of treatment and maybe the flood would be reduced to a trickle.

Comment by Jonte on August 14, 2009 at 10:13 am

I am sure each week you and your advisers rack your brains searching for subjects for the Blue Blog. Well, this week you have definitely got the attention of your readers and having read all the comments so far I have to admit to being absolutely delighted at the response of Conservatives who in the main don’t want more money thrown at the health service, in fact, most seem to be calling for less expenditure whilst providing more services. In other words value for money.

The NHS is a touchy subject – it borders on the sacrosanct. Please don’t fall into the hole which the master of the trough dug for himself, which is to use the Health Service as little more than a springboard for the launching of his Bull SH one T . It fools nobody and as most of us have reason to be grateful to the NHS and we don’t want it abused in this way.

A lot needs to be done to improve the services of the NHS and it probably is true to say that stopping the chronic waste would be a good place to start.

Good luck with this task. Get it right and the rewards are great for everyone.

Comment by Michael Meredith on August 14, 2009 at 10:17 am

David and the Team: I am the Hon Sec at Caerphilly Association and we have for some time been debating NHS issues. We have concluded that it is desirable to move the NHS from a re-active orgaisation to a Pro-active organisation over say the next 10 years. This would entail screening for prevention on a large scale, that yes would cost money in the short-term but would show real benefits not only in cost savings in the long-term. The population would ultimately be healthier. We have also concluded that the NHS was established to deal with ‘accidents’ (unfortunate accidents, contraction of disease etc) and not treat those self-inflicted accidents that occure when the likes of people climbing mountains with the wrong or inadequate equipment or cyclists without helmets require treatement. The same would go for smokers; for decades now the warnings have been blatant and no-one can say they are not aware the ‘smoking kills’, thus from a declared date, we suggest that NHS will NOT treat smoking related ailments without charge. Such current abuse of the system by those who don’t care is prejudiced against those deserving cases who need NHS support and cannot receive it in time or at a quality level deserved because of the obvious deflection of resourses to these selfish people who self-inflict injury upon themselves without a care for the society to which they belong. The abuse of NHS must stop and thus the NHS can focus resourses more positively. I would be grateful to receive ANY comments against these proposals and will be happy to reply to all, good or bad. Thank you.

Comment by Graham Funnell on August 14, 2009 at 10:17 am

Judged by some of the anxious tone of some comments already received from clear non-Conservatives this is a well judged piece. In developing strategies to make good on the policy the party needs to face into some difficult issues. Amongst these is that privatisation is not a panecea for all ills. Some mundane yet essential tasks, such as ward cleaning, may be better carried out by in-house staff than left to the private sector whose main prioirty must be to turn in a profit. The financial benefits from outsourcing, often recommended by consultants with a vested interest, are often vastly over stated and difficult to track.

Comment by Rose on August 14, 2009 at 10:24 am

I agree in principle of a healthcare system that is free to those that need it. But this response to the American view of the NHS is simply about scoring political points.

I believe that a Conservative leader should face up to the realities of a healthcare system that is bureaucratic, wastes money and is GP-focussed rather than patient focus. It is time for a strong leader to stand up and say that it is not working. We should be looking at a radical overview of the NHS and exploring the options of how to change it. Germany, France and Spain have excellent healthcare. Shouldn’t we be looking at how they fund their healthcare?

My experience of the NHS has been dismal. It has failed my grandma, my husband and myself. So, no, I don’t love the NHS and I don’t support it. I want to see radical changes and an honest debate in the Conservative Party.

Comment by Clive Pinder on August 14, 2009 at 10:49 am

What is fundamentally dishonest about this whole debate on all sides of the political spectrum is that nobody in the UK talks about cost, and the trade-offs that have to be made if the NHS is to remain viable. Unless we take an open checque book approach, the NHS cannot pay for everything. Given a finite budget, not withstanding the fact that every organisation can be made more efficient and productive, rationing decisions will have to be made. For example, at what age does it make actuarial sense to offer free breast or prostate cancer screens? Should elective caeserians be covered?
Defending the NHS is admirable, but the best defense will be honesty with Residents & clinicians alike about what is affordable and what role individuals have to play in helping manage costs of their own healthcare if the NHS is to remain viable.

Comment by No Display Name on August 14, 2009 at 11:35 am

The NHS is a sacred cow that nobody in government or aspire to be in government dare condemn for fear of the huge backlash from people, many of whom know no better.

