Our NHS isn't perfect but ...

[Mallky555]

I work part time for a private company that provide dialysis care. We are a nurse led satellite unit that care for 100+ patients a week that have been sent to us by the local NHS hospital. The company I work for make everything themselves from the machines to the syringes used to provide the care and treatment for dialysis patients. The cost to the NHS is actually less per patient than it is when they treat the patients.
I'm a student nurse now living off a bursary and my part time wage currently on week 6 of a 10 weeks placement there is absolutely no way I would do this if I had to get myself into debt to do it. I just couldn't justify it 🙈

[Universal VR]

There's a lot of talk about increasing NI to pay for the NHS (I'm one that would happily pay more if it was ringfenced). However, I have an issue with the fact that people of state pension age can continue working full time (that's NOT the part I have an issue about) and claim their state pension but stop paying NI. I wrote to my MP to ask what the rationale was behind that. His reply was that it is estimated a person needs 35 years of NI contributions to fund their state pension. If that's the case, it suggests that is solely what NI is for. If, God forbid, it was all private, once you were of an age and drawing your pension, you wouldn't continue to make contributions. You would, however, continue to pay your health insurance. Perhaps those who are drawing their SP but also working FT should pay a reduced amount of NI to cover health care. Realistically, it all goes into one big pot of taxation so little point in increasing NI contributions to pay for NHS, it would soon be swallowed up on other things. Of course, if working FT the state pension is effectively taxable through earnings so those people are paying more but in tax, not NI. My musings anyway..

[ERICSMUM]

I'd be happy to pay more into a ring-fenced NHS budget IF I knew the money was being used in the best possible way. At the moment I'm not convinced.

[bluedave]

Originally Posted by Mallky555

The cost to the NHS is actually less per patient than it is when they treat the patients.

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I use a similar scheme but for arthritis patients. I could not ask for better care in terms of treatment and have never had to wait - everything runs like clockwork.
I have absolutely no problem with private companies when they deliver a better service at a lower cost to the Taxpayer.

Logically this should never happen but... it does

[Talland 2016]

Originally Posted by Loftus

One of the changes I'd like to see is the return of the student nurse bursary in England. Student nurses aren't like other students, when on placement they are part of the workforce so, effectively, making them pay to work is wrong. The dramatic drop in applications for degree courses shows the effect it is having.

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Exactly
I think this was the biggest mistake ever

[fl-veteran]

Originally Posted by Talland 2016

Exactly
I think this was the biggest mistake ever

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This will prove to be a very costly mistake. There will be a nursing shortage, well, I should say the current nursing shortage will get considerably worse... and dealing with that will cost a lot more money.

It's almost unbelievably short-sighted.

[Laura_<3]

Originally Posted by Clare

Here, here. One thing that concerns me is type 1 diabetics like us being without insulin, we all know what will happen to us without insulin. I have a friend in the US who could not afford her insurance deductible and was rationing her insulin, not attending ends visits, etc. She now has irreversible kidney damage.

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My sister and our cousin are both type 1 diabetics. It's scary to think what will happen without insulin