Health secretary says private sector may be used to cut NHS waiting lists

[@Matt-ou7tu]

Surprise, Surprise. Who would have thought a guy that receives donations from private healthcare lobbyists, would be talking about using private healthcare to clear the backlog. Shock, horror I tell ya.

[@mdmurray17]

so what is the answer then to get waiting lists down?

[@mdmurray17]

The other issue is the number of staff leaving trhe NHS because of insults , abuse and intimidation and complaints by patients. Remember out of all the countries in the EU we have the lowest health care spending, beds, medical staff , nurses, ITU beds and scanners. Im sure a tax rise to rectify the effectively free service people get would help. Or curb some of the £300 billion we are spending on " mental health". Or the 4 million who have left the work force since covid.

[@binkyboobosh1]

The private sector have always been used by the NHS. Not sure of the relevance of this post or your comment.

[@greendegenerationx]

I am a nurse in theatres in private sector because they pay more and they're more productive. NHS workforce work ethic is appalling.

[@bigdee1216]

​@@mdmurray17Maybe get a team of forensic accountants to pour over the books and find out exactly where the black hole is.

[@jeniferdevlin6914]

It’s dangerous to go private without an increase in A&E services and beds, because private hospitals can’t cope if anything goes wrong. They are entirely dependent on the existence of a public hospital service as backup.

[@bruceybrew]

That’s the plan all along the corruption makes me feel physically sick

[@markhodgkinson1737]

Labour lies. The Private health sector is already doing large amounts of work for the NHS.

[@redf7209]

Blair started it. It meant Labour couldn't say anything when Tories went overboard with it

[@RobertThomson-y4m]

The black hole seems to have been created by sending money abroad, paying for hotel rooms for certain groups here and paying labour voting public sector types more.

[@MajorCharlesCarringtonV.C]

😂😂😂🤡

[@RebekkaHay]

Don’t be such a mor0.N.

[@Just..........33]

Spot on mate

[@RobertThomson-y4m]

@@MajorCharlesCarringtonV.C🤡

[@VirtualKnight64]

Most of it was created by the Tories sending money abroad, certainly, to the banks they use in the Cayman Islands, specifically.

[@FunnyOrNot]

There is no 22 billion pound black hole. Stop lying

[@Paul-gq7tf]

@FunnyOrNot how can they say there is a 22bn black hole and at the same time be proud to announce spending 8bn on data centres and i think 9bn on pay rises

[@FunnyOrNot]

@@Paul-gq7tf Don’t forget billions for illegal immigrants, billions in foreign aid, and billions for Ukraine

[@phil7794]

this man is truly sickening to listen to with his blatant and outright lies.

[@colinnewmarch1106]

When that was suggested by the Tories, Labour had a hissy fit, two faced b.......

[@RobertThomson-y4m]

With the freezing pensioners this winter the nhs will be far busier. We lose far more due to the cold than to the heat. This bloke must know that. Or, is he worried the tropical heat of the British summers is dangerous for our old folks?

[@GargantuanD]

They don’t care about white British pensioners - there is your answer

[@JulieChapman-l6e]

Apparently the coldest summer for the last 9 years

[@inthegutterstaringathestars]

Don't worry, they are releasing the prisoners so they can lock up elderly people who post mean things on twitter/X. This way they will get meals and heating, so will not need the winter fuel allowance.

[@inthegutterstaringathestars]

@@JulieChapman-l6e When they are locked up for memes then they will get both food and heating. No need for winter fuel payments.

[@redatticus7606]

Oh Really? Why is 250million going to Ukraine rather than sorting this mess out by investing in Britain for a change?

[@JordyLR61]

The mess here isn't as bad as the mess there. I am more than happy for my taxes to aid Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦

[@bigdee1216]

​​@@JordyLR61you are a 1diot.

[@bigdee1216]

It was more than 250 million. Sunak sent 3 billion and starmer just sent a little bit more just so that he couldn't be outdone.

[@mdmurray17]

Yes because having international trade interrupted, gas and fuel shortages and an expanded Russia would make everything so much better.

