Does May want death of NHS on her hands?

Is the NHS really in the midst of a humanitarian crisis? According to the Red Cross it absolutely is but according to the government it absolutely isn’t. So who to believe? Well, I’d always trust those with the most experience and two weeks ago it was the turn of the country’s top GP to fill the role of doommongering expert and she played it with aplomb, declaring the service was “stretched more thinly than ever” and “something had to give”.

It looks like the political pantomime of 2016 is far from over.

Could this year’s highest profile death be that of the service we have always taken for granted?

If you take into consideration our ageing and growing population, mental health crisis and levels of substance abuse, as well as the growing reliance on private companies you’d probably say “yes”. After all, what on earth can anyone do to stop the rot?

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Surely there are myriad ways the NHS could save and even make money before it is too late?

Charging people for missed appointments seems more than fair, as does fining those who require treatment after getting very drunk or high, although admittedly the latter may be difficult to enforce.

While drastic it’s difficult to see what else can be done, yet the government seems to be in denial and even though it accepts there are problems it is unable to acknowledge just how grave the crisis is.

Is Theresa May going to be the prime minister remembered for fiddling while the NHS burns? Some proposals are needed – and fast. We seem to be tumbling into a deep pit with no means of escape.