If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
One of the most shocking statistics relating to children in our country is the fact that five lives under the age of 14 would be saved each day if our record on child mortality was the best in Europe - that's the equivalent of 1600 avoidable child deaths a year; a truly startling figure.
Of course the biggest move of the cabinet though was Andrew Lansley being shifted out of Health. "Great!", shouted his many opponents, "A clean break from the dangerous meddling of the past!".
For the third day in succession, the House of Commons addressed itself to the welfare of older members of our society. Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, it became clear as the day wore on, had been unusually cast as the relief party.
Rather than living on a legacy, now is the time to start building a protection market which is fit for purpose in the 21st century.
The BMA may have lost some face but the losers will be the general public if Lansley succeeds in pushing top doctors to choose between NHS and an emerging but attractive private sector. British doctors are passionate about the NHS and serving their patients.
As a society, we probably do not understand the extent to which perinatal mental health problems can impact adversely on families and in particular children. There is a paradox of society's expectation of the happy mother, perfect parents with a much loved baby. This is in contrast compared to the hidden realities of becoming and being parents.
Andrew Lansley emerged last week to declare that he wanted tobacco companies to have "no business" in the UK. In recent years we've seen similar Government-led interventions in the corporate world. From the Kremlin-led incursions into Yukos to the US Government's halt on CNOOC's takeover of Unocal.
On April 12 1912, the Titanic sank. The "unsinkable sinking" and God's wrath on men getting above their station are held as reasons for the lingering...
The Health Bill was one of the most hated and ridiculed Bill in living memory and will do great damage to the NHS. Longer waiting times, restrictions to services and a postcode lottery where we will see real differential standards applied.
Amidst the general dismay among real experts and ordinary people alike that has followed the parliamentary passage of Andrew Lansley's vicious legislation to traduce the NHS, there is one vested interest that will no doubt give a quiet cheer.
The bitter public battle now being fought over the future of the NHS looks set to continue. Its future shape uncertain, and the mounting resistance that is so visceral is based upon fear, uncertainty and crucially a genuine lack of trust in those that claim to be guiding us to the best possible future the NHS.
"Doesn't it also demonstrate that however well you may be on top of your brief, you are a hopeless communicator?" This was question posed to the health secretary by Jeremy Paxman during an interview and one senses this is indicative of the thoughts of many politicians.
Don't worry about 'competition' in the NHS. Just invite commercial operations to tender for the business and, in return, demand a piece of the action.
The party of the NHS? We shouldn't be afraid to expose this as the greatest joke in politics. At a time when the NHS needs reform to ensure its survival in the face of unprecedented demographic change, Labour cannot be trusted with the NHS. All they do, all they will ever do, is waste your money, and defend the interests of producers over patients.
In amongst all this exciting, depressing and uninteresting stuff the UK has still been under the thrall of the possible destruction of our national health service. Yes, I'm going to go on about it again.
