A vote of thanks for service that offers gift of life
PEOPLE WHO complain about the NHS have obviously never read much history, nor had the misfortune to fall ill without medical insurance in a country such as the United States.
I’ve managed to escape the Emergency Room of any American hospital so far, but I’ve done my share of history. In fact, I’m in the middle of helping a friend compile an eye-opening book which chronicles the life and times of a Barnsley hospital specialising in elderly care which has recently closed.
It’s not until you read some of the accounts of life before the NHS, when children and adults died regularly from preventable diseases such as TB and medical care was often frightening, that you realise just how lucky we are.
Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, the Labour Minister for Health who spearheaded the introduction of the NHS, promised that his system would “lift the shadow from millions of homes”. That shadow was the fact that doctors and nurses cost money which countless families did not have.
In communities such as mine in South Yorkshire, sending for the doctor was an enormous deal. It might have involved borrowing money from a neighbourhood loan shark, or dispatching the mantle clock to the pawnbrokers. Ordinary folk relied on local women skilled in the arts of childbirth and home remedies, or called on the expertise of volunteer ambulancemen who tended to men injured in the pit.
How times have changed. Yet, for as long as I can remember, it has been standard practice to moan about the doctors, nurses, health visitors, midwives and myriad other professionals who are now available – free of charge – to provide both emergency and ongoing medical care to us all.
This happens, despite shifting government policies and priorities over the years. It’s worth reminding ourselves that financial controversy has dogged the NHS since its inception. Even as early as 1951, when Bevan resigned from the government following the introduction of prescription charges for dental care and spectacles, the scale of its ambition has never been met with available funds.
The service, still proud to be free at the point of access, may have its cuts, closures and scandals but, in my experience, it will not let you down.
As it celebrates its 70th birthday, I think we should all take a moment to stop complaining and show some appreciation for what the NHS has done for each of us.
For instance, it has saved my father’s life, more than once. He has a serious heart condition which impacts on his kidneys and immune system. In recent years, this has meant long inpatient stays and dedicated aftercare. A year ago, just driving to the shops exhausted him. The other weekend, he took my mother to Cleethorpes for the day. That’s what the NHS does for people. It gives them life.
Indeed, if it wasn’t for the NHS, I probably wouldn’t have
comparing the health systems in the UK and 18 other countries in the G7, western Europe and English-speaking world, found it performs better than detractors might claim.
Above all, it has some of the lowest rates of “catastrophic costs”, where patients are required to pay more than 10 per cent of their income to cover an unexpected health problem.
Crucially, on outcomes, the NHS still lags behind. Too many people die where appropriate care could save them and survival rates for eight of the 12 the most lethal diseases are poor, though improving for stroke and cancer.
Staff shortages and the fact that the NHS has fewer MRI and CT scanners per patient than any other country can also delay diagnosis. However, the truth is that many conditions such as diabetes and cancer depend on lifestyle factors, such as obesity.
As a mark of respect, I think we should stop asking what the NHS can do for us, and start thinking what we might do for it. I suggest we could begin by giving this cornerstone of British life a sincere vote of thanks.