The Shit Hits the Fan

Patients being asked to soil themselves in bed. Excrement all over the floor, bathroom and beds. It was like something from a Romanian orphanage circa 1990. Alas it was worse. Much worse.

This was the British NHS in the 21st century. Even worse than that, if that's possible, was that this was my local hospital. A hospital that I had visited far too often, though thankfully never as a patient. A hospital which three members of my family have worked in or are working in. A hospital that I lived a stone's throw from for six years.

And now here it was, all over the news, the shame of the whole country. The local hospital has a special place in the hearts of the British people. To see it being torn to shreds in the world media is an unusual feeling.

Why did this happen? There has been too much political interference in the NHS.

It is being reformed simply because of political ideology. The NHS was workig perfectly well before the Tories started reforming it in the 1980s. If we are unfortunate enough to fall ill we don't want to choose between a handful of mediocre hospitals. We want to receive immediate first class treatment at our local hospital.

It is continually being restructured, often unnecessarily. Do you know the name of the trusts which run your hospital or provide your GP service?

Too much of the support services, including cleaning, have been privatised through the back door. These private companies charge the NHS billions for their service but then cut corners in the provision of the service, such as providing unskilled untrained staff to carry out very important work.

How did this happen? The NHS is run by unaccountable quangos. They spend over £100 billion of taxpayers money and make decision that affect every single person in this country and yet most people haven't got a clue as to who they are. Can you name a single one of the thousands of NHS trustees?

The solution? Abolish the NHS and replace it with local health services run by democratically accountable councils.