The public health and social care service will be free at the point of use. Fully funded by the state. It will provide health and social care for mind & body, from cradle to grave.
The public health and social care service will replace the NHS. A service mismanaged and riddled with private actors siphoning off patient funds for profit. A service corrosively underfunded for a generation. In fact, we now have a two tier health service, the failing NHS, or private healthcare for those who can afford to queue jump. The social care plan promoted by de Pfeffel Johnson never materialised into anything of use.
The patient must come first.
Quality health and social care delivered in a timely manner is a must no matter where you live in the UK.
Patients before profit
The use of private providers will end as the new service consumes the old NHS, freeing up much needed funds for patient care. A ‘patient first’ philosophy will inform the new long-term workforce plan.
The grim reality is that 14 years of privatising the NHS by stealth and organising primary care around an insurance based funding strategy has caused incalculable harm. Over seven and a half million patients are waiting for hospital treatment for this reason. One in twenty patients had to wait four weeks or more to see a GP in England for this reason. The NHS ARRS (Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme) introduced in 2019 was a means to employ a less skilled workforce to replace GPs, and as such reimbursed primary care networks for new hires of less skilled talent but not for hiring highly skilled GPs, so at the same time GPs are losing employment they are being replaced by inexperienced non-doctors (PAs) who we’ve seen are already killing people.
Doctor or Noctor?
To become a GP: 4-6 year medical degree. 2 years foundation training. 3 year GP specialty training programme. Minimum of 9 years training.
To become a PA: 2 year course, some colleges boast about delivering a 100% pass rate so you can only imagine how challenging it must be. That’s it.
Do you want to see a medical doctor or a non-doctor, a noctor?
Queue jumping is a luxury
Some funding will come from a luxury tax on private healthcare. If you’re willing to pay twice for a service you already paid for through taxes you’ll be happy to pay three times. We will charge a 100% luxury tax on private healthcare.
Care before cash
The UK has had an aging population since the early 70s, so no one can claim they didn’t see the need for care and support for the elderly coming. And just to be clear, as late as 24th July 2019 we had de Pfeffel Johnson on the steps of Downing Street talking about a social care plan that “…. will fix the crisis in social care once and for all…” A “clear plan we have prepared” which nevertheless didn’t materialise until 7th Sep 2021, over two years later. Rather stating the obvious but it didn’t fix the crisis in social care once and for all.
Just like healthcare, social care will put the patient first. No one should have a loved one under care rated ‘requires improvement’, or worse still ‘inadequate’? We will heavily penalise poorly performing care homes driving up quality. Care homes will perform or perish.
Funds for life
More grim reality, even with over 50 years notice that we’d need this care and support it’s not yet in place. 50 years of financing is missing. So, what are we left with but another financial hole to fill. The good news is the people’s bank. The government will need to raise funds, but those taxes can be applied sensibly across lifetimes for the young. As they take up people centred mortgages they’ll have money available which can be taxed and held against future health and social care needs. And for the elderly who until now haven’t been properly taxed to pay for care they’ll be offered equity release on their property at the same people centred interest rate. No one will ever have to leave their home to pay for care.
The policy is a start point that should provide relief and security for all ages because there’s a vision of what’s needed and how to deliver it.