[@jujutrini8412]

@@mdmurray17 Not to mention our standing in international relations and future trade/peace deals with countries that would be mightily aggrieved if we did absolutely nothing to aid Ukraine. I am not happy about the lack of negotiations at the outset regarding Ukraine or the fact that they had literal n@zis fighting for them, but international politics is spectacularly grubby and putting the UK first is always my stance in these things. Right now it seems we have made the calculation that NATO must be appeased for our own survival. I wish it was not the case.

[@ImloyaltoScotlandonly]

Labour ran Welsh NHS is the worst run NHS in the whole of the UK

[@souxcasa]

I thought northern Ireland was

[@ImloyaltoScotlandonly]

@@souxcasa nope English labour ran the Welsh nhs into the ground.. English conservative party ran englands nhs into the ground. N ireland was the 2nd best run nhs and Scotlands nhs is the best run nhs in the UK under the sno

[@Bungle-UK]

Labour has run the NHS in Wales for 20 years and it’s just as bad if not worse than England.

[@ImloyaltoScotlandonly]

Scotland's was the best ran NHS in the UK under the SNP that's why the English establishment hates them

[@kmrk4055]

It is much worse and it costs four times as much per patient in Wales compared to England for a worse service. Pathetic.

[@hawklord100]

Its 3 times as worse and don't ask about Scotland

[@emceedoctorb3022]

It’s almost as if socialism and socialists are utterly clueless about running anything at all…

[@ImloyaltoScotlandonly]

@@emceedoctorb3022 how's privatisation working for England

[@andrewjohnston4076]

I worked in a private hospital the NHS have been using them regularly for over a decade, this is nothing more than a soundbite for people who Don't already know its been happening for year's.

[@LMC5690]

I worked for the NHS for nearly 30 years, patients have been referred to private hospitals for years

[@MZig-rw7su]

How about mentioning the impact of 6 million immigrants in last decade?

[@naeedaafzal3055]

Rather than blame immigration, look at root cause. Do we need war with Russia 🇷🇺 and bring so many Ukrainians. So many Romanians etc all stealing expensive cars and taking them to east Europe. How come they do not check them at tge borders 😮 so many other problems

[@stevengladwin-z4p]

That's not allowed 😅

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

Somebody has to work in the NHS and social sector....Brits wont do it.

[@stevengladwin-z4p]

@malcolmstockbridge2569 most jobs arnt even advertised to brits lol stop telling lies 😂

[@82vitt]

Who are mostly young and work and don't need the NHS yet.

[@davidwass8366]

They do talk bollox.

[@donxz2555]

Using more privatisation in the NHS is not a fix and diverts NHS money into profits for private companies many having politicians owning shares in them

[@applepie8772]

Remember it’s actually NHS consultants working in the private sector.

[@6chhelipilot]

I'm glad that they can hold down 2 jobs.

[@mdmurray17]

Some are full time. But if they want to work in their time off is that wrong?

[@Venusinbluejeans-p2b]

They could work overtime in NHS rather than splitting their loyalty if they really want to get NHS back to some degree of effectiveness. No?

[@andrewwilson3448]

@@Venusinbluejeans-p2b depends on their contract

[@hmgkt]

@@Venusinbluejeans-p2bNHS pay rate is rubbish.

[@timothywilson289]

NHS have been using private health providers for years already including private health companies providing consultants and operating theatre staff in hospitals, so this idea will nothing new and just designed for headlines,

[@clivet3252]

It's hilarious isn't it? Richard Branson made a fortune out of the NHS.

[@OAPHarmerHerrStarmler]

Wanna lower NHS queues ? Then stop the boats by turning them back !

[@MasonDixonAutistic]

Funny how the boats weren't a problem when the Home Office was bothering to process asylum claims(these slowed to a crawl under multiple Tory PMs) and there were safe routes. Reverse the decisions that caused the problem and the problem goes away.

[@garybarnett2756]

Why would they when they are future labour voters under Marxist labour.😡

[@MBReader410]

Trevor Phillips calling out the bs with facts.

[@bumache]

Of course, good news for those in government with a direct interest in private health care. I wonder too if US companies will get any business from this?

[@Getonwithit204]

So basically, you'd rather see the NHS collapse.

[@bumache]

I would rather my taxes going into the NHS than private money grabbing exploitative contractors.