Take a look at some of those Twitter comments: “I would be dead now if it wasn’t for the NHS”. Of course I nothing about the personal circumstances of the person who wrote that. But more to the point, neither does anyone else. Why would they have been dead? My contention is that if we had a healthcare system as good as many of those I have seen in Europe, many people who ARE dead would have had a good chance of being alive a lot longer.

What’s all this “Free at the point of access” about? As opposed to what? How many health systems actually charge you as you walk through the door? The truth is it is no more free than anything else. We actually pay in advance! But it doesn’t stop there – we pay more than £7 for each prescription, We pay for dental care and we pay for eye care and foot care.

In other countries, people pay for health care from their salaries through either state-sponsored schemes or through private schemes. In many cases they cost less money and generally they get far better service. Provisions are made for the unemployed and poorest members of society, but they get seen quicker. In Germany, they can just walk in off the street to see a specialist in much the same way as we go to see our GP. It is still free at the point of access, you only have to wait an hour instead of weeks.

How people can claim ours is the best health service in the world is beyond me. Why don’t they have a look at other models before making such ludicrous claims?

Comment by Microbe on August 14, 2009 at 12:07 pm

Earth, Air, Fire, Water and The NHS are the five ‘God Given Elements’ we all have a right without equivocation to understand and own! The NHS has to work ethically. Don’t turn ‘God’s Gift’ into yet another profiteering insurance hike.

Comment by Hickrs on August 14, 2009 at 12:24 pm

Yup, the NHS is good but it could be better. We have to rely on the Conservatives to sort it out, this lot thats in government now really have no idea.
Curreently the NHS suffers from an over bureaucratic system, PCT halved in numbers doubled in cost! Doctors working a 4 day week with £100k + salary (judge what your Dr earns by the car he had and the car he drives now) NHS Dentist, do they exist? Managers does it really need the numbers that have been created?Nurse’s very precious and very well paid, but do half the work load that the nurse in the past did.
What about Front line service, almost non existant.
All Labour has done is throw money at the NHS and allowed it to grow like topsy with fancy salaries to go with what ever job title an idividual could invent.
Sort it out we, the electrate and tax payer deserve better.
I frequently hear down the pub,”What would Mr. Churchill say, and Mr Atlee must be reolving in his grave”.
It could be a fine system to look after the nations health, but it is choking to death.

Comment by Jaypee on August 14, 2009 at 12:29 pm

Whilst the NHS is working well it could work better if it (a) removed a layer of management and (b) was not subjected to targets. A couple of years ago I had to have an ultrasound scan of my stomach at Broomfield Hospital and was given an appointment for 15:00 and duly attended about 10 minutes before the allotted time to find the waiting area packed to capacity. I had the procedure at approximately a quarter to five and was ushered in to see the specialist at about ten past five. The specialist apologised for the delay and told me he had no control on the organisation of the appointment system which calls four or five patients for each slot in the session. I have no complaints about the medical staff at Broomfield Hospital but the management, driven by the governments insistence on achieving targets, sadly let the medical personnel down.

I personally would not include many of the non-essential services provided, e.g. IVF treatment, plastic surgery for social reasons, etc., in the remit of the NHS.

Comment by tardisineurope on August 14, 2009 at 12:47 pm

You are right the NHS is a good service. Unfortunately abused by most and not used enough by people with the real need. It’s a standards thing! So, Please tell me why I have had an appointment assumptively made for me to give my blood and urine to the UK Biobank a £62million set up by various bodies including the NHS but also the Scottish Parliament and The Wellcome Trust. I have researched the latter and am very concerned that it’s non Executive board is riddled with Labour peers and cronies and failed chief executives from industry and banking. Why should I sign over the immortality of my cells for the changing ethics of a suspect body that has created jobs only in Scotland, the North east and Manchester? I fully understand our need for genetic research but they won’t get mine unless I am sure of the government and until a general election that will be never!

Comment by No Display Name on August 14, 2009 at 12:56 pm

As a public Governor for an NHS Foundation Trust hospital (Burton), I think that I have a very good insight to how the NHS is working. I am confident that in our catchment the NHS works very well. Furthermore, having lived on the Continent for over 25 years where I have had experience of their healthcare systems, I can say that in comparison, the NHS is good on the whole. But there are significant areas of the NHS where things are not good, such as Stafford Hospital that is not far away, and I wish the new management team there, all success in turning that hospital around.

