Why the NHS at 65 deserves to be protected and cherished
As clinical negligence solicitor Richard Kayser, from our London office, celebrates the NHS at 65, he urges the nation to afford it some of the protection it has long given us…
The National Health Service celebrates its 65th birthday this year, an occasion that must be celebrated!
Throughout the last year the NHS has come under huge criticism from the findings following the Mid-Staffordshire enquiry, Morecambe Bay baby scandal and many inquests. I myself have been personally involved in some of these inquests, having represented the families of loved ones.
One of my major concerns is funding and the lack of investment in the NHS. On a daily basis, the Government announces different cuts to different departments. However, is this government just looking at the short term? Is this government putting to much pressure on a bubble that will burst at any moment?
This, of course, raises the question as to whether we can still afford the NHS. Certainly something different needs to be considered, as there’s no doubt cuts can not be the answer – especially as these claims seem to be increasing. Although isn’t this an entirely logical consequence? As more pressure is placed on reduced numbers of staff, errors are just bound to happen.
So what is the answer? One solution that always comes to my mind is whether an employer should be forced to provide its employees with private health cover. But as this country faces ‘economic melt-down’, can this solution really be enforced on an economy so frail?
There’s no doubt that the NHS needs to improve and, as medicine and treatments advance, there is a need for it to change and adapt. However the one thing we must do is protect it!
And the one thing we must stop doing is cutting back on these vital services and closing departments…