Would it be in the UK’s best interest for health care to go private?

Abbreviations

NHS: National Health Service

A&E: Accident and Emergency

DOH: Department Of Health

GP: General Practitioners

TCF: The commonwealth fund

IEA: The Institute of Economic Affairs

WHO: World health organisation

BUPA: British United Provident Association

HSP: Hospital service plan

1.0 Abstract and Methodology

Objective

I firstly research and outline what
the healthcare was like before the NHS was created and if it was successful in
treating people. My next aim was to find out how health care changed after NHS
was created and how successful it was in treating people. Thirdly, I looked to
see if patients were treated better in the private sector or in the open sector
and if the service it’s self is based upon how much the workers earn per year.
Fourthly, I assessed the state of the current healthcare and what the
governments thoughts were on it.

Abstract

This is dissertation is focusing on the question ‘would it be in the UK’S best interest for healthcare to go private’ and will be addressing the current state of the NHS and the health care available. I shall talk about what the NHS is and what state it is currently. Next, I will talk about the private sector, how it works and basic facts about it that willgive a better picture if healthcare did go private. Then, I will go into the main arguments where I will talk about the arguments for and against before talking about the view of the three big political parties;the conservatives, labour and democrats.

2.0 Introduction

2.1 What is the NHS?

The NHS stands for the National Health service which was first launched in 1948 after World War Two as a way to give free healthcare to everyone who needs it. The services of the NHS are free to all citizens in the UK and the only expectations would be for prescriptions, dental services and optical services. The NHS offers a wide range of services that people all across the UK used constantly from A&E to end-of-life care. Every 36 hours, 1 million patients are dealt with by the NHS showing that having free non-privatized health is something that benefits every resident in the UK which need a certain service (GOV.UK, 2016)

2.2 What is the state of the NHS currently?

Currently, the NHS is non- privatized. This means that it is free to anyone UK citizen. The NHS has been public now since after WW2 where the labour government brought it in after the devastation of the second world war. During the aftermath of WW2, hardly anyone had money and the UK needed to be rebuilt after the damage caused. The NHS was brought in as a way to help the going rate of lower income class. By bringing the NHS, more and more people were able to get the medical help they desperately needed whenever they wanted without having to worrying about how much they would need to pay. Since the 20^th century, people have been more than happy to have a public healthcare.

The reason why the NHS is in constant need of money and extra funding is due to the fact that the population within the UK is constantly growing which means that more people are needed to go to hospitals for different reasons. The rise of the population could be due the increase in immigrates arriving in the UK who are in need of health care. This means that more money is needed on different drugs, different hospital equipment and staff, furthermore an increase in population will mean that more babies will be born, therefore making the maternity wards in constant use. Secondly, the fact that in the 21^st century, people are living longer which means that they are more likely to go to a hospital more times in there lives for many different reasons. Thirdly the rising health problems that are starting to occur in people of diseases such cancer, heart problems and multiple long-term conditions means that more treatment will be needed will need to be available and most if the time, that treatment isn’t cheap (The King’s Fund, 2017).

The Telegraph Online news articles showed that the NHS in in crisis and that there had been a new record in the waiting times of A&E wards. The end 2016 to the beginning (Scott, 2017)

2.3 What would it mean for the health care to be PRIVATISED?

There are already private clinics and hospitals that are also available
as well as the NHS which means that there is a variety of places that people
may go to. Private clinics are typically often used for the wealthier people
and this is because they simply have the money to pay for such treatment. The
lower and working class however, rely on the NHS to be able to get healthcare
that if free as they simply cannot afford to be private and pay for treatment,
whilst the middle class and the rich class are able to pay for such things.

Already within the healthcare sector, there are some private sectors
that people turn to as an alternative to the public sector. It is a choice that
people sometimes make when they need treatment that the public sector cannot
provide. In some NHS run hospitals, have brought in private wings or clinics in
which people can use and this might also include in the patient getting that
private care for a cheaper price, depending on the hospitals (Freedom health insurance, 2017).