Where there is a problem with the NHS is in the coordination of GP communications with the acute hospitals, where time is often lost and lives put at risk

Comment by Helen on August 14, 2009 at 1:07 pm

Sadly the NHS is NOT healthy. It should and deserves to be second to none. This has been destroyed due to the last few years of Labour meddling – if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it!

Comment by tynygongl on August 14, 2009 at 1:08 pm

Well said David,

It will be a Herculean task cleaning up after “NEW” Labour.

It could be compared to cleaning out the Augean Stables.

Good luck – it will not be easy keeping a fickle electorate on your side.

Comment by from the horses mouth on August 14, 2009 at 1:11 pm

David.
Most of us are heartily sick of the constant bun fight between parties and that no-one is allowed an opinion of his or her own. We need to see you taking us towards honest policies that are for the good of the country not more party political spin

Comment by Geordie Boy on August 14, 2009 at 2:02 pm

My wife joined at 40 plus, project 2000 for nurses, loves her job.
There are always distractors mostly one bad egg in the midst of millions who have a good response, including the many times I have been to see my consultants, 99.9% never an issue. Support the NHS, at least you do not need to get the card out as in USA, maybe all these Americans who have to use ours should pay?
This MEP should be drawn over hot very hot on fire coals. Idiot.
Lastly the NHS does have a problem – too many CHIEFS and they will not change – bit like Quangos – Power to the real staff who plod on trying hard to be as helpfull as possible, well 99.9%.
DO remember they do not always know how to fix you, no magic pills for everything.

Comment by Tim Dean on August 14, 2009 at 2:10 pm

Dear Mr Cameron
Thank you for your email. I don’t necessarily agree with you concerning the NHS in its present form. I do agree that health care must be free at the point of delivery to all and of a universal standard but that does not happen today and the Service needs reform. Reform might mean part return to former principles lost over the years in pursuit of one socialist ideal or another to the detriment of efficiency, cost effectiveness, discipline and cleanliness. In part, reform might mean adopting sound practices borrowed from the commercial world. Simply spending more money on this Service, which has already received proportionately larger sums since New Labour came to power than before, without a complete overhaul will be a disservice to the Taxpayer, simply underpin the status quo and will serve only to broaden your “New Conservative” appeal to the floating electorate. And that, of course, is, very obviously, your game.

I, and many others, would wish you had the courage to stand upon solid policies of principle. My guess would be that the Party would, in fact, enjoy a huge welcome for a head-on , no-holds barred manifesto expressing positive policies on the major issues of our time: The economy, health and education, justice and law enforcement (a major issue in dire need of reform), defence, with defence of our vital interests being our focus, Europe – in or out and thereafter to be solid behind whichever decision, the constitutional relationship between the constituent parts of the UK and, perhaps, the Republic of Ireland, maybe in a federal arrangement to maintain cohesiveness, and to include settling the make-up and remit of the Lords.

The Party has my vote, by default, but I am quite sure that there are many thinking like me, not necessarily Conservative voters, who may thwart the predictions of the pollsters at the next election if you take it for granted that you can emulate New Labour and trip along the middle of the road into power. Power for power’s sake is not the path for a proud party, is it?

Kind regards

Tim Dean

Comment by Brook on August 14, 2009 at 2:47 pm

I think Dan Hannan should be sacked for being so disloyal to the NHS. HIs comments about our country on American TV are completely out of order. What happened to loyalty to Queen and country?

Comment by MickeyP on August 14, 2009 at 3:03 pm

I’m interested to hear the comments of Mr Hannan. I have spent the last 7 months touring the US and have to say that the country is in desperate need of Healthcare reform. We met many people and discussed healthcare. Most wanted change, though were worried about the cost. But many admitted that they were struggling to afford the ‘care’ they already received. I say ‘care’ because we met many people who had health insurance but still had to pay to see their doctor. We even met someone who was forced to pay $1,500 for a scan that never actually took place! In my view the US system is both uncivilised and un-Christian. In a country that claims to be religious where are the Good Samaritans amongst them? I have no problems with paying a tax for healthcare so that others may use it, as I know I will get the benefits as well. I believe that Health care run for profit is immoral, why should people be making money out of the suffering of others? Also how fair is it for someone to pay into a system for 30 odd years, then lose their job and find out their health coverage is gone?!
We all know that the NHS is not perfect. Like all institutions it needs reform. It doesn’t need more money, the money it has needs to be spent better. We all know of bad stories about the NHS, but to privatise it won’t mean that bad things won’t happen. AS we have seen with the banking crisis, markets have flaws.
I’ve also heard many good stories about the NHS and if/when I need specialist treatment I hope the professionals will provide it, instead of rummaging through my wallet to see if I can afford it!
I also agree that this is giving a weakened Labour Government a chance to attack the Tories. Our country needs change and all this is doing is making the Conservatives look like the nasty party again. The ‘News’ stations in America can be quite vile, with it being more about the presenter than the news. It is scary that the best source of news can come from a programme like ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’!
The NHS has flaws, all systems do. But I for one would take a flawed universal system over an overpriced and poorly covered system like in the US.