[@JohnJones-k9d]

No but doctors are the ones gaming the system to earn more. Want to work for the nhs then make shed loads on the side privately, manipulating waiting lists to keep them long.

[@JohnJones-k9d]

@@bumacheyou’ve just described NHS consultants who are the ones killing the NHS along wit( all doctors.

[@archiemcberry7102]

Blaming the Tories will cure all ills.

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

While I think the Tories were terrible for the economy and welfare of our country, £22 billion (less than 2%) doesn't sound that significant when considering when they're spending like £15 billion on international aid.

[@Getonwithit204]

​@@Patrick-y4d1zInternational aid has nothing to do with the NHS.

[@twisteddancer7773]

​@@Patrick-y4d1zThe last government spent money like water too. Like drunken sailors

[@Jp67-n6b]

@@Getonwithit204ya think

[@Patrick-y4d1z]

@@twisteddancer7773 I'm not saying the previous government didn't waste it. Look at the Covid situation in which they casually wasted like 500 billion. They could've renationalised the water, enegy, gas and train sectors with that money and probably got us most of the way to being 100% renenwable.

[@bernardochman4514]

Wet Street ingredients, absolutely out of his depth.

[@inthegutterstaringathestars]

Not out of his depth, just his priorities are not those of the people who voted for him but those of the private medcial group investors who gave him campaign donations.

[@samgrainger1554]

Absolutely nuts to use the private sector. Like renting expensive roof tiles to fix a leak.

[@martinmanifold2241]

New labour did the same in the late 90s ....with choose and book ....labour love lining the pockets of the private sector

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

So easy to say....but whats your alternative ?....almost every country on planet earth offers better pay and conditions to doctors and nurses....so if we dont use the private sector where are the staff coming from ?

[@martinmanifold2241]

But they still pay taxes and then have to pay for extortionate healthcare.

[@davidparry5310]

@@malcolmstockbridge2569 They're the same staff, for the most part.

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

@@davidparry5310 Its been that way for a long time, the question remains...they wouldnt 'just' work for the NHS...not enough money in it, and thats my point, without the private sector where would the staff come from.

[@Annie-yv7rc]

He would be better off sorting out the mess of old and ill people having to travel to hospital miles and miles away at great personal cost to get a simple blood test. Doctors are refusing to carry out hospital blood tests because they arnt being paid for it by the hospitals. This is a really important issue to many very poorly people. On the flip side do the doctors pay for all the trips to A&E people have to make because they can’t get a doctors appointment PLEASE SORT THIS OUT NOW. thankyou

[@MajorCharlesCarringtonV.C]

I go to the nurse at my local health centre to have my blood tests

[@adrianfielding4678]

If that is the experience in your neck of the woods, it is lamentable - sorry to hear it. In this rural area our bloods can be, and are, taken at the local GP practice.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

The gp is closed evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. Do stop lying.

[@robertgarner8214]

Just watched that crettin StreetInng lying through his teeth.

[@peterfalk7084]

Wes Streeting is intolerable, awful attitude. I can't believe he is always so aggressive and surly.

[@DemonDethchase]

I'm not sure how the private sector leeching resources from the already struggling NHS - for profit - is going to help cut waiting lists. After all that private staff, buildings and equipment doesn't magic itself out of thin air, at the wave of the health secretary's wand.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

He wants us to think there are hundreds of hospitals and surgeons standing around the uk doing nothing...pure fantasy to suit his corrupt agenda.

[@rodbuckle4167]

Try stopping all migrantrs access to the NHS until theyve paid taxes and worked for five years.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Try stopping the replacement population coming in...by plane. Distractor.

[@bonnieo910]

Will everyone join me today and write (GET STARMER OUT AND THIS GOVERNMENT)

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

No.

[@6chhelipilot]

Wes Streeting: 'Well, I think the best way forward for the NHS is to blame everything on the Conservative Party.'

[@paulmardle8901]

giving train drivers a 15% pay rise , is balancing the books is it ?

[@strangetrip837]

That’s because Streeting is funded by private healthcare companies 🤬

[@IanSmith465]

No can't be Starmer has promised to get rid of cronyism, just dont mention his new glasses 😅

[@Philip5478]

Continuing where the Tories left off. We are litterally screwed no matter what now.

