NHS spending cuts - tough times ahead?

NHS Emergency

The Times Online reported last Thursday (11/06) that £500m pounds worth of funding for hospital construction and refurbishment is being withheld. This is thought to be the first major signal of the recession beginning to affect funding into the NHS. Obviously, cuts like these will have a ripple down effect throughout the entire UK health service - from those workers who may possibly lose their jobs or have to relocate to patients who may hav eto wait that littkle bit longer for an operation due to the lack of facilities at thier local hospital. Of course many will begin to turn to the private sector for their treatment, prompting many to ask the question.................

Should the entire UK medical service be privatised?

Well, our honest opinion on this question is that there is a role for both the NHS and private healthcare, Each sector has advantages and disadvantages to the type of care offered. For example, having private health insurance enables you to receive treatment and diagnosis more promptly than the NHS average and you can also arrange treatment in a way that is far more flexible to your requirements. Also, as private healthcare is funded (obviously), these insitiutions have access to the latest medical treatments and equipment. Techniques such as open heart surgery, hip and knee replacements and keyhole surgery have become routine operations in the recent past. Despite increases in investment, the NHS simply does not have the resources to keep up with this phenomenal growth in medical technology, it has so much more to deal with in keeping its hospitals clean that investment in new medical equipment cannot take top priority. Also, staff will have to be trained to a sufficient level to operate this latest equipment.

The NHS still has a place in the UK health landscape. Perhaps it could dovetail slightly more effectively with the private system. The NHS is still by far the best option for providing accident and emergency treatment, and in general the servie provided is superb (considering the pressures involved) - perhaps this is where the future of the NHS lies.