It’s easy to
stand up and publicly support the NHS. Most people agree that it’s a crucial
and valuable service, so it’s not particularly controversial to hold a placard
that reads #OurNHS. No one’s really
going to argue or challenge you or blame you. This doesn’t make it any less
important; maybe the opposite. We all need the NHS at some point in our lives.
Thankfully it’s mostly for the less dramatic stuff, like doctor’s appointments,
routine check-ups or prescriptions. Occasionally we might need it for something
more serious and sudden, like a challenging illness or major accident. When the
time comes, whichever way we need the NHS and whenever we need it, it’s there, round
the clock, accessible to all and free.
We will sometimes
encounter problems using the NHS. Of course we will. The NHS is a giant of an
organisation. It is a huge public institution, subject to all the same
pressures which affect all our public services. We are a growing population and
an ageing one. We have high expectations for our quality of life. We want it all and we want it now. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions,
things don’t always work like that. Occasionally
we might have to wait longer than we expected, or queue, or have an appointment
changed or perhaps we might have a procedure cancelled at short notice. This can be stressful and not always how we’d
want things to be but in my experience, it’s still rare to encounter serious
failings in the NHS. There is without doubt a crisis facing the NHS but it still
continues to deliver a truly remarkable service.
In recent
years I’ve called upon the NHS many times, for a variety of different reasons.
I was a carer for my dad until he died; following his eight year struggle with
Vascular Dementia. Now I am the primary carer for my mum, who is also
experiencing the numerous and varied health challenges that come with old age.
I’ve had minor issues myself, requiring appointments, procedures or
prescriptions and I have four children, who have inevitably required routine
heath care. I’ve also been involved
occasionally when a friend or neighbour needed hospital treatment.
My most
dramatic experience with the NHS happened three years ago, when my daughter had
a serious accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. This incident called
upon the help of so many NHS services; from the ambulance and paramedics at the
scene, to the air ambulance that flew her to London, to the Critical Care unit
that nursed her while she was in a coma, to the recovery wards and the therapy
she received, after being discharged from hospital. The NHS saved my daughter’s
life.
It’s easy to
get carried away. Not all members of NHS staff are saints. Not all nurses are
angels. Not all doctors are charming and articulate. But despite all the
pressures they are under, despite all the challenges they face daily, the NHS
staff I’ve encountered, carry out their work with seemingly inexhaustible skill
and professional excellence. They are often personable and cheerful at the same
time, which is more than can be said for many of us in our daily routines.
These people constantly work in difficult circumstances, for long hours, in
emotionally charged situations and still achieve unbelievable results.
The NHS is
not all about heroics and lifesaving either. Much of the work is mundane and
often unpleasant. It involves disposing of waste and wiping bottoms and
cleaning up bodily fluids. It involves getting patients to and from places,
preparing beds and equipment and making sure that everyone is kept warm and
well fed. Patients can be unhappy, grumpy, demanding or just plain rude. So can
the patients’ families and visitors. Frontline work in a hospital is never
easy.
For good and
for bad, we take the NHS for granted. We expect it to be there when we need it
and we expect it to be free at the point of need. Sometimes we expect it to
perform miracles. The incredible thing is, it is always there, it is
free at the point of need and it often does
perform miracles. Using the NHS however often involves things we don’t like to
think or talk about, so we don’t think about it much at all, until we need it.
When we do need it, it’s often unexpected, when we are at our most vulnerable,
so really, we should be able to take the NHS for granted. Unfortunately not
thinking about it in the right way has meant that changes to the NHS have
happened under our noses, which threaten its very existence.
It’s time we
really started thinking about the NHS and it’s time we talked about it a whole lot
more. If we want to preserve and protect a free public service which is
available to all, we need to act now. We need to protest about budget cuts and
hospital department closures. We need to
prevent the deliberate running down of NHS services in order to replace them
with private companies. And we need to stop undermining the NHS with negative
news stories and constant complaining.
We must not
be distracted by misleading and false headlines either. The NHS is not facing a
crisis because of over spending. The NHS is facing crisis because of
underfunding. Migrants are not draining
the NHS. Migrants who work for the NHS are holding it together and keeping us
alive. The NHS is a shining example of successful multiracial and cross
cultural employment and we should be proud of that. Health tourism isn’t
draining the NHS either. It accounts for a tiny percentage of NHS spending. Nor
will privatisation of the NHS mean we receive a better service. Putting our
health in the hands of individuals and companies which exist to make a profit
is a dangerous game. Don’t let the NHS go the way of BHS.
It is easy
to stand up and support the NHS and we will all have our personal reasons to be
thankful for it but it shouldn’t be just a simple case of cheering on the
nurses, doctors and supporting staff, for all the great work they do. We also need
to protect them, their jobs and the safety of their patients. To do this, we
need to properly stand up to this government and confront the wider issues that are
threatening not only the NHS but also many of our fundamental choices and basic
freedoms.