Comment by Colin Duggan on August 14, 2009 at 3:12 pm

It is heartening to know that our precious NHS Service will be receiving the support from Westminster that it has sadly lacked for far too many years, I find it extremely irksome to keep on hearing that patient care in our European neighbours of Germany and France is far superior to our own, particularly in life-threatening illnesses.
Having spent 40 years of my working life in IT and entirely in the private sector, where every penny has to be justified and every system has to be delivered in time and in working order, I cannot believe the £billions that have been allowed to be wasted by the NHS in the past through inept/negligent management. The chosen suppliers of these systems have been allowed to ‘print money’ whilst failing to deliver time and again. Had a fraction of this money been spent on proper patient care the NHS would not be in the less-than-satisfactory state we find it in at the present time.
PLEASE,PLEASE Mr Cameron, don’t let this happen again.

Blue forever,

Colin Duggan

Comment by Display name on August 14, 2009 at 4:38 pm

Well said David, we do support the NHS and its record , however that does not mean it needs some reform, such as focusing upon services to patients (see them as customers/service users) rather than managers and officials. Labour has wasted so much money on health plans that fail to deliver, both inside and outside the NHS( witness the 345 million pounds on helping people get fit, and now another gimmick costing 70 million to get the nation dancing.

Comment by Geoff on August 14, 2009 at 5:43 pm

I support the NHS also but that doesn’t mean that there should not be an open debate & radical scrutiny of how efficient this vast organisation is, an organisation the funding of which has increased dramatically over the last few years. Taxpayers are entitled to expect value for money & there is no reason why the NHS should be protected as a “sacred cow”. The knee-jerk reactions of both Conservative & Labour politicians to any criticism of the NHS does not help & stifles debate and consideration of radical alternatives. At some stage there will have to be a check on spending on the NHS if taxes/debt are not to rise to even higher levels & I would argue, especially with British service personnel being killed or wounded on a weekly basis, that adequate funding for Defence should be every bit as high a priority as the NHS.

Comment by Bobishrink on August 14, 2009 at 6:09 pm

I’ll keep this short.

As a retired shrink, I can say with confidence that there is no way in which the US “system” (in fact, there is no system, merely a lottery) could begin to approach our standards for managing the mentally disordered.

Our approach is less than perfect, and there are chasms of deprivation and need, but our NHS patients DO get expensive drugs if they are needed and, hopefully, a Conservative Government will adopt a realistic view on “talking therapies”

More generally, the sacred cow of “choice” has to be balanced against resources, and we need to distinguish between “need” and “desire”.

These decisions will, in my opinion, be made much easier if the tiers of “management drones” are removed, and all the expenditure that accompanies them, to a level which is both necessary and sufficient; at the moment these tiers are excessive.

I have worked my life in the NHS and rejected (at the cost of a marriage) an opportunity to earn megabucks in a safe practice in an affluent part of the USA.

Now I am retired, I can look back and think that I did much more good than ill; had I deserted ship, I doubt if I would feel so comfortable…..

Comment by penumbramoon on August 14, 2009 at 6:33 pm

So Daniel Hannan has no faith in the NHS and is prepared to stand up and say so. Did he tell his constituents his views on the NHS before being elected? If his opinions are not in line with Tory party policy then he should do the honourable thing and stand down and seek re-election. But we all know he hasn’t the balls to do that. Perhaps he should ask the NHS to find a pair for him.
Just sack him Mr. Cameron.

Regards – Steve

Comment by Chatsworth buccaneer on August 14, 2009 at 6:45 pm

The first thing you should do about the NHS is reduce spending on the 100 plus PCTs across the country, These people are paper-pushers that do not even need the skills or knowledge to administer a plaster.