[@dragonfly6908]

It has been reported that donations from Private Healthcare Lobbyists to Wes Streeting is £175,000 (allegedly), no wonder Labour think that Train drivers are poorly paid and deserve their recent pay rise. 🚂

[@KS-kn9tn]

This man had made it worse already have been waiting to hear from the emergency dentist since 3pm yesterday

[@robinclarke9978]

I was treated privately through the NHS Years ago in Wales. It's broken, not fit for purpose. Throw more money at it and watch it disappear. I could fix it, so could anyone else but the 'managers' who are absent, useless, overpaid and to numerous. A national disgrace but the what isn't?

[@Annie-yv7rc]

Privatisation by the back door using private hospitals surely

[@jjefferyworboys8138]

Needs must to reduce the waiting lists. Sick people on long NHS waiting lists are hugely costly to tax payer and damaging to the economy.

[@davidparry5310]

​@@jjefferyworboys8138Outsourcing to corporations is part of the problem, not the solution.

[@julianshepherd2038]

I would not trust this man

[@weareevil6912]

He is just another corrupt clown

[@alexgarland2747]

He hasn't got a clue, none of them have, at least the conservatives seemed more professional even though they were useless as well.

[@matthewharding-ew1ts]

Wes Streeting needs to be very, very careful. He was only voted back in on a tiny win.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Recognise the uniparty. Voting doesn't make any difference.

[@Deeps__]

Yet the last Labour government was the very reason we have the debt we do now! £1.5trillion was the debt saddled to the tax payer due to browns failure to regulate banks in boom or bust, Labour obliterated our foundations and tories had 14 years of trying to fix it, a spending black hole of £22billion is nothing to the over doubling of debt Labour did! Someone needs to start calling them on their lies! Now using the private sector instead of getting the nhs sorted?! Where’s the nhs faithful screeching privatisation through the back door as they did anytime tories mentioned the nhs?? Hypocrites.

[@jonbon8598]

Who exactly do we owe the debt to, funny how this is never mentioned lol

[@Deeps__]

@@jonbon8598 Oh I’ll mention it. The money is owed to banks as the government apparently had to bail them out at our expense. Brown very much knew the risk US financial sectors were taking and he knowingly fostered it over here as he wanted London to be the world’s financial hub and not NY. There is plenty of reports and documentary’s detailing this, even brown admits it was his failure.

[@davidparry5310]

People are never done criticising Streeting over backdoor privatisation, including in this very comments section.

[@Deeps__]

@@davidparry5310 yet where are the docters, JR docters, nurses, unions and organisations screeching?? They do it the second tories do or say anything yet their silence now is telling.

[@davidparry5310]

@@Deeps__ They have given Streeting hell in the past over his NHS plans.

[@robbenson4598]

If it's all the Tories fault why is the Welsh NHS the worst performing in the U.K.? Many patients in North Wales are sent to an English NHS trust for treatment because Wales waiting lists are so long. Oh yes, Wales has been under the control of the Labour Party since 1999!!

[@mystrength5640]

This Should have been thought of years ago, Especially with the new immigration! Build new medical Infrastructure! Train more doctors and nurses!

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

Dont panic....the Tories have it covered with their 40 new hospitals.

[@ricardosmythe2548]

Taking tough decisions like giving out huge public sector pay rises to appease the unions who own them

[@Silver-st2zq]

That is all Liebour are bothered about.

[@davidparry5310]

More like handing lucrative contracts to the corporations that bankroll, and in this case, directly lobby them, at the expense of patients and staff alike.

[@Light-vl3vd]

Ironic he wants to end 2 tier system in the health care. 😂 that's a joke they create two tier policing and policies criticising those that criticise them by calling them far right thugs

[@Superlativ1]

The 22b "black hole" may be true but it is true because they awarded more than £22b in increases that they now need the money for. They should not have awarded so many pay increases without having the money, that's what any sensible person or business would do.

[@jessicaelliott9857]

With all the dead pensioners funeral directors will be making a killing. Have liebour got shares in that industry?

