The NHS Conspiracy...

You know me, never happier than when pooh-poohing somebody's conspiracy theory, cutting their nuttiness off at the source, chucking factual criticism at them.  Of course I have the odd cranky view of my own, but nothing that is anything like a fully-fledged theory. However for the last few days, I've been beginning to wonder whether there are some sinister forces at work in the Department of Health and the NHS.

During the first decade of this century the NHS became visibly better, waiting times were cut, one heard relatively few stories about hospital horror (well, there was the iatrogenic infection story - but they dealt with that by sticking antiseptic dispensers at every doorway).  In the last few years, everything I've heard anecdotally has been bad stuff about it.  Terrible delays in treatment for cancer patients, poor communication, people with awful conditions waiting months to get seen or tested properly.  There is a great move to close smaller local hospitals (because of their poorer outcomes and higher mortality rates) and worst of all, an alarming number of cases of GPs misdiagnosing cancers and other terminal conditions.

The anecdotal business about GP misdiagnosis (Strat, Paul C, and now Marion are 3 that spring immediately to mind) is extensive, so much so that a whole radio programme was devoted to it recently.  It is clearly a statistically measurable factor in mortality rates!  Has it always been?  Or is this a more recent development, down to GP reluctance to incur expenses on the practice for tests etc.   I admit I have been lucky in this case - recently I've been despatched to one of those "within 14 days" appointments and had biopsies etc. in rapid time.  However, there have been other occasions when I've been told not to worry and given appointments several months hence, or had to fight to get seen to.  In both these cases I ended up in hospitals having ops with general anaesthetics....   However, this is not about me, I'm a pushy middle class person who actually does want to get her health sorted out rather than suffer in silence, or simply ignore the problem.

All in all I am beginning to suspect a conspiracy.  It is an acknowledged bit of government policy to farm out as much of the NHS as they can to private interests.  They know people don't like it - because the NHS is one of this country's great secular religions.  We worship it - see 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

It isn't perfect, it isn't as enviable as it was, but we can't contemplate charges for visits to doctors etc. So what can they do to resign the British people to privatisation?  Easy really - make the whole service, experience and so on, so bloody awful that people start wondering if there's an alternative.  Once they are thinking that, you feed them the "common sense" answer that we just haven't got the money to provide the health service of our collective dreams, and we must find ways for people to contribute.... and so on.  Once enough people are suspicious and heartsore at the treatment of family and friends in the NHS they will begin to turn against it.  I hear it happening all the time, they may focus on individual doctors, or hospitals (some people make QEQM - our local hospital - sound like a prisoner of war camp), but they are beginning to criticise the system, and when there's critical (sic!) mass the government will win!

Obviously there must be critique of the NHS - but also constructive suggestions.  We don't have an alternative, it would be unbearable to have a US system.  We are the 8th or 9th richest country in the world - if we can't provide a proper social health service, what on earth are we spending the money on?