Comment by Bobcat on August 14, 2009 at 6:48 pm

I find it hard to agree with all we are saying about the NHS. Why cannot we understand that if we ask those running the NHS to meet targets that is what they will do!! Especially if you pay them to do this.
S0 we have many in the NHS who do just this. But we want them to treat patients to the bests of their ability. Why don’t we ask them to just do that!
I have trained as a GP and worked as a GP. I have worked in private practice abroad in one of the largests practices in the world for 30 years and I have retrained as an NHS consultant and worked for a further 20 years. I do have some idea how things work.
For goodness sake let us in government, encourage those at the coal face to get on with their job and stop interfering. For a start the senior doctors and nurses should be in charge of any managers and not the other way round. There is so much that can be done and nobody is brave enough to begin to do it.

Comment by Elizabeth on August 14, 2009 at 7:35 pm

I run a charity that supports the NHS: we provide free accommodation for the parents of children receiving treatment at the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Sick children receive cutting edge treatment and the NHS does a wonderful job in ensuring that many children are returned to full health.

Yes the NHS does have faults and yes sometimes things do go wrong but if we were starting out again would we have such an excellent system.

In the US they are having a debate about how to improve their health service: they have looked at the Dutch model which is based on an insurance policy.

We do need to constantly remind ourselves of the wastage that occurs but it is vital that the NHS reamins.

Any large company has a top to bottom audit at regular intervals, the NHS should conduct a similar exercise.

Comment by Vicki on August 14, 2009 at 8:42 pm

If it hadn’t been for the NHS I would not be alive today. I had two sessions of menengitis and came close to death. The treatment I received at Southampton General was top class. As a result, however, my balance was affected and I have suffered some major fractures. My local NHS hospital St Richard’s, Chichester looked after me peerfectly. This was following several years treatment for mouth cancer – now cured. My thanks to them all.

Comment by John Andrews on August 14, 2009 at 8:51 pm

Yes we can all adopt postures. I regret the content of Daniel’s interview, it was not as incisive and effective as his interventions on the wasteful EU. However we all know that large organisation develop flab. The NHS has been the object of exceedingly large increases in real spending in GB/TB’s terms and you only need to see some of the job ads to be reminded of the legendary profligacy of the Newt Fancier and some of the other loonier Labour “controlled” LGAs. Yes actually we all love the NHS, we all depend on it vitally for virtually all acute care, and most of us for most other care. It has outcomes less than one would expect from such a really exceptional team of health professionals. A fortunate few enjoy separately paid for medical care for typically non-acute care, and to speed up important and urgent procedures and even to get access to costly drugs. The facts however are that a good well organised Government under a Prime Minister David Cameron will be a better management team than GB/TB, and they will need to reduce wasteful NHS areas in order both to keep to their promises of retaining GB’s spending plans and move to achieving the top outcomes of all the developed countries, currently we’re lagging – except in silly jobs. John

Comment by helygen on August 14, 2009 at 9:04 pm

I think we should beware about being too starry-eyed about the NHS and look to better examples of health care in Europe. When I was an NHS Trust Chairman some years ago there was not the incidence of hospital-acquited infectiions, nor the amount of Clinical Negligence Claims, which could amount to Half a billion pounds in the next few years in Wales alone. In Wales we have an acute shortage of hospital doctors, which is probably due to the total mismanagement of the Government with regard to Junior Doctors, Working Time Directives, etc. Denitistry is in chaos, again thanks to this Government. We have much to be thankful for, but much to aim for, too, and much money to save on inessentials.

Comment by K Seale on August 14, 2009 at 10:30 pm

Furious!! what stupid people ! Daniel Hannon and Roger Helmer British MEP’s. I would be dead without the NHS!! How could MEP’s be so disrespectful to the British people!! Yes, we may have to wait a while for some operations or appointments -but for serious issues – no problem. Do these two silly men use the NHS – i suppose they may be fortunate enough to afford private healthcare. OUt of touch with real people and real lives!

Comment by Judith on August 14, 2009 at 10:36 pm

The NHS is good in parts but some of it is poor. We should support it but it needs radical reform and I hope we are going to do it. The Health Service is to help people who are ill, not to provide everything people desire. We should not be providing cosmetic surgery or IVF on the health service. They are not illnesses.

Comment by libbycatnut on August 15, 2009 at 12:36 am

Seeing all the kerfuffle arising over one person not shackled to a party line made me think, ‘Are Labour so afraid of democracy?’ I like the fact that Conservative MP’s and MEP’s can express an opinion and get something I remember from my past, a good debate going. I like blog, but do feel it’s healthier that we don’t all agree as that’s exactly how we will ensure the future of a healthy Heath Service. Hopefully it won’t be long before all the good thoughts and ideas can be put into action.

