General Election 12 December.

[hobinfoot 25]

43 minutes ago, Pettytom said:

It is already being sold. Bit by bit.

Labour have been saying this for years but it’s a load of crap. Do you honestly believe what you’re saying? If so I’d love to know what bits have been sold off. I worked for the NHS for over 20 years and my wife for 40 and at no time were we employed by anyone but the NHS.

[NERVY-OWL 195]

20 hours ago, taxman said:

You do realise you can't actually vote for Johnson unless you are registered in his constituency don't you?.

But if you're happy with all the years of austerity and food banks you stick your cross next to the local Tory candidate... You just might help them keep their deposit. 

You know what I mean, Tories/Boris same thing. Like many mine will be a vote on Brexit, hopefully if the Tories do stay in power they'll realise total austerity isn't the answer, I've seen signs of it so far so we'll see

[Pettytom 1]

12 minutes ago, hobinfoot said:

Labour have been saying this for years but it’s a load of crap. Do you honestly believe what you’re saying? If so I’d love to know what bits have been sold off. I worked for the NHS for over 20 years and my wife for 40 and at no time were we employed by anyone but the NHS.

Over 10%  of NHS spending goes to private companies. Mostly to for profit companies, who provide NHS services 

[*_ash_* 88]

4 minutes ago, Pettytom said:

Over 10%  of NHS spending goes to private companies. Mostly to for profit companies, who provide NHS services 

I could be cynical about this, and say, yes, parking firms, food providing firms, entertainment systems etc.

 

But can you link the breakdown of this (or show where you get this figure from?

 

-

 

As for NHS and elections, this will definitely do my head in. We'll put this much in, well we'll put THIS in, etc. IMO the NHS should be out of politics.

[Top Cats Hat 10]

7 minutes ago, Pettytom said:

Over 10%  of NHS spending goes to private companies. Mostly to for profit companies, who provide NHS services 

Like agency nurses, who on many wards outnumber NHS nurses 2 to 1.

[*_ash_* 88]

Just now, Top Cats Hat said:

Like agency nurses, who on many wards outnumber NHS nurses 2 to 1.

If we are including agency staff, then I would be surprised if it's as low as 10% in total.

[Obelix 11]

1 hour ago, Car Boot said:

This election should send the clear message:

 

£Billionaires OUT of Britain!

 

9 out of 10 £Billionaires support the pro-austerity EU. 

 

£Billionaires not welcome here!

Are you going to pay their share of the tax bill then once they leave?

12 minutes ago, Pettytom said:

Over 10%  of NHS spending goes to private companies. Mostly to for profit companies, who provide NHS services 

Almost every single GP is a private company.

 

 

[Top Cats Hat 10]

1 minute ago, *_ash_* said:

If we are including agency staff, then I would be surprised if it's as low as 10% in total.

On some wards it is 100%, including staff nurses.

 

A mate of mine was recently recovering after an operation in the Hallamshire. Two weeks later himself and his partner went back to the ward with the obligatory ‘Thank You’ card and tin of Roses. They didn’t recognise a single nurse who had been the ward while he was there. When they asked they were told that the week he was in, all the nurses on that ward were agency nurses.

 

I believe that this costs the NHS sometimes like £1.5 billion a year. This is £1.5 billion leaving the NHS and going into the bank accounts of the various privately run nursing agencies.

[*_ash_* 88]

3 minutes ago, Top Cats Hat said:

On some wards it is 100%, including staff nurses.

 

A mate of mine was recently recovering after an operation in the Hallamshire. Two weeks later himself and his partner went back to the ward with the obligatory ‘Thank You’ card and tin of Roses. They didn’t recognise a single nurse who had been the ward while he was there. When they asked they were told that the week he was in, all the nurses on that ward were agency nurses.

 

I believe that this costs the NHS sometimes like £1.5 billion a year. This is £1.5 billion leaving the NHS and going into the bank accounts of the various privately run nursing agencies.

But how much does it save by redirecting nurses to where they are required at specific times?

 

If you start writing into NHS staff contracts, that they must be able to move to another hospital if required, then the unions would be frothing at the mouth.

 

£1.5b is also quite a low figure. What sources are you using?

 

The £1.5 to the companies is skimmed off for their cut, and rest goes to the staff. In other words if say you removed the agency aspect (say one third), you'd still have to pay the other £1b for the staff.

 

The only way to resolve this is all new staff on flexible contracts, and I can't see that happening.

 

 

[Pettytom 1]

20 minutes ago, *_ash_* said:

I could be cynical about this, and say, yes, parking firms, food providing firms, entertainment systems etc.

 

But can you link the breakdown of this (or show where you get this figure from?

 

-

 

 

There are quite a few sources. This one is just  about the most impartial 

 

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/verdict/nhs-being-privatised

18 minutes ago, Top Cats Hat said:

Like agency nurses, who on many wards outnumber NHS nurses 2 to 1.

I wasn’t really thinking of those 

15 minutes ago, Obelix said:

Are you going to pay their share of the tax bill then once they leave?

Almost every single GP is a private company.

 

 

Or those 😀

[*_ash_* 88]

1 minute ago, *_ash_* said:

The only way to resolve this is all new staff on flexible contracts, and I can't see that happening.

 

 

Or perhaps have different pay grades. using the 1.5b analogy,

 

You can sign this contract and work here, for 10k/per annum, or 15k per annum, but you have to go anywhere in a 50 miles radius, making your own way too.

 

All too complicating, hence using agencies is expensive, but more efficient.

 

(also before we go on, I'm not in favour of these agencies, but that's one of many things that I would change)

2 minutes ago, Pettytom said:

There are quite a few sources. This one is just  about the most impartial 

 

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/verdict/nhs-being-privatised

I wasn’t really thinking of those 

Or those 😀

Thanks. I'll take a read now, as I'm genuinely interested in it.

 

I could of course try google, but prefer to ask especially here as you consider it impartial.

[Pettytom 1]

3 minutes ago, *_ash_* said:

Or perhaps have different pay grades. using the 1.5b analogy,

 

You can sign this contract and work here, for 10k/per annum, or 15k per annum, but you have to go anywhere in a 50 miles radius, making your own way too.

 

All too complicating, hence using agencies is expensive, but more efficient.

 

(also before we go on, I'm not in favour of these agencies, but that's one of many things that I would change)

Thanks. I'll take a read now, as I'm genuinely interested in it.

 

I could of course try google, but prefer to ask especially here as you consider it impartial.

It does conclude that the NHS isn’t being privatised. At the same time it provides evidence that it is being privatised, at least in part.

 

It is a cracking read though. I’m sure you’ll be hooked by paragraph three😀