Today I will attempt to address, what in my opinion is a completely unjustified request by GP’s for a pay increase. To offer an alternative medical system, whilst highlighting the failings of NHS. Furthermore, I believe, that the medical professionals in the U.K., are no longer qualified to the high standards they once were, with many of the high calibre professionals I speak of, going abroad for better pay and conditions. I will further interject an observation for you to ponder. Calling for your own opinions in a civil debate.
Before I left the U.K. any visit to the GP, which 99% of the time was for treatment of my children. I found myself researching the advice, diagnosis or medication prescribed. I conducted this online, in order to check the validity of the information or prescribed medication. Which for the most part, the information received from the GP was incorrect or ambiguous. You decide!
I have received information, what in my opinion is unjustified and unacceptable. Gp’s demanding another pay rise, after receiving one in 2022. NHS staff received a £1400 a year pay increase and a further £1655 lump sum pay on the lowest scale and rises up the pay bands. Additionally, GP practices now receive £163.65 per registered patient. This payment is received regardless of whether the patient uses the practice or not.
I would now ask with what, from my understanding is happening in the U.K. such as the tremendous difficulty obtaining an appointments, the ridiculous system employed to make an appointments, or even getting to get to see a GP. I would have to ask, what are GP’s doing with their time? Moreover, where is the justification in a pay rise? Especially, when you take into consideration, what in my opinion are poorly trained doctor’s with little or no respect for the hippocratic oath.
During my early lifetime, the NHS was the pride of the world. Highly trained doctors and consultants of the highest calibre. Harley Street W1 was known the world over. My own GP, as a child on numerous occasions rejected political restrictions in funding, in favour of giving her patients the best possible care and access to consultant care as a matter of urgency, when in the patient’s best interests. In fact this level of patient care, was the norm in the numerous practices where I lived in Bermondsey South London.
For many years I have been a supporter for the abolition of the NHS, which is government run. So like so many public services in the U.K. it is in my opinion financially mismanaged by incompetent politicians. It costs the taxpayers billions, with Trust directors amongst some of the highest paid civil servants. But amongst the lowest service delivery to pay ratio in the civil service.
I believe it would be favourable to introduce a non profit independent organisation to administer healthcare. Currently, for the vast majority of British employee’s, their taxes and national insurance are deducted at source and administered by the now renamed HM Revenue and Customs. Another government run department, that in my opinion are totally incompetent and waste multibillions year on year.
My beliefs regarding the revenue, are based on personal experience, as a business owner. Where at one point my organisation’s taxation liabilities where being handled by 5 different tax offices, as well as Customs dealing with my VAT liability. Furthermore, when needing to inform the revenue of liability changes or challenging mismanagement of my account, I had to inform all 5 offices through correspondence. Unfortunately, this took up so much of my time that could have better served my business, Why? Because none of these offices communicated with each other.
The taxpayers in the U.K. grant the government the authority to act on their behalf when deciding how best to use their taxes. No argument from me here. However, the taxpayers have absolutely no idea, where the money is used and is in their best interests.
So whilst the electorate are told money is being ploughed into the NHS on an unprecedented scale is that true? With my proposal of an independent nonprofit organisation managing healthcare, national insurance contributions could instead be sent directly to the organisation, rather than being collected by the revenue service. Would this be a better idea?
Conversely are the NHS any better? In my opinion no. They waste an incredible amount of money and resources with services and hospitals being cut to the bone. They also believe they have the capacity and authority to make law, they don’t. Only the legislative branch of the government can ratify Acts of parliament. I once again return to the legal system of the U.K. that is underpinned by the rule of law. Whilst the law applies equally to all, another attribute of our wonderful system states: the law will always take precedence.
Over the past 20 years we have seen, the NHS introduce numerous organisational policies, in an attempt to save money. NHS patients encounter these policies on a daily basis. Be it from administration staff at hospitals, receptionists at GP surgeries, Gp’s and consultants, to trust management and even arrangement for transport. Policies to restrict access to appropriate services, due in my opinion, to their financial mismanagement which is never addressed.
But what most of the British population are oblivious to, is the vast majority of these so called policies, conflict with government legislation so renders them unlawful. Furthermore, these policies can be challenged through the courts by the way of judicial review, which I have successfully pursued on a number of occasions. Additionally, all public bodies have a statutory duty of care, but what does that actually mean? From a legal textbook I used at university, the statutory duty of care relationship between the public body and the public is defined as:
“A duty of care refers to the circumstances and relationships giving rise to an obligation upon a public body to take proper care to avoid causing some form of foreseeable harm to the public in all the circumstances of the situation in question”.
So, it is therefore a requirement of U.K. law, that the NHS owe the British public a duty of care. As such, any policy they impose on patient care, requires this duty to be taken into consideration. In order to avoid claims of breach of statutory duty of care and even negligence. Further, claims of financial hardship by the body in question, cannot be used as a defence. Although hardship claims, could be used in certain circumstances as a means of mitigation.
In the past I have come into contact with a number of individuals who have had long term experiences of the NHS. Not one person has a positive thing to say about their experiences. I too am a member of this group. The example I will give surrounds the diagnosis of my son, who suffers a mental disorder known as multiaxialism. A disorder incidentally, the vast majority of mental healthcare professionals in the U.K., deny exists. With one psychologist stating: its existence is impossible.
I’m not going to go into great detail about the disorder, I will leave you to research the topic if you wish to do so. That being said, to obtain a diagnosis under the NHS, we attended appointments, numerous tests, psychological consultations and observation groups. This went on for 10 years, with absolutely no progress ever being made and no diagnosis.
At the age of 16, I removed him from the NHS mental health service and paid for him to have consultations. I contacted a mental health specialist in the U.S. and surprise surprise, he was diagnosed within 3 months.
Through my many conversations and my own experience of the NHS, I am left with no respect, for both the poor quality medical professionals and the organisation as a whole, being thankful I no longer pay taxes in the U.K.
I know that many in the U.K., absolutely love the NHS, especially during the covid crisis. But ask yourself what did they actually do? I genuinely believe these individuals, have not had the long term experience of the many people I have advised, or have had no experience at all.
Their beliefs are obtained from mainstream media propaganda. I invite you to prove me wrong, but make sure you have tangible evidence from homogeneous sources to support your claims. Which disqualifies mainstream media propaganda.
-Gianni