Comment by arealconservative on August 15, 2009 at 1:35 am

When I watched Mr Hannan on ‘Question Time’ just before the European elections, he sure scared the hell out of me and I hold a traditional conservative views. I thought I’m a million miles away from this guy’s views and not to mention his very off-putting personality and style. He is definitely different to put it mildly and it now seems a liability to Conservative party ambitions; yet another loose cannon for David Cameron to deal with. The sad thing is, he has also undermined the great work President Barack Obama is trying to do; to give some basic medical care to more than 40 million American people who cannot afford medical insurance.

What Mr Hannan said was music to the Republicans’ ears. The trouble is they will believe Mr Hannan is representative of the British people, which he certainly is not. He represents no one but himself on this one. British MEPs should keep their noses out of US domestic politics and get on with representing the UK in Europe, for which they are paid very well.

Comment by Jonte on August 15, 2009 at 8:55 am

Recession.

Your neighbour loses his job.

Depression.

You lose your job.

Recovery,

Gordon Brown loses his job.

Comment by John on August 15, 2009 at 12:01 pm

Whilst we all might agree with the sentiment we know from personal experience that the only part of the NHS that is effective is that delivered at the front line. The admin part of the NHS is appalling. We have waited nearly 4 weeks to get notified of an appontment that is a further 2 weeks away(QE at Welwyn!)

We should move to something akin the German system with State funded insurance and services delivered through private hospital services. To be phoned 3 weeks after an operation that they want to book us in for the operation we have just had is unnacceptable (the Royal Free in Hampstead!)

Comment by r.b.hill on August 15, 2009 at 12:33 pm

shame that you spend time fighting a storm that somone starts whos not on track with you. nhs was and is brillant idea the only thing is that for too many years its been abused, messed with and allow to be drift into the widnerness. it like the country only hope of survivul is you winning and being brave to make the changes needed to keep it going. the days of free ride is over the days of solme services needing a contribution from us joe public is coming, and those who are unable will be given vouchers to get the treatment they need (how to repay when back on there feet will be needed).services that are cosmetic and non essential should be treated like this david.
strong leadership and firm grip on your mps is needed as victory is there for you so dont let it ebb away.

Comment by SurreyGuy0000 on August 15, 2009 at 12:46 pm

The NHS used to be something that we could be proud of, envey of the world and all that old school stuff. But it is currently suffering from the same problems as the rest of our Public Sector services. It is bloated with useless, jobsworth, management that no one has the courage to get rid of. the staff are not held accountable to anyone except themselves with their blamless culture so eventually they become a law unto themselves. not quite as bad as our Social Services and Local Authorities have become, but still unacceptable.

although i support free healthcare for thsoe that need it, something must be done to completely overhaul the NHS

Comment by Tony Haynes on August 15, 2009 at 1:44 pm

My Wife and I both owe our lives to
the NHS. However,it was very
noticeable in 2008 when my Wife had
major Spinal surgery, that the service was under great strain with a severe
shortage of Nurses. The few present
were run of their feet. Conservatives
promise to sort this out,and yet a Tory
MEP SLAGS OFF the NHS to the
world. Clearly someone does not
believe in Healthcare equality. Tony Haynes.

Comment by TFoot on August 15, 2009 at 2:05 pm

“People still care about the issues they care about” This needs some reworking, methinks.

The sentiment, however, is admirable.

Comment by kevin on August 15, 2009 at 2:08 pm

Dear David,

It’s fine backing the NHS but we must also be open to reforming it. One example must be to charge for drunken and drug induced individuals who take priority over others, especially at weekends!!

Comment by Ben Hudd on August 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm

I feat that the greatest threat to the NHS lies in the possibility of another term of Labour Government. In the current political climate it is a great shame that a few MPs (whether Euro or not) seem intent on undermining the hard work of the many. If this party cannot present a united front and get fully behind the leadership, it doesn’t deserve the privilege of Government. Thinking before speaking is surely the first rule of politics! I am sure that David has more to do than be continually baling out the “idiot fringes”. Get a grip on yourselves or prepare for a hung Parliament or worse!

Comment by AverageJoe on August 15, 2009 at 6:55 pm

Mr.Cameron,
If you truly feel the way you do about the NHS then i’d like to see you in the United States promoting the NHS, stating that the NHS has alot more support from the British public than Mr.Hannan would have the Amercians believe and that although not perfect the NHS is working.
If you were to do these things i would definately be voting for the Conservatives at the next election,if not then obviously you dont stand by your words and i shall not be giving you my vote (i suspect others might feel similar) and trust me when i say actions speak louder than words.

