Keep Our NHS Public’s view
Although it is likely that this consultation is a PR exercise rather than a serious attempt to obtain views from the public that will then inform policy, we encourage members and supporters to respond.
It does not take long to fill in the questionnaire online (about 15 minutes) and some suggested answers are provided below as bullet points.
In responding, feel free to modify or expand these responses or to make alternative points – which increases the chance of your response being read. The deadline is 5pm on Monday 2 December.
Our factsheets may offer other suggestions if you want to personalise your response further.
Read more articles about Labour and the NHS
To fill out the Government consultation ‘Help build a health service fit for the future’, access their website here: https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/projects/start-here
(You can also download the Government provided Word document or pdf from the above link which gives the questions and structure for replying, but these are also set out below. The Word document is easier to use.)
Our Guide for filling out the consultation
You can view/print our page as a pdf here
‘Q1. Best things about the NHS‘
‘Please tell us up to 3 of the best things about the NHS today.’
KONP suggests
• Care is available to all irrespective of ability to pay
• The NHS is publicly provided without reliance on profit-extracting private companies
• The NHS is publicly funded in a fair and efficient way from general taxation
‘Q2. Challenges facing the NHS‘
‘Please tell us up to 3 challenges facing the NHS’
KONP suggests
• Underfunding. There is a striking contrast to other EU countries similar to ours eg if the UK matched per capita annual spend in France, £40bn a year more would be available. In the UK, as the population and medical needs have increased, the real spend per unit of health care demand has fallen. Investment in the NHS by the last Labour government brought down waiting times and increased public satisfaction.
• Understaffing. With over 100,000 vacant posts, retention and recruitment of properly trained and qualified staff (and not less trained, cheaper substitutes such as physician associates (PAs)) are a key priority, including through improving pay and conditions.
• Reversing current privatisation by rolling back outsourcing as promised in the Labour manifesto.
‘Q3. Darzi Report Which, if any, of the following have you personally experienced?’
Tick boxes related to personal experience
‘Q4. Darzi Report Which of these challenges do you think is most important for the 10 year health plan to address?‘
You are asked to select up to 3 options that you feel are most important to address.
SECTION TITLED ‘INTRODUCING THE 3 SHIFTS’ – ‘big changes’ proposed
SHIFT 1: moving more care from hospitals to communities
‘Q5. In what ways, if any, do you think that delivering more care in the community could improve health and care?‘
KONP suggests
• There needs to be significant investment in staff, facilities and equipment without taking money from hard-pressed secondary care.
•This must include investment in social care and the creation of a National Care and Independent Living service.
‘Q6. What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of delivering more care in the community in the future?‘
KONP suggests
• It would be wrong to perceive community care as a cheap option. To be successful it requires a high level of skill, and well-funded teams and resources, with excellent access to GP teams, hospital teams and local authority. Otherwise, there is a risk that the burden of care would be transferred to relatives and unpaid carers, and quality of care would suffer.
SHIFT 2: making better use of technology
‘Q7. In what ways, if any, do you think that technology could be used to improve health and care?‘
KONP suggests
•Technology through medical advances is continually improving health care; but it always requires robust evaluation through clinical trials and pilot studies to establish risks and benefits, and assess overall costs.
‘Q8. What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of increased use of technology in the future?‘
KONP suggests
•There would be a concern if aspects of technology are implemented as a consequence of lobbying from those expecting to profit, before there is an evidence base eg as in fact happened with ‘virtual wards’
• Artificial Intelligence: this has the capacity to expose patients to clinical risk and carries the potential risk for costs to ultimately outweigh the benefits.
• Our personal patient data is also extremely valuable and it is important that we have the final say in how data is used. Our privacy and confidentiality concerns must be fully addressed if trust in the NHS is to be maintained. Patients are generally very opposed to selling or sharing data with for-profit companies.
SHIFT 3: Focusing on preventing sickness not just treating it
‘Q9. In what ways, if any, could an increased focus on prevention help people stay healthy and independent for longer?‘
KONP suggests
• Most illness is related to the social determinants of health so prevention needs to be primarily focused on cross-government strategy to tackle health inequalities: for example, dealing with poverty would reduce ill health and the demand for health care.
• Public health capacity should be rebuilt to provide a lead on public health interventions, health needs assessment and planning with local authorities and national government; and pandemic planning has to be radically strengthened.
‘Q10. What, if anything, concerns you about the idea of an increased focus on prevention in the future?‘
KONP suggests
• That this would involve a narrow focus on individuals rather than the social determinants, for example treating the obese unemployed person with weight loss drugs whilst ignoring issues of poverty and lack of access to healthy food.
Please fill out the rest of the questionnaire according to your experiences
Satisfaction with the NHS
Which services have you engaged with
Personal details, age etc.