Fund the NHS Properly

The NHS has to be funded in a way that allows the organisation to have the capacity to respond to current and future health crises.

The NHS and other essential workers must be treated with respect and given the equipment they need.

I will happily pay extra tax to help fund this vital organisation.

Why the contribution is important

In past years, we have witnessed HIV, swine flu, bird flu, Ebola, Myers, sars...it is reasonable to expect this trend will continue.
As a result of the CV-19 catastrophe we have an opportunity to reconfigure the NHS via adequate funding so that never again will so many people die because of a lack of basic items and the infrastructure to flexibly grow capacity.
Not funding the NHS runs counter to the aim of developing a successful country where all can thrive.

by RuthUnsworthCBT on May 07, 2020 at 09:43PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.6
Based on: 26 votes

Comments

  • Posted by jacq9396 May 07, 2020 at 21:51

    I agree. It would be advantageous to have a long-term supply of PPE, in storage, to deal with future outbreaks.
    I would happily pay NHS workers more of my taxes and have many friends who say the same.
    I understand that budgets are tight but feel their might be a little more tax we could squeeze out of private landlords and high earners to cope with this plan.

  • Posted by AlisonM May 07, 2020 at 22:11

    I agree. We need to vastly enlarge the capacity of the NHS to respond to peak demand. That might mean some medical facilities lying unused for much of the time, and for a reserve list of medical staff who can be called upon if needed. If we have learned anything, it is that the health of us all matters more than any other factor.

  • Posted by Purple23 May 07, 2020 at 23:39

    Agree, very happy to pay more towards the NHS. Private health care should be requisitioned and absorbed into NHS. We need an equitable health service.

  • Posted by MarionY May 08, 2020 at 00:34

    In recent times the government has unlocked its war chest to fund the enormous costs of this virus, proving that the austerity years were a sham. How many of our NHS staff and friends and family need to die before it is accepted that underfunding our NHS does not pay in the longer term.

  • Posted by Mimi May 08, 2020 at 07:43

    I agree. I think if working people are willing to give money to charity, pop stars and film stars who are raising money to help the NHS, why not just pay more taxes instead?

  • Posted by Gordoncowie May 08, 2020 at 08:02

    This pandemic has highlighted the need for us as a caring society to prioritise health and social care I personally would prefer to have a greater proportion of our taxes spent in this area. Recruitment and training of suitabl staff should also receive greater emphasis

  • Posted by alaine May 08, 2020 at 08:05

    Never again should NHS be put at risk by not being adequately supplied with protective equipment and be expected to go to work anyway.

  • Posted by gmosson May 08, 2020 at 08:51

    We are so lucky to have the NHS and must value and protect it in any way we can.

  • Posted by Americanpie May 08, 2020 at 09:06

    This crisis has allowed the weaknesses of our NHS to be exposed. Its not the medical staff. It is the army of admin staff and uncoordinated buying of essential equipment which wastes money. More items should be manufactured in the UK. We must be ready for the next virus from Asia.

  • Posted by scottduncan35 May 08, 2020 at 11:37

    It has been incredibly selfish of the Government to rely so heavily, at such a huge personal cost, on NHS staff whilst stealthily cutting services, underpaying staff and denying the NHS in so many areas. It is a hugely important part of the UK snd something we should all be very proud of. Who will help the medical staff with PTSD?

  • Posted by camomilesunny May 08, 2020 at 21:34

    I agree with this. NHS is great but needs to be better equipped. I think in many respects its capacity doesn't match standards in other European countries, even in those that also have free healthcare with no co-payments.

    Just think of the medical equipment that mattered the most in this pandemic – mechanical ventilators. It was announced at the beginning of this pandemic that the NHS was in possession of 8,175 mechanical ventilators… 8,175 mechanical ventilators for 66mln people in a high-income Western European country. That’s much less not only than in Germany but also less than in other Central European countries that are smaller and less affluent than the UK. For example, Poland with a population of less than 40mln people had around 10,100 mechanical ventilators and Czech Republic with a population of 10mln people (at least 6 times smaller than that of the UK) had 3,600 mechanical ventilators which is nearly half of what the UK had.

    Consider also the ECMO machines which are highly advanced machines are used in the most critical respiratory problems. These machines pump blood from the patient's body to an artificial lung (oxygenator) that adds oxygen to it and removes carbon dioxide. Thus, it replaces the function of the person's own lungs. According to official data, there are 15 ECMO machines in the NHS England… that’s for the population of 56mln people. There are 47 of such machines in Poland which is a less affluent country with a smaller population.

    Hospital beds is another indicator of just how under-equipped the healthcare system in this country is. Here is the OECD data with an easy-to-read chart: https://data.oecd.org/healtheqt/hospital-beds.htm Clearly the UK lags behind not just the most affluent countries in Europe but also behind the less affluent countries like Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary.

    COVID-19 death rates in all those Central European countries are also significantly lower than in the UK although there may be a range of reasons for this other than how equipped their healthcare systems are. For example, in Czech Republic and Poland people are required to wear masks. Both countries are now coming out of lockdown.

    I think this tells a lot about how well the NHS is equipped to face future risk of pandemics. It would be good if it gets funding required to bring it in line with European standards in areas where it does not match those standards (I'm not saying that it lags behind in all aspects).
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