Comment by steve wigzell on August 15, 2009 at 7:11 pm

I’m pleased we have a health service available to all but it is not yet in good enough shape to make me proud of it. The NHS just isn’t patient centric. For example: try getting a GP or dental appointment in the evening, at weekends or at short notice; try getting proper diagnosis involving eg X-ray through an out-of-hospital surgery as is available in some European countries; or helping an aged, infirm relative sort out the logistics of getting to serial appointments involving different departments at the same, distant hospital on different days, when they could all be done on the same day. Casual observation indicates that some NHS staff work really hard, but not all do; and that many of the systems it operates are stiil inefficient by commercial standards. The NHS clearly does lots of valuable work, and many of the people who work in it do fantastic jobs, but let’s not delude ourselves into believing that serves the people brilliantly and is beyond constructive critcism.

Comment by Microbe on August 15, 2009 at 9:48 pm

The ethical NHS model, while a present victim of its own success, has potential to continually serve patients ethically so long as governments recognise the need of all British citizens to free medical help ‘from cradle to grave’. Any future British government must prove any other privatised medical model defunct; as counter-productive toward health of the people. That is; ‘health of ALL the people’ from whatever strata of society that people hail.

Comment by toryboy on August 16, 2009 at 1:25 pm

Daniel Hannan made these remarks on American telivision because dispite the image he may have portrayed on question time during the european elections he knew that it would cause a lot of trouble and because of this Mr cameron should remove the party whip from Mr hannan or throw him out of the party as the MP and now the MEP’s have been taking advantage of him and damaging the party.

Comment by toryboy on August 16, 2009 at 1:32 pm

The NHS is not in perfect health but I would rather have it than the us system any day and when they are attacking it on us television made me sick.

You dont need insurance and it does not treat a certain type or race of person in prefence to others.

Long may the british NHS reighn, thank you Mr Cameron for standing up for it.

Comment by Nicholas Forman Hardy on August 16, 2009 at 5:31 pm

The NHS has had billions thrown at it by Labour with nothing much to show for it.
A lot less bureaucracy, less set political targets and greater efficiency will go a long way to helping the NHS whilst money is tight. There may be a way that those who use the system and could pay something towards their medical treatment which would allow the system to do more for those who can’t afford to pay. We are lucky to have such a system we just need better management of it and less political interference

Comment by Steve Foulds on August 17, 2009 at 8:39 pm

Well done David for speaking out quickly and forcibly on behalf of our admittedly less than perfect, but none the less a national treasure that is the NHS.

What the poorly advised Daniel Hannan thought he was doing is a mystery; but perhaps as recompense, he should volunteer to live in the USA without the benefit of health insurance for a year or two like many, many millions of underprivileged Americans? He may once again wish to appear as a guest ‘expert’ on national TV – However, I suspect his opinions will be somewhat unlike the ones he recently regrettably postulated.

Comment by Catherine Devonport on August 18, 2009 at 8:06 am

What an irresponsible own goal!

For the past 5 years I have worked with huge numbers of NHS teams across England who are working their socks off to improve the services they deliver to patients.
I am a nurse by training and now work helping NHS trusts improve the quality, access and efficiency of their services. I know the politics and the business..

NHS staff know it’s not perfect but they do not need to be offered up for international ridicule.

With more than 1.3 million staff, our NHS is, I believe, the 3rd largest employer in the world.

The headlines from this interview will have diminished them in the eyes of the world.

Comment by snox01 on August 18, 2009 at 8:42 am

I love universal healthcare free at the point of use but I don’t love the NHS. It is in desperate need of reform.

Lets not forget that despite many people being left out of the US system (which is horrible and inhumane) cancer survival rates are lower and the speed of the system is much greater. There are things we can learn from the US system.

We need to reform the NHS due to an aging population and stretched public finances. Lets not miss an opportunity to make the NHS better because we all “love it” so much.

Comment by Beth L Nion on August 18, 2009 at 1:28 pm

“the moment you’re injured or fall ill – no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you’ve got – you know that the NHS will look after you.”

Unless you have dental problems… There are many areas of the country where NHS dentists are an endangered species.
I am fortunate enough to be able to pay for the dental work I’ve needed in the last year or so – and I really pity those who can’t get good treatment.
More support for NHS dentistry please.