The private sector also, already provides services for the NHS and in turn, the NHS provides the private sectors with beds for their patients. The is a sort of collaboration at this point and to change the healthcare sector completely to private might throw the balance that the healthcare sector has already established. The services that the private sector has provides for the NHS includes: long term residential care for people who need it, care of the elderly, termination of a pregnancy psychiatric care (US National Libary of Medicine, 2002).

Privatized healthcare would mean that the criticizes on the UK would have to pay for treatment that is originally paid for by the government under the NHS. This means that hospital visits, GP visits, optician visits, dentist visits will all have to be aid for the person doing this. Already, the Guardian has stated that there is a growing trend where patients from England are now paying for surgery to avoid long waiting times and this is showing that this problem that are occurring in the NHS are having a big impact on the number of people using this service (The Guardian, 2017).

3. The Private sector           

Private healthcare is a sector
that includes clinics and hospitals which are run by companies, charities
organisations. Private healthcare is run usually separate from the NHS. When
using the private sector, the fees must be paid since the NHS does not cover
the cost of any type of private care available. When using the private sector,
the patient is usually able to choose which hospital or clinic that they can
treat for and depending on how much they pay, the time spent in the hospital
can be longer than if the patient had undergone treatment through the NHS. The
private sector is a place where many people often go to for a second opinion if
they need it (Freedom health insurance, 2017).

3.1 How does it work?

Until 1948, before WWII, the
healthcare within the UK was private. The NHS didn’t exist which meant that
healthcare was set up by private medical facilities, medical services which
charged a lot of money for their services. There were also charities and
voluntary hospitals for those who couldn’t pay the medical fees that came from
the other companies. The health insurance sector was first developed between
1940 and 1947 based on HSP/PPP Healthcare and several schemed into BUPA (US National Libary of Medicine, 2002).

In 1997, in the UK, there were
12 million people who were covered for private care and the medical expenses
that came with it. This is only about 75% of the type of care that is done in
the private sector. Commonly, private medical insurance occurs more among older
people who start to become in need to more need to go to visit a GP or go to
hospital. And of those more older people, they are usually are in a better
social class as they usually are able to pay for it without too much risk of
getting in dept. (US National Libary of Medicine, 2002).

3. Arguments for the Privatization of Healthcare

In this section, I will be arguing why it would be in the UK’s best
interest for healthcare to go private. That would mean changing it from what it
is now and bellow, there are a few reasons to why it should be done:

3.1 The wait is over

The having private health care in the UK, it could firstly reduce the
waiting times for patients in the UK. Currently, on a daily basis, when
arriving in a hospital there is a wait before a person gets seen by a doctor.
This wait to a highly danger to a person who had a serious illness or injury
could mean the difference between life saving treatment or serious problems (The Medic Portal, 2018). Currently, the
waiting time in A&E should be 4 hours per patient. However, Holly Dorning,
a resear4ch analyst and report author has stated that hospitals are finding it
harder each day to keep to that 4 hours before a patient has become breeched. The
our hour A&E target had declined from the national expectation since 2010.
Even the top 10% hospitals had not beaten this target and breached it. (The Nuffield Trust, 2015)

Co-author Holly Droning, Research analyst at the Nuffield Trust said: “The vast majority of patients are still
receiving care within the target times, but our analysis shows that
deteriorating access to services is starting to affect patients attending even
the best-performing hospitals… We’ve known that hospitals have been struggling
to meet the four-hour A&E target for a while. But the fact that we are
starting to see problems in other areas, like access to planned treatment, is a
real concern. As this study makes clear, warning lights are now starting to
flash across the wider hospital system”. This shows that this problem of
waiting had been pointed out as a problem. This is worrying as the difference
between even 5 minutes could mean the different between saving a patient’s life
(The Nuffield Trust, 2015).

However, with private care, this problem is likely to decrease as it
would lessen the pressure on the NHS and it will means that patients get
treatment and attention needed and this might lead to problems being discovered
a lot quicker.