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Yes their funders share a building with the co-op the largest funeral provider in the uk. They also want to build suicide clinics instead of building hospitals..I'm not joking. They got establishment crony esther rantzen to front their sick plan.

[@sueo7834]

WARNING WARNING ⚠!! BEWARE THE IDES OF OCTOBER!! ALL PENSIONERS WATCH YOUR BACKS!!!

[@RobertThomson-y4m]

Look at his face. Liar.

[@gary8866]

How can I lower waiting list while thousands of illegal immigrants are pouring in the uk

[@emceedoctorb3022]

The illegals are only part of the problem. The far bigger one is the overwhelming number of legal migrants arriving. 700000 net last year alone. They all get free health care having never paid a penny in. This is why the NHS is struggling. This is why the country is on the verge of collapse.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

1m immigrants per year coming in (official).'. we will live in rabbit hutches while they live in the Cayman isles laughing at us.

[@RichardFrame-r6i]

All this lot do is lie lie and lie some more since they got in they have spent nearly 30billion unfunded

[@celestialteapot309]

Mr Phillips, when did £13,000 p.a. become "relatively affluent?"

[@aldarabeare9274]

That is the problem,putting money in the private and not in the public,health should not be a business,more hospitals and doctors please.why change government if they are going to continue doing the same as the Tories

[@alfiesimpson8812]

Ah yes, i forgot they had the magic wand that instantly built hospitals and made doctors appear out of nowhere. Truly outside the box thinking. They really should use that at some point

[@davidparry5310]

@@alfiesimpson8812 The government of a sovereign nation-state with its own currency finances virtually all of its expenditure by creating the money out of nothing.

[@IanSmith465]

I thought the labour plans were fully costed??? People who have paid into the system for decades are being shafted! Give us the option to opt out of paying NI because working people seem to get nothing out of paying! As for the NHS get rid of the DEI managers for a start that will save a few million.

[@ainerush8942]

There fully qualified nhs doctors who cannot get a job and there is a shortage of gps and doctors in hospitals. But instead of employing those doctors in the nhs and raising the number of training places for doctors,labour is continuing tory policy of funnelling public money to the private sector and outsourcing even more healthcare to the private sector who operate for profit. The private healthcare sector do not give quality healthcare on a par with the nhs. Scanners are being stripped out of hospitals,handed to the private sector and used for private patients before nhs patients. Hospitals never had enough scanners. Now they've got hardly any on site in hospitals so patients cannot be diagnosed in hospitals as accurately when they're admitted to hospital. Many nhs patients have not been diagnosed correctly with private healthcare. They've been sent for the wrong tests and in many cases,tests have been misread. It is unforgivable that labour is now increasing private sector involvement in the nhs when they've continually failed patients over the last fourteen years

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

Those training places simply train and supply nurses and doctors to almost every country on planet earth who offer better pay and conditions to them.

[@mariaowen7563]

Add to that the fact that private health care providers charge the NHS double the amount it would cost for the NHS to treat them. Surely recruitment and retention of NHS doctors and nurses would make more sense.

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

@@mariaowen7563 Retention means offering doctors and nurses what the private sector or countries abroad offer....the cost would be much the same.

[@inthegutterstaringathestars]

Sly News, BBC, and Channel 4 News along with newspapers tell us there are fully trained doctors coming over in dinghies every day.

[@keithmarshall8796]

Blair started the use of private health care whilst in office so its not just a tory thing!

[@michaellilley6725]

My local health board is restricting operations to " emergency only, ( cancers and trauma) no elective ( knees, hips, hernias gall bladder s etc, etc.) To begin with this was for ten weeks of the year but now we have a winter contingency plan and a seasonal adjusted plan. During these periods the majority of our theatres have no lists whilst staff are deployed to other hospitals or to help on wards which devastates moral. Previously whilst our theatres were without lists, a Private team was being payed extortionate rates all expenses paid to use a couple of them treating our patients in our theatres whilst our staff were redeployed. The longer patients wait the worse their conditions become, meaning bigger more intrusive ops with longer recovery times and possibly less favourable outcomes.😟😢

[@Paul-gq7tf]

So just agreeing to all these massive pay rises wasn't reckless spending? Doing nothing to stop people coming into the country illegally isn't reckless spending?

