Should we privatise the NHS?
I do not believe that we should privatise the NHS. Whilst privatising the NHS, or parts of it, could allow for greater choice of treatments, as it stands the NHS is one of the fairest healthcare systems – if not the fairest – in the world. It is free at the point of use to any British citizen. I also believe that the NHS provides more continuity of care than would be provided by a succession of private providers, who might shift a patient between them. Although one might assume that the NHS is less efficient than a private healthcare system – as a publicly funded system supposedly ought to be less so than a free market alternative – in fact, public healthcare systems generally have far fewer inefficiencies than private alternatives. I therefore believe that we should not privatise the NHS.
Do you think that privatising the NHS would fix the issues it faces?
No. The NHS faces many issues – it certainly is outdated in many ways, and when faced with today’s challenges it sometimes scarcely seems fit for purpose. Understaffing is a continuous problem, especially with a huge number of nurses having left after Brexit – understaffing is a particular problem in mental health departments, and with mental health deteriorating across the country this problem will increase. The NHS has lowered the number of beds it provides, despite an aging population and increasing rates of obesity and comorbidities like diabetes leading to potentially far higher rates of hospital admission over the coming years. However, a drive to privatise the NHS would scarcely fix these issues – instead, we should focus on the issues themselves, and how our country, government and health service can come together to fix them.
What is your opinion on private healthcare?
I believe that private healthcare being available is not an issue, assuming that its existence does not damage the core ability of the NHS to provide a universally high-quality service that is free at the point of use. Whilst NHS Trusts now increasingly make money from private work as well, this money must be reinvested into the NHS, and allows them to increase their revenue. Other areas of private healthcare that are frequently used – be it private GPs, therapy, tests or scans, will often serve to take pressure off the NHS. Indeed, many GPs in wealthy areas will refer patients on to private providers as often as possible, as this will not only be quicker for the patient but relieve pressure on the local NHS system.
What could we learn from other countries’ healthcare systems that would inform the debate on whether to privatise the NHS?
We can see from countries with fully privatised systems – notably the USA – just how inefficient such a system is. It spends more capita on health than any other country, and yet has some of the lowest patient satisfaction scores across the globe. However, if we look at other countries that operate a government health insurance policy, we might find inspiration for a possible future model for the UK. Both Germany and Italy, for example, operate a government health insurance scheme, and both health systems consistently rank as amongst the world’s best.
If you were Minister for Health, what changes might you make to the NHS?
I would try to bring the NHS to focus more on both patient empowerment and preventative medicine. Firstly, patient empowerment might involve giving doctors the ability to prescribe social activities like gym memberships alongside drugs, the use of technology driven care plans that allow for patients to make decisions remotely, or remotely contact their doctor – creating greater efficiency for both patient and healthcare worker – and the development of more support networks for those with certain conditions. I would also look to expand the NHS’s preventative medicine efforts, with more investment into public health campaigns – as being reactive will cost huge amounts more in the long term than a proactive strategy.
What positives and negatives can you think of for privatising the NHS?
I would consider the following as positives: there would likely be greater patient choice, with more accessibility to a greater array of services. There would also certainly be faster turnaround times than the NHS for those able to afford it.
I would consider the following as negatives: we would no longer have a universal, high quality healthcare system that is free at the point of care. We would likely have less continuity of care, due to different health providers becoming involved. We would have a less efficient healthcare system that would result in a higher cost per capita than the NHS. We would likely have less transparency on spending and on patient outcomes.