by Peter Watt
Imagine for a minute if there was a terrible accident that claimed a hundred lives; it would dominate the news for weeks. Or the outbreak of food poisoning caused by some poor hygiene in a major food distributor that made some people ill and perhaps a few poor vulnerable souls to die; it would be a huge story. The horsemeat scandal has been front page news for days and it’s not (yet) a public health concern. And yet 1200 people are allowed to die unnecessarily in a NHS hospital and no one seems to notice! The Francis report into failings at the Mid Staffs hospital was news for a day – and on some outlets it didn’t even top the news schedule for the whole day. Up to ten other hospitals are now being looked at as their mortality rates are worryingly high. What is going on?
It really is bizarre; no matter how many times we read about those unable to help themselves being left in wet or soiled beds or left to starve in one of our hospitals it seems to make no difference. There is an attitude about the NHS that makes it all but un-challengeable. Politicians in particular are scared of the NHS. The Tories decided to ring-fence the NHS budget when they were busy slashing virtually every other departmental budget so scared were they of being seen as anti-NHS. Labour wraps itself in the NHS flag at every opportunity. Labour politicians who’ve tried to tinker with it are castigated – Alan Milburn and John Reid still have the scars. We say things like “the NHS is the envy of the world.” And seem to actually believe it! The truth is that virtually no other country has copied it as a model.
What is true is that many countries rightly envy the fact that we have universal free health care, they don’t though envy the way that we have chosen to deliver it. Yes there are some incredible people working for the NHS that provide a great quality of care. And yes, many of these people work hard and, often under great pressure care for patients with skill and compassion. But every time anyone criticises the NHS as a model of health care delivery, people tell stories of amazing care and lives saved. We remember the care that we had when we or a loved one needed it. We remember that we, and our children were born in NHS hospitals and look with fear at the health care system in the States. Those criticising are branded as anti-NHS and people back off.