Comment by Claire C on August 19, 2009 at 2:41 am

The NHS is good in principle and I think few would disagree. A lot of these comments, however, say the same thing; that the level of bureaucracy is expensively unacceptable and stifling the availability of “front-line” services.

A hospital is not a hotel and I’ve long thought that a nominal charge should be introduced to cover laundry and food, although not for pensioners or people on benefits. Even £1 per night would help the budget and if I was eating 3 meals a day in hospital … I wouldn’t be spending that money on eating at home.

Health tourism should be stopped. Sorry if that sounds harsh. If you have no NHS number and medical records to show that you are resident and entitled to medical treatment in this country, then no treatment. Of course, this would have to be publicised in advance so that people would know… perhaps six months notice to the world at large.

Dentistry on the NHS is a huge problem; we can no longer afford our private dentist and there are none nearby willing to take NHS patients.

Finally, I wish people would not vilify Dan Hannan; he is a good Conservative who would take us out of the corrupt and financially crippling EU; a wonderful orator who cares about Britain.

Comment by Joe Bloggs on August 20, 2009 at 9:42 pm

I wonder how many contributors to this blog have ever received treatment in the USA using private corporate healthcare?

I have lived and worked in the USA as an ex-pat UK citizen and had a minor operation there on my big toe as an out patient (in 1996).

I woke up halfway through the operation in severe pain because I had not been sedated properly and I got a 20% co pay bill of around US $1200 which I challenged as being excessive.

I requested a detailed breakdwown of costings for the operation and I found that I had been charged for things like US $110 for three pairs of disposable surgical gloves, and $25 dollars for a disposable plastic syringe.

After almost a year of wrangling with the healthcare company and amassing a very thick file full of letters and medical documents they gave me US $380 dollars back as an overcharge.

My point is that there are many people preaching on this blog who have no experience of what they are talking about – it is better to get one’s facts right first before writing a load of rubbish.

I have a lot of gripes with the UK NHS system but we should not look starry eyed at the US because although their system is better than our NHS – it has many problems and the costs associated with it are absolutely massive.

Please get your facts right before writing rubbish!

Comment by Ms Public on October 7, 2009 at 12:29 pm

I flew to the states a few months ago because of the same private health issue. Most of my family are Americans and Canadians and I prefer the Canadian/British Free healthcare system. If you want to know what private healthcare is like please watch House or any American medical drama on TV. They will pump you full of drugs for any number of prospective illnesses that they “think” you may have which you will have to pay for and you have to deal with the after effects of all the drugs in your system as a “side effect” of trying to “heal” you. No thank NHS please! Go back to matrons and get rid of all the managers. Hospitals are not a company/business do not run it as such!

Comment by david peacock on December 12, 2009 at 5:34 pm

ensure that evry visitor,tourist has insurance to cover health.
if they arrive in britain without insurance fasilities at port of arrival should be available to purchase this.
if they don’t get insurance entry should be denied.
this action would save the national health system multi millions every year

Comment by Janet on December 16, 2009 at 8:27 am

The NHS is a highly controversial subject.

Can it not be scaled down and run at the local level and instead of the penpushers employed to detract complaints can’t hospitals be run as Sir Lancelot Spratt and Matron Hattie Jacques use to do things.

My father died through lack of care and proper terminal medication. The Labour Goverment Healthcare Commission found that the amount of morphine was ‘low in the circumstances’ but the hospital have never apologised.

In fact they have made things worse by now trying to back track and covering up by sending a letter to David Willetts M.P. Con. where they have listed the time of set up and refill of the morphine drip which do not match what is in the Medical Notes.

JUST WHAT IS GOING ON? CAN’T WE HAVE A DUTY OF CANDOUR? OR HAS THE DUMBING DOWN THAT HAS OCCURRED UNDER THIS LABOUR GOV. JUST MEANT THAT THE NHS IS MANNED BY MINDLESS PEOPLE?

Comment by Marshall Potts on December 22, 2009 at 7:01 am

I have been at the sharp end of services in the NHS both working it it for 15 years and receiving care for my mentally disabled sister.

Let me say that the budget has doubled in the last 10 years but the service has only treated 5% for patients.

We need to be careful when we talk of Efficiency (I remember cash releasing efficiency gains before CREG). Rfficiency is a numerical measure effectiveness is a qualitive if the imbalance is out the NHS will just stand still and spend more while not increasing productivity. We need to look back historically and forward into reality.