Politicians want to slay the beast that never was

The NHS isn’t working and costs too much.

‘It’s not true the NHS is more expensive than other healthcare systems in Europe’

That’s the message the public and the staff are being feed by politicians and NHS bosses. The relentless criticism and the constant emphasis on past failures is creating a distorted picture of the health service.

GPs are blamed for increased pressure on emergency departments. Ward staff are blamed for bad care. Consultants are accused of resisting change. Staff across the NHS are criticised for opposing a seven-day service.

Soften us up

Care scandals in Mid Staffordshire, Morecambe Bay and Colchester have been used to prove the NHS isn’t working. Of course, this isn’t true; nor is it true that the NHS is more expensive than other healthcare systems in Europe, Australia and the US.

But this doesn’t matter: bashing the NHS is about softening up the public for the Americanisation of services.

Privatisation − or outsourcing as it is now called − will be used to slay the beast that doesn’t exist.