3.2 Comparing to other countries

Reports from the IEA showed a very concerning different between the cancer treatment in the UK and other countries in the EU. It was stated that if the UK’S lung, bowel, breast and prostate cancer were treated in the Netherlands instead of being treated in the UK, more than 9,000 lives would be saved every year. This is a huge amount of people and that shows that there is clearly a flaw in the UK’s healthcare for cancer However, this is not the end, if those patients were treated in Germany, more than 12,000 lives would be saved. If those cancer patients had been treated in Belgium, more than 14,000 patients would have been saved. Theses number are too big of a difference. Theses suggesting that having public health care, whilst it might have a good idea in the respect that it means that everyone in the UK has equal opportunity and the freedom of choice in what healthcare sector they wish to choose from, this isn’t important if patients who are critically ill are dying just being there isn’t a private health care. Those lives that could have been saved could be prevented (Coppin, 2017)

According the WHO, OECD and TCF have done research other healthcare in the UK in comparison to other EU countries. It was found out that the NHS now, ranks in the bottom third of developed countries. In the heath outcome category, it is ranked as second to last. This research clearly shows the poor record that UK had in keeping people alive. This shows that the reputation the auk had of having a good healthcare system is clearly unjustified and changes are need to be made (Coppin, 2017).

3.3 People who need it get help

Another positive for the privatization of healthcare is that by having
obligatory private healthcare, it would reduce the amount of ‘time wasting’
patients that hospital get. This is because people are less likely to go to the
doctors and hospitals for no actual reasons as they wouldn’t want to be a
hospital bill if they didn’t need to visit the hospital. With there being less
encouragement to just go to the doctors, it will stop there being hospital
blockages and it will mean that patients in need of actual care can get it a
lot faster than it used to (The Medic Portal, 2018)

Also, by having less reason to just visit the hospital, it could mean
that people will try and take better care of their health more so that when
they do need to visit the doctors, go to GP’s they are well aware that they are
need of help and aren’t spending money of something unimportant.

4. Arguments against the privatization of healthcare

The argument against the
privatization of health care is the argument which is staying that making
healthcare in the UK private wouldn’t be un the UK’s best interest. Bellow,
there are a few reasons to why that is:

4.1 The moral case

An argument against the privatization of health care is the moral case.
It is called the moral case as it would not be morally right for the government
to send the UK back to how it used to be and hinder the development of the UK
itself. It wouldn’t be morally right for the lower and working lass who
struggle to pay for their daily living, to be made to pay for healthcare which
they need. Being able to go to the doctors when needed is the best thing that
they could be given and to have that taken away from them will only cause them
to stop going it things like GP for much need annual check-ups. Missing
check-up’s just to save money my cost someone’s life in the end Well know
scientist Stephen Hawkins has said that the privatization of the healthcare is
not the best way forwards for the UK. By following the American healthcare of
the insurance systems and private companies running healthcare, we would not be
able to help the nation as the working class who do not have the means for that
sort of healthcare. The NHS was originally made so that everyone could be
entitled to having free healthcare when they needed it and this was part of a
reform to make the UK great. By privatizing healthcare, all the government
would b doing is sending us back in the past where the death rate was high and
the average expectance was lower than it is now (The Week Ltd, 2017).

Hawkins himself wrote in the guardian, he believed that the NHS is “the
fairest wat to deliver healthcare”, and by this, he meant that it is the best
way for the government to look after UK citizens from afar and is a system
which doesn’t judge on the wealth or status of a person, but on their health. (The Week Ltd, 2017).

Figure 4 (ONS Digital, 2015) shows a table of life expectances from
1841 to 2001. This data was taken from ONS and it clearly shows an increase in
life expectancy and this figure could continue to increase of the UK continues
to do this. Although there are other factors which has contributed to ther life
expectancy increasing, having public healthcare that people don’t need pay for
means that people can go to hospital anytime instead of worrying about spending
money in case there is something wrong. These hospital visits based on whims
are also the ones who help find diseases, illnesses and conditions early enough
to prevent any further damage. That could save a person’s life. However, if
there was private care, then things life high blood pressure might exist more
due to the stress of having to pay the fees just to get the medical attention
needed.

