Ella Williams, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK provides free healthcare to almost all UK citizens; this is done through public funding. The NHS is a vital resource to citizens of the UK as it is a safety net to know that if and when we need medical attention, this will be provided to us, essentially, for free. While technically, we pay our whole lives for this service in taxes, at the point of which we need the care, there is no fee.
However, this is not, by any means, a perfect system. In 2018, £140 Billion was spent on healthcare in the UK, this is more than 10 times what was spent 60 years ago. This just shows that the public requirement for healthcare is increasing drastically and this need is being met by budget cuts. These budget cuts have mostly been seen in social care and mental health services and as a result of this, pressure has been added to the NHS as there is not enough outside care. This then leads to increased usage of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) section and then increased waiting times; the number of patients seen within 4 hours has now fallen below 90%.
Furthermore, in recent years there has been more and more talk of the privatisation of the NHS. This idea was emphasised when we, as a country, voted to leave the European Union. As our trading opportunities will likely change, it is believed that our trade deal with the US will include giving America greater access to the NHS. This notion was presented by Corbyn as he said he had access to leaked documents from the International Trade dealings talks between the US and the UK.
Since the introduction of Coronavirus to the UK, I think it is clear to see just how invaluable the NHS really is. Doctors, nurses, surgeons and all other staff have willingly put themselves on the front line, putting themselves at risk of contracting the virus, separating themselves from friends and family, working longer and harder than ever, all to save as many lives as possible. On top of this, the lack of funding has meant that there was not enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available for NHS frontline workers to protect them. As a result of this, there have been 49 verified deaths of NHS workers and it is believed that this is the absolute minimum (the actual figure is said to be much higher but it is not in the public domain).
The government announced the original official slogan for the UK quarantine: “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”, I believe this was a pivotal moment as it portrayed the value of the NHS to the entire country, including the supporters of the privatisation. I think that COVID-19 has shown, if it was not previously clear, just how valuable the NHS is to the UK; it would now be very difficult for the government to continue with budget cuts or the idea of privatisation. In my opinion, privatising the NHS would have a very negative outcome for the UK as our population would not accept this. I personally have endless respect for the intelligence and bravery of all NHS workers and I believe that it is one of the greatest assets of the UK.
However, this is not, by any means, a perfect system. In 2018, £140 Billion was spent on healthcare in the UK, this is more than 10 times what was spent 60 years ago. This just shows that the public requirement for healthcare is increasing drastically and this need is being met by budget cuts. These budget cuts have mostly been seen in social care and mental health services and as a result of this, pressure has been added to the NHS as there is not enough outside care. This then leads to increased usage of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) section and then increased waiting times; the number of patients seen within 4 hours has now fallen below 90%.
Furthermore, in recent years there has been more and more talk of the privatisation of the NHS. This idea was emphasised when we, as a country, voted to leave the European Union. As our trading opportunities will likely change, it is believed that our trade deal with the US will include giving America greater access to the NHS. This notion was presented by Corbyn as he said he had access to leaked documents from the International Trade dealings talks between the US and the UK.
Since the introduction of Coronavirus to the UK, I think it is clear to see just how invaluable the NHS really is. Doctors, nurses, surgeons and all other staff have willingly put themselves on the front line, putting themselves at risk of contracting the virus, separating themselves from friends and family, working longer and harder than ever, all to save as many lives as possible. On top of this, the lack of funding has meant that there was not enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available for NHS frontline workers to protect them. As a result of this, there have been 49 verified deaths of NHS workers and it is believed that this is the absolute minimum (the actual figure is said to be much higher but it is not in the public domain).
The government announced the original official slogan for the UK quarantine: “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”, I believe this was a pivotal moment as it portrayed the value of the NHS to the entire country, including the supporters of the privatisation. I think that COVID-19 has shown, if it was not previously clear, just how valuable the NHS is to the UK; it would now be very difficult for the government to continue with budget cuts or the idea of privatisation. In my opinion, privatising the NHS would have a very negative outcome for the UK as our population would not accept this. I personally have endless respect for the intelligence and bravery of all NHS workers and I believe that it is one of the greatest assets of the UK.
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