Look at it this way: the NHS was set up to organise healthcare and make it available to everyone fairly. It is massive and does an amazing amount, but it also has incredible inconsistencies and moves very slowly most of the time. Is protesting the answer ? Lets explore ….
There is not enough money. All political parties say they will protect the NHS, but the population is getting older and more conditions are now treatable. Nobody wants to raise the money or pay the money in tax.
It still depends upon the consent of staff, chiefly Consultants. They may have different motivation than following pure patient best interest. Not just career-building, they have an experts perspective and they may value the right scaling at this or that location. Run out of Drs and Nurses, you don’t have an NHS.
Scrutiny
It is scrutinised by Herts. County Councillors who cover x2 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) in Hertfordshire. Our one is Herts Valleys CCG and the other is East & North Herts. So local decisions are compromised by getting support right across the county.
Several District or Borough Councils and Constituency MPs each have their own communities in mind (and being a champion is part of how you get votes!!)
Then the local NHS is overseen by NHS England & NHS Improvement who in turn report to the Dept of Health & Social care. They get their money from the Treasury. With all these organisations having a finger in the pie, you can see why the poor old public sometimes don’t get a look in !
Keeping what you have as an NHS planner is easier than taking a risk on something new. Being able to stop and start is sometimes useful when money is short (see above) so it gets in the way of big projects.
Does the public have a say ?
The public are invited to ‘engagement meetings’, but given all the above, how realistic is it that THE PUBLIC, will be the prime movers? The public CAN have a voice, but it needs to be co-ordinated and with minimal Ego involved. This means being wise and informed, and working on genuinely realistic solutions that will benefit everyone. Collaboration is key.
So protesting and being cross motivates support, but being creative and building bridges are what will get us ALL a new hospital (with a great transport system to get us there and back).
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