Furthermore, the graph on figure 4 might change if healthcare is privatized. From 1841 to 2011, the life expectancy rate had doubled for both male and female and this graph is only an average up to 2011. That figure had probably increased since due to many different ideas that can be done on people for free under the NHS.

4.2 The public health is more efficient than private care

Hawking also told the Royal Society of Medicine that “International
comparisons indicate that the most efficient way to provide good health care is
for the service to be publicly funded and publicly run”. This suggests that
other countries who run on private healthcare might not be doing as well as
what we are lead to think (The Week Ltd, 2017).

The evidence for this is the 2012 study which was led by a US-Bosnian
team who looked at the healthcare system of different countries. America,
Germany and Canada. Data from OECD in 2000 showed that America – which runs on
a privatized healthcare – had spent the most money out of the three. Whilst
Germany was second and Canada was last. Germany and Canada both run off public
health care and the figures show that clearly despite the fact that America is
running on private healthcare, meaning that the citizens pay, they end up still
paying a of money. (AVICENA, 2012)

4.3 Choices for patients

By having not only a public healthcare systm and a private sector, this
allows for the UK’s citizens to be given a choice. The choices to go to the
public healthcare is a decision that most working class must choose, some of
them simply do not have the money to be able to choose where to go. The fact
that they are even able to call an ambulance or walk into a hospital without
having to worry about to pay is something that stops a lot of stress and is
health for them. Stress is never good for people and the added stress of having
to worry about how they will pay for the treatment might only cause more
problems than solve it. Whilst some, prefer to stick to public health care,
other do not and often choose to go to the private sector. This is due to the
fact that the private sector is more likely to explore was difficult procedures
and more experimental procedures than normal hospitals and patients have better
choice to where they are being treated. For those who can afford to go private,
it is a good alternative (The Week Ltd, 2017).

To be able to have a choice in where you go is a privilege that not many
people around the world get to have and with this sort of power, the best thing
to do would be too keep being able to choose, keeping this privilege would help
many people within the UK.

5. The governments on the privatization of health care

This debate of whether health care
being private is the best things for the UK all lies in the hands of the
government. Whilst the public can have their say through the democratic voting
system, it is the government who mostly have the power and that is dangerous

Doctors claim that the government is
deliberately creating health crisis to privatize the NHS (Bodkin, 2017)

Dr Chaand Nagpaul – BMA chairman –
said “As doctors we strive to provide
safe, quality care to our patients. Yet we appear set up to fail. We trail
European nations. With significantly fewer doctors and hospitals beds per head
and spends £10 billion less per year on out health service” which suggests
that the government are clearly not trying to help the current crisis that is
beginning to arise as a result of not enough spaces in hospitals to accommodate
the need of the public (Bodkin, 2017)

DOH spokeswomen said: “This motion sadly has no relationship with reality
– while of course there are pressures on the frontline, the government is now
spending more that aby in history on the NHS, has left themselves to decide on
use of the private sector, and public satisfaction is not the highest it has
been in all but three of the last 30 years”. This statement contradicts
that one Dr Nagpaul has said, but this still doesn’t disprove the fact that
there may be major shortages within the NHS government are purposefully not
trying to solve (Bodkin, 2017).

5.1 The Conservatives

Currently, it is the conservatives who are in power with Theresa May
being prime minister. This argument had been occurring even before May was put
in power, but now that she is in power her and the government already have
ideas to what the future holds.

Recent election and polls have shown that there is a large percentage of
the public who wish to have public healthcare. However, the conservatives had
said that the NHS and its free healthcare is too expensive to run and that it fails
to work in the interest patients. May is said to have been convinced that the
benefits of this change will outweigh the risks. The cutting of running costs
and joining up the sectors if the best move for the UK (Vize, 2017).

The conservatives and their constant rivals are at opposite ends of the
argument, however, with the conservatives being current in power, this might mean
that they have a slight advantage over the labour, but this of course isn’t
necessarily true. But what is true, is that both parties will face many
problems as their solution both have flaws that might be hard to fix (Vize, 2017).