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

And legally...1m a year.

[@andrewwilson3448]

£22 billion - £9 billion of which is the recent pay rise to public sector workers. In addition, the proposed cuts to winter fuel payments will only save about £1.4bn a year. But if all the pensioners who are entitled to pension credit are prompted to apply for it as a result, the total cost of paying out this unclaimed money would cost the government £2.2bn a year-so it might save nothing at all. It's all BS yet again.

[@Light-vl3vd]

Never trust labour.

[@Christmascancelled]

I urge pensioners to go sit In hospital waiting rooms this winter as the nurses like it red hot otherwise they would go on strike.

[@mrgrumpy771]

Streeting hates pensioners too. Nice. He must be so proud.

[@fredmercury1314]

Loved them when it gave them an excuse to lock everyone in their homes for two years...

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

@@fredmercury1314 I might be wrong....but Im pretty certain that was Johnson and the Tories !!!!

[@inthegutterstaringathestars]

​@@malcolmstockbridge2569 And Labour objected? They never publicly said they wanted longer lockdowns with harsher penalties?

[@keithmarshall8796]

​@@malcolmstockbridge2569With labour backing and starmer who wanted quicker and longer lockdowns or did that slip your memory?

[@nevillewalker6299]

Hopefully after almost two years I am about to get a new hip, but not holding my breath having neem cancelled three times already. We the public never get to know who is responsible. I know like the Nat West Bank, Post Office et al a woman is in charge overall, does the buck stop there or do we need to get a team of real business people in there to kick ir all into shape.

[@timwoodger7896]

Well he didn’t take those “ donations “ from private healthcare for nothing 🤑🤑

[@LMC5690]

It seems to work OK for Jess Phillips 🤔

[@adrikhankant6170]

Here it comes boys, labour gives labour takes it, say bye to NHS. These Tories in the Labour party are the worst.

[@Annie-yv7rc]

A man called Robinson sorry can’t remember his Cristian name did a programme on the TV and turned around Rotherham hospital. Maybe this programme could be rerun he came up with lots of great ideas

[@chrisfarmer1141]

Wes is going to get rich so it's not a hard decision for him to make

[@junesmith6689]

All this will do is “ clog - up “ the Private Centre Too Many PEOPLE in UK

[@EllaBella-76]

@junesmith6689 •So that’s the same thing as people taking out a bank loan ?To fund treatment the BUS That VANISHED?Where is the money ?Where are the 40 Hospital ?NHS have PRIVATE WINGS that are EMPTY?Staff yes no PX ?

[@elainemackie1431]

Get nurses off their mobile phones all day - I was shocked when I was in hospital and saw this behaviour - also no one ever seems in charge of a ward then get the theatres working 24 x7 and see the waiting lists go down

[@paulgibbons2320]

So Red Torys. Evidence is mounting.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Both controlled by goldman Sachs. Richi Sunak never left them..

[@paulgibbons2320]

@@user-pf5xq3lq8i clearly

[@paulgibbons2320]

@user-pf5xq3lq8i Clearly this is true. It's no coincidence that both Britain and France have appointed bankers in charge.

[@paulgibbons2320]

@user-pf5xq3lq8i ofcourse such reality went missing.

[@witlesswonderthe2nd883]

Labour shifted treating people to the private sector last time and bragged about reducing waiting times, in reality they didn’t reduce anything because they didn’t spend the money investing and improving the Nhs itself.

[@matt94alexander32]

The National Health Shambles needs an audit to see where the money is going. The money needs redistributing from fat cats at the top to frontline services.

[@Dusyanya]

The private health sector has been involved in NHS waiting lists for some time - cataract operations being an example. The tories didn't get it entirely wrong then - did they ?

[@CB1000FP1]

I'm 71, I struggle to get a appointment at my doctors, I am a tory supporter, do I blame the tories for this situation, if I thought it was them to blame I would have no hesitation in saying so, if by some chance I manage to get an appointment with my doctor the waiting room is usually full, I'm probably one of three British people there the rest are black, Asian or eastern European, the blame for the current state of the NHS lays fairly and squarely at the doors of Blairs administration for allowing uncontrolled immigration and also at the EU for insisting on open borders, the system is overwhelmed with having to deal with these unwanted and often illegal migrants, that is the simple truth I'm afraid

[@jamieparry6420]

That’s funny, my local surgery seems filled with angry elderly white men who are angry at the world and blame minorities for their own problems. Get those bootstraps out boy.

