Tony Blair's vague T unexpected promise the No boatine British health care spending to the "European average" over the next six years came after the by Labour's spin doctors to escape from the growing crisis on the state or our hospi cals.
Worse, Labour's political line since the 1997 election has been to tinker at the edges of the NHS rather than confronting the real resource problems they inherited Ministers have promoted CATCHSEYS but essentially the "NHS Direct" phone service (which some consultants argue has resulted in more people arriving A&E rubberstamped costly and contro privately-funded (k) hos pitals which will mean even feteer beds, and pandered to GPs by the establishment of Primary Care Groups while the NHS planning process.
The pressure on hospitals Tory/New tunnelling huge amounts cash into primary care (GP)
giving increased power to GPs the vague hope that this will result fewer hospital sonissions Bed shortage Far from it: every year since Virginia 1 Bottomley coinca toe noon or a pri care-led NHS" medical patients have been his face admitted as emergencies to hospitals. With beds in short patients can only be admitted to surgical wards, at the expense of cancelling waiting Absolutely all of these
MALACTER
problems and bottlenecks which beset the NHS were predicted by with other HOSTES to this collapse of front-line care were one key reason why sation". people voted Labour in 1997, expecting Tony Blair to make But two years of Gordon Brown's stingy lory spend- Stale ing limits, followed by a half-hearted drip-feed of belated authorities and Trusts facing massive deficits this year and in the anotner scar of austenty to style reforms of 1991 Now the Tory vultures are bility of nudging Blair and his government even further to the right. All claim to be Thatcher and the looking for ways of generating extra resources or lisat ening the load on the NHS".
A MOST HOSTS are hoping that having set and they are not now against any suaded to turn instead to increases, Blair can be fewer medical insurance, the rationing of care, and even the introduction of charges on in-patients for meals and "hotel services" while in hospital. Unfortunately many of chronic illness and expensive these ideas appear to fit in conditions.
most hospital beds "partnership" and "moderni- Charges for treatment or bos and/or is reminiscent of the winter costly and complex bureau0f 1987-88. in which a bar cracy to administer exemprage of press headlines on the tions, or grotesquely unfair of the NHS forced charges on those least able to • hatcher to come up with a pay. short-term handour, while One significant difference is that in 1987 Thatcher had which culminated just Wonge coon reactionary market- months carlier, and had a full term leit Rejected through her "reforms". By contrast the Blair gorAll of the schemes which are now being recommended than half way. to lony Blair were explored first term, and ultimately rejected - by ways Tory right quickly if it is not to face privatising more health care winter before the next elecin the late 19%0s: they were tion politically viable then, His pledge programme of extra money over the next six years would massively unpopular (still be more welcome it ac bad than one person in defined how much he meant count nas private corch, most and told us where it would of those through company come from. European countries spend value and highly selective in an average of 8 percent what it will treat, leaving the GDP on health care - but this average is lower because owestonder people in such as Britain, Portugal and #T C elderly Ireland. France spends imposing percent and Germany. compared with 6.8 vases cance percent in Britain But a much larger share of health spending through the private sector in most of Europe WILH Britain. and most of these have complex, insurance-based systems carrying navy Hamstratic costs. Cost Estimates as to how much Blair's pledged extra funding would amount to in through its HUES real would come from. and must find make a difference With British GDP rently running at £900 billion, to reach the European similarly bruising averase of s percent would imply. an increase of around 120 bilion on the on the Frost annual spend on NHS careand private medicine over If it all came from government and went on the NHS it would be the couvalent of 10p on income tax - but this would also raise substantially more than most campaigners believe to be necessary to on the NHS and only made minor changes to WAITING
SAVE OUR HOSPITAL
FIGHT FOR LIFE PCK *SES!