Letters: Britain’s private health woes
[Re: Fears of privatising the NHS are stopping us from saving our health service – and lives, Dec 2]
Fears around the collapse of the free NHS are not new. The past few years has seen increasing worry over staff shortages and the ageing population. Services have been overwhelmed. Jumping the NHS ship and opting for private healthcare is a possibility for some, but by no means all, particularly in the current economic crisis.
Wait times are one of the biggest issues being faced in hospitals and GP surgeries; this is avalanching towards the care sector. They’re the domino effect of too many patients and too few beds.
Worries around a private NHS will cause concerns among those who need continuing healthcare outside of the hospital environment, particularly those who need long term care at home. The NHS currently offers a Continuing Healthcare Package which funds eligible patients for long-term nursing care, should their needs be medical rather than social. As it stands, this is often very difficult to get a hold of, despite the overwhelming reality of the needs of some patients.
Lisa Morgan
Partner, and head of the specialist Nursing Care team at Hugh James Solicitors