Who will benefit from privatisation of the NHS?

My dad's a doctor and he's pretty certain that the NHS is going to be privatised very soon. A few days ago we went to one of his colleague's house and he implied that this continual criticism of the NHS (saying that it doesn't provide adequate health care etc.), is just a "ploy". This is to say that if and when the NHS is privatised, the public will think that it was necessary because it was well... crap.

I realise this is starting to sound like a massive conspiracy but, if this is the case, who would benefit from the said privatisation?

Scroll to see replies

Wealthy people

The companies who win the contracts.

Reply 3

MedicineMann

Your dad is right. It's not hard to imagine collusion between the rich capitalists who have manipulated their way into government and the rich capitalists waiting to smash and grab the NHS when privatisation is announced.

Reply 4

That Bearded Man

And the politicians who allocated them......jobs after the election.

And yeah - it's those three groups really and that's it.

Privatisation will be a shambles for us all :frown:

Reply 5

That Bearded Man

Original post by MedicineMann

Not suspicious at all that private health firms are major Tory donors?

Reply 6

MedicineMann

Original post by That Bearded Man

Not suspicious at all that private health firms are major Tory donors?

Yes, very. I don't see how the majority of the public would benefit from privatisation, given how Britain spends a lesser proportion of GDP on the NHS than the majority of economically developed countries.

Reply 7

ImNew

Large faceless corporations man.

Reply 8

Zabaar

Original post by That Bearded Man

Not suspicious at all that private health firms are major Tory donors?

Really? Could you list some names/sources please? Thanks :smile:

Reply 9

MedMed12

I don't want the NHS to be privatized. it'll benefit those with money, doctors and will cause more problems in the long term I think. I understand the reasons for it though.

Reply 10

ImNew

Original post by MedMed12

I don't want the NHS to be privatized. it'll benefit those with money, doctors and will cause more problems in the long term I think. I understand the reasons for it though.

The NHS isn't going to be privatised don't worry.

Psychopaths

Of course it's a ploy, a false flag is the correct term, as this is akin to a war being waged against the British people. How convenient, for example, that we hear so much about Mid Staffs. hospital at about the time of the passage of the health and social care act.

Reply 13

L i b

Original post by Zabaar

My dad's a doctor and he's pretty certain that the NHS is going to be privatised very soon

What does that even mean? The NHS will remain free at the point of use, and there will always be some parts of it delivered by public sector workers. Aside from that, it has always - since the very beginning - been a balance between public and private sector delivery. This suggestion that it is somehow a black-or-white situation is simply nonsense.

A few days ago we went to one of his colleague's house and he implied that this continual criticism of the NHS (saying that it doesn't provide adequate health care etc.), is just a "ploy". This is to say that if and when the NHS is privatised, the public will think that it was necessary because it was well... crap.

Yeah, I'm sure it was these behind-the-scenes forces that conspired to leave patients in Stafford Hospital soaking in their own piss. Nothing to do with the NHS at all...

Reply 14

L i b

Original post by scrotgrot

"About the time" in fact being "a year later" and based on a timing schedule of a completely independent public inquiry...

Reply 15

AJFShaz

Original post by Zabaar

If it's crap, it will get crapper when privatised. Yes the quality will get better but for those who can afford it. But what about those that can't? = Huge health bills.

Reply 16

Hopple

People will pay a lot of money to stay alive, to relieve themselves from agony, to be able to see/breathe normally etc. Hence whoever is in control of the supply stands to make obscene profits, and you can't expect a private company to have the same restraint as the British public - heck, you'd expect a private company, with obligations to shareholders, to continually push for more profits.

Reply 17

Democracy

Who benefits? All of this lot:

http://socialinvestigations.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/nhs-privatisation-compilation-of.html

Yes you're right, it is a smear campaign - the good folk at the National Health Action Party have summed it up very concisely indeed:

Spoiler

Reply 18

Silver060

Why not just charge people for going to the local gp or hospitals for things that are life threatening or nonsensical things like getting something stuck up your nose or something as equally stupid.

For serious cases its still free but if you're going to the docs because you think you have a lump on your breast/testicle and its nothing i think you should be charged between £5-£10 for taking up the doctors time. If you opt for having a caesarian rather than a natural birth and there no medical reason why you have to have it then you should be charged for the procedure since its not essential.

Reply 19

Democracy

Original post by Silver060

Think about this for more than five seconds and you'll realise why it's the stupidest suggestion in the history of the planet.

How do you expect a group of medically uneducated laypeople i.e. the general public, to judge whether or not their lump is "worthy" of a doctor's time?

Your suggestion is essentially threatening to penalise people for being concerned over their health - well if your plan was ever put in place, I guaranatee you for one thing we'd see a rise in the number of late presenting cancer cases since people (especially poorer patients) would rather not risk losing their money since your policy indirectly encourages them to subconsciously dismiss their complaint as "most likely nothing".

Introducing a culture where people are forced to consider healthcare services as a last resort or to view health professionals as inaccessible is totally reactionary and the medical profession would be totally against it.