5.2 Labour

It was the labour party who created the NHS all those years ago and the
have stated that it was their “proudest
achievement, providing universal healthcare for all on the basis of need, free
at the point of use”. In this argument over whether the healthcare would be
better being private, the labour party have stuck to their old policy and say
that healthcare would be better if it was public. Labour have said that they
plan on investing to the NS to give the citizens of the UK a modern and
well-resourced service that is available whenever it is needed. The labour
party wish to make the NHS into world-class quality and for all patient to
receive the best care from the staff (Labour, 2018).

 “By guaranteeing access to
treatment within 18 weeks, we will take one million people off NHS waiting lists by the end of the next
Parliament…We will ensure all NHS patients get fast access to the most
effective new drugs and treatments, and insist on value-for-money agreements
with pharmaceutical companies” (Labour, 2018) They have made a lot of promises that
the nation hopes to see be done and if they do, it would be one step into
moving healthcare in the UK into the future. Currently, the NHS is seen to be
in crisis ad many people, government and normal citizens wish to see the crisis
end and for the NHS to move on and improve. Labour say that they will guarantee
too meet the 4-hour A&E target, something that even the top hospitals have
been struggling to do.

5.3 Liberal Democrates

The Liberal Democrats are the 3^rd biggest political party and in this debate, they don’t want healthcare to turn private, however, for that to be prevented, they have said that some sacrificed must be made. The Lib Dems leader Tim Farron had told his party that conference takes would be raised to pay for healthcare in a bid to rebrand the NHS. It will become a fully “taxpayer-funded service” (Elgot, 2016)

“If the only way to fund a health
service that meets the needs of everyone is to raise taxes, Liberal Democrats
will raise taxes” he said, promising to campaign to transform the NHS into
the National Health and Care Service. Farron believed that over the years, the
government has trying to hide this problem of the NHS failing before by putting
in small term solutions and not really actually solving problems, and the
government haven’t really been looking at what it will take to not only keep
the NHS and its free healthcare, but also to give people the best care and
treatment, which they deserve. He says that the best way to go forward is by
having a National Health and Care service (Elgot, 2016).

5.4 In conclusion

In conclusion, the Conservatives wish to have a privatized healthcare.
The labour party wish to have the NHS stay and for healthcare to continue to be
public. And finally, the Liberal Democrats wish to have a National Health add
care system. All three government want to different things and have different
yet similar plans for the future of healthcare.

6.0 Conclusion

In this dissertation, the chosen title was ‘would it in be in the UK’s
best interest for healthcare to go private?’. Within the dissertation, there
have been arguments for and against that campaign, what the different political
parties say and what it would mean to turn the public sector into a private
sector

The arguments for the privatization of healthcare had shown that having
private healthcare would solve many problems that the NHS currently had. The
first argument was that waiting times would decrease. Secondly, people who need
it will get the medical help needed and thirdly, when comparing it to other
countries in general, it was shown that the UK’s pubic healthcare is clearly
one of the worst healthcare’s in developed countries. This then showed that
there was obvious need for change in order for lives to be saved.

The arguments against the privatization of healthcare have shown that
there would moral implications if it was done. The in fact, the public sector
is actually more efficient than the private sector. Thirdly, the citizens of
the UK will be able to get a choice to where they go for medical care. All
these reasons are important as these are things that would be affected if
healthcare was privatized. The NHS is a big part of the UK and the change will
might cause a backlash that the government cannot deal with.

In conclusion, after analyzing both sides of the argument and looking at
what the people in power – the government – believe and the promised that they
wish to make, the advice I would give is that, healthcare, shouldn’t be
privatized. This is due to the fact that, despite there being many valid
reasons for there being a privatized sector, the fact is, it would be dangerous
for something so big that will cause a huge impact on a whole country. This
change could cause mass chaos and that and the points outlined in the arguments
against, are the reasons why I advise that health care is not privatized.

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