DAILY MAIL COMMENT: NHS needs more than a sticking plaster trends now
At the height of the pandemic, millions stood on their doorsteps to applaud doctors, nurses and other NHS staff who put themselves in harm's way on the frontline.
Yet while admiring the dedication of those health professionals, it is possible to acknowledge the serious failings of the organisation that employs them.
Public satisfaction with the NHS has plunged to its lowest ever level at just 24 per cent, says a survey. But is it any wonder?
Contrary to the myth that the health service offers unparalleled care, the grim truth is that many patients aren't getting the service they need. Some 6.3 million languish on waiting lists. Face-to-face GP appointments are rarer than hens' teeth. How many people will needlessly die?
At the height of the pandemic, millions stood on their doorsteps to applaud doctors, nurses and other NHS staff who put themselves in harm's way on the frontline (Pictured: Staff of the Leeds General Infirmary clap in July 2020)
Public satisfaction with the NHS has plunged to its lowest ever level at just 24 per cent, says a survey. But is it any wonder?
However much the Left moans, this is not about funding. The Tories are shovelling record sums into the behemoth.
Strikes by consultants and junior doctors, many already on enviable pay-and-pension deals, have exacerbated the problems facing patients. On top of that, too much money and time is wasted on bloated bureaucracy, creaking IT systems and wokery.
Despite growing dissatisfaction with the NHS, the public remain stubbornly wedded to its founding principles.
Yet without radical reform, they will never get the five-star service they demand.
A serious debate is needed on how the health service is funded beyond general taxation, and whether more private provision and competition can be introduced.
Patients are surely less concerned about how they get their treatment, as long as it is timely, of a high
