Long waits, cuts and rationing: happy 70th birthday NHS | Zara Aziz It’s getting harder for doctors to provide good care. But the NHS would be lost without the goodwill of those who work there
Our National Health Service was founded on the principles that good healthcare should be available to all – free at the point of delivery. Seventy years on, does this still hold true? It is not uncommon for NHS trusts to run their on-call services (for their urgent work) with insufficient junior and senior staff to the point that it becomes unsafe. Many hospitals spend more than their incomes on treating the rising number of patients. GP surgeries close. Waiting times rise. Patients look for alternatives for which they have to pay, such as online providers or private hospitals.
Long waiting times are a big problem for those in physical or emotional distress. It takes around 20 weeks, if not longer, to see an NHS physiotherapist in our area – patients often have acute pain, loss of function, are off work and losing earnings. They can lose faith altogether and disengage from NHS services, or turn to private healthcare. Sometimes they pay for private physiotherapy, but then they start and stop after one or two sessions when the money runs out. Continue reading... The Guardian
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