It’s no secret that the NHS is on its knees, with record waiting lists in A&E and 4.5 MILLION patients currently waiting for surgery. What’s the solution?
Whoever you are, and whatever your political persuasion, the chances are you’ll agree with this statement:
The NHS is struggling.
Despite the noble efforts of the incredibly hard-working staff, the reality is that “our NHS” is not performing how any of us would like it to.
Here are just a few stats that confirm what all of us know:
•Hospitals are currently 95% full (a full 10% above the 85% considered to be ‘safe')
•4.5 million people are currently waiting for a “non-urgent” operation
•A&E waiting times are at their worst ever, with only 79.8% of patients seen within four hours and a record number of patients enduring waits of more than 12 hours on tolleys in corridors,
•1 in 7 NHS operations are cancelled or postponed on the day of surgery, 66% of those cancellations down to non-clinical reasons
•By 2030, the UK population will be around 70 million strong, nearly 3 million more than in 2020, but the amount of NHS medical practices closing each year is at a record high – over 100 each year.
In short, right now the NHS isn’t working, which is why it’s under the political microscope again, with the Tory government promising more funds than ever to deal with the significant issues the service faces.
Overworked staff, leaving in their droves
When you consider the above statistics, it’s no wonder that the doctors and nurses within the health service are under considerable strain.
Thanks to the amount of GP surgery closures, 10% of GPs are now seeing DOUBLE the amount of patients they were before, putting serious pressure on them and making it more difficult than ever to do the job to the best of their ability.
Doctors and nurses are routinely working 12-hour days in surgeries and hospitals, and the amount of doctors “locuming”, where a doctor will effectively forgo a salary, and work “freelance” for higher pay and more control over when they work, is through the roof.
And that’s before you consider doctors and nurses leaving to work in other countries, or leaving the medical profession altogether.
The NHS is undoubtedly in crisis, but the chances are that this is only the beginning.
Could more tax save the NHS?
The reality is that a good number of people would happily pay more tax if they could guarantee that it would go to the NHS.
The trouble is, they can’t. And even if it did all go to the NHS, that’s no guarantee of improvement.
Whatever political party you vote for, we can all agree that no politicians ever deliver on 100% of their promises; and when you’re looking at something as gigantic as the NHS, the chances of it ever being “fixed” are close to zero.
Yes, the Prime Minister has promises more funds, but those with experience of the health service will know that despite best intentions, even if there were enough funds made available, it wouldn’t solve all of the problems. Not even close.
What will you do when you need healthcare?
We all hope it doesn’t happen to us, but with the issues with the NHS becoming more acute than ever, we have little choice but to consider our answer to the question:
What happens when you need medical help?
The trend is only going one way – with less medical staff and more strain on the shoulders of those who are left, coupled with a rising population, it doesn’t take a mathematician to work out than in the next few years, life is going to get increasingly difficult for those who need care.
And depending on your situation, that could leave you waiting for months to get an operation, or receiving substandard care from exhausted healthcare professionals.
If you’re willing to pay more tax for better healthcare, there may be another way
Look, we’ve established that more tax won’t save the NHS.
The whole thing is fundamentally bust, and it’s such a big ship that it can’t be saved from sinking by dumping a load of cash into it.
But if you’d be willing and able to pay a little bit more for high quality, reliable healthcare, you can effectively do just that by taking out private medical insurance.
Not only will private medical insurance ensure that you get given the highest standard of care, extremely swiftly, but by using a private provider, you’ll actually be helping to improve the NHS problem, by reducing the strain on it.
With private medical insurance:
- You’ll get the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if you need treatment, you won’t be waiting months for it
- You’ll worry less about ‘what happens if?’, because you’ll be fully covered
- You’ll find it easier to access ongoing recovery treatments
- You’ll have more choice and more privacy
“But I pay my taxes, so I should use the NHS”
If you’ve read this for, you’re probably seeing the wisdom in this.
The NHS is broken, and you can help to ensure that it doesn’t get any more broken, whilst also guaranteeing yourself fast, professional healthcare.
But whilst this is all makes sense, you may have the feeling that because you’re paying for the NHS in the taxes that you pay, you should be using the NHS instead of a private provider.
The truth is that you shouldn’t do something just because you’re paying or have paid for something, especially when you don’t actually have a choice in whether you’re paying for it – that would be rather like wanting to spend more time in the car because you want to get your money’s worth from your road tax.
The truth is that your tax contributions that go towards the health service will always go there, but you have the choice of whether to feel like you need to “recoup” that money or not.
And if you can afford it, why would you not rather have a higher standard of care, at your beck and call?
The truth is that private medical insurance costs far less than you think, and is the proverbial stone that takes care of two birds – your healthcare and the future of the NHS.
“What do I get with private medical insurance?”
Essentially, most private medical insurance gives you:
•Fast access to the treatment you need
•More choice over where you are treated
•More choice over when you’re treated
•The chances to choose the medical professional you work with
•The opportunity to have treatments that you can’t get on the NHS
•Higher quality medical facilities – better meal options, en-suite bathrooms, visitors whenever you want and better quality, private rooms.
•Easy access to GP appointments – no more waiting for two weeks to see your doctor; see him/her this afternoon if you want!
Private medical insurance – less than you’d think
If you’ve never considered private medical insurance before, the chances are that you’ve not got much of an idea of how much it actually costs, and the tendency amongst most of us is to be pessimistic and assume that it’s extremely expensive.
The reality is somewhat different, and many people are surprised by just how affordable private medical insurance is.
Generally speaking, your private medical insurance premium is paid in monthly instalments, and can often start from as little as £30 a month; which when you consider the fact that it gives you access to all of the things necessary to keep you well, is very good value indeed.
Several insurers also offer the opportunity for ‘family cover’, which ensures that your loved ones are also covered.
An insurance provider will typically ask you a number of questions about you, and the level of cover you need, and then provide you with a tailored quote to meet your precise needs.
Is it worth finding out more?
Many people are pleasantly surprised when they discover that private medical insurance is far more affordable for them than they ever imagined it would be, easily accommodating the premium in their monthly budget, and then never having to worry about healthcare ever again.
Do you like the sound of never having to wait for an appointment?
Or having the freedom to choose who administers your care, and when and where they administer it?
Or the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if anything were to happen, and you needed urgent care, you would be dealth with immediately?
If any of the above sounds good to you, then you owe it to yourself to find out more, and the good news is that we can give you an indicator about cost in a matter of seconds.