[@Kate-d7t]

Oh yes, no chance at all if we keep adding international to the national health service!!!

[@fylbike]

Every commentator knew about this £22bn. But the labour party didn't!

[@twisteddancer7773]

The other side of the uni party look like rabbits in the headlights

[@dorjon6121]

And how many of that waiting list have arrived here, from abroad, in recent years

[@steveb3060]

Unfortunately there are too many hopeless MP's like Wes Streeting. For pensioners not on pension credit there is going to be around a net 2% pension cut next year as taking away the tax-free winter fuel allowance will not even be offset by the triple lock pension taxable increase.

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

Then the answer is to not bring back the winter fuel allowance but simply reduce fuel costs for everybody !

[@steveb3060]

@@malcolmstockbridge2569 That would be a good idea, but the Nordstream pipeline wouldn't have been blown up if they wanted to reduce fuel costs.

[@paulcock3489]

I hope that the private sector charges triple x 1000. 1 hip operation should cost more than uncle Sams defence budget

[@johnwilliam1945]

IF AND I MEAN A BIG IF they have a BLACK hole,sort it , not hit the lower class , cut the interest on money borrowed they dont need massive profits

[@speedboostr]

Sir two tier

[@paulrobertson3796]

So thats why the cut the winter fuel payments for pensioners

[@GBPaddling]

Net zero means we have to do away with stuff like Hospitals surely? They use up like energy and stuff, and Patients are like eating food and that.

[@jus-me]

Trevor defending the idea that 22BN is nothing, and should be continued is just plainly painting him stupid.

[@tonyorwin-nt6um]

Spoken like a true Tory 😂 Hang on!! OH bloody hell,it's getting hard to tell them apart.😮😢

[@trevormahoney4129]

This is one of the things that the Labour Party was against when in opposition to the tory government. Now they are going to look at this after the doctors being given a 22% pay rise

[@senanur1983]

What happened to 40,000 extra appointments every week promised by Labour?

[@mas4714]

A political choice from the few and for the few.

[@creamofcardstv]

Worked reall well for water companies, NOT!

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Imagine if lying faced Wes was running the water network: "so we've got all these empty private pipes underground doing nothing...why don't we use them?" He's fooling noone with his b.s.

[@rattyfan3594]

The backlog will drop a bit once they've frozen the pensioners to death over winter.

[@philipwood814]

Let's hope he does it properly. The interface between the NHS and Boots, Specsavers etc can add to waiting times.

[@hankstaines6568]

Take a leaf out of Tony Blair's book and farm it out to the private sector, after all, they used taxpayer's money to set up. Also France and Spain have good health services.

[@jjefferyworboys8138]

Estonia has great prisons with lots of spare capacity.

[@jasonuren3479]

Always the plan

[@stequality]

Definitely bud

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

If there are no beds at the hospital for grandma to get her hip done, then there will be plenty beds at their new esther rantzen suicide clinics..

[@mickeyminime7556]

Good luck at that. As long as the population increases and all, the NHS and other places will continue to get so much worse with it's services. It's not designed for a massive population unless both are designed to be on the same level. The NHS has been let down for the past 20+ years and ever since then, it's been dead in the water with no chance of being saved.

[@kevbrown2532]

1) tax doesn't pay government bills, it can't as its not possible to accurately predict two years ahead the tax revenue. 2) government can and does create money as it needs. The gap that exists in the finances can be filled this way. As can any further investment in the countries infrastructure and society. 3) state pension is paid at two different figures dependent on when the pensioner qualified for it. £169 per week for those qualifying pre April 2016, £221 for those after this date. Increasing pensions by a percentage widens that gap. Same goes for other welfare benefits. 4) reducing money to the most in need and therefore to those most likely to spend reduces the national economy counter to what the government have stated their aim to be. 5) less funding means poorer health and greater expense on the nation. 6) private healthcare aims to create a profit that increases the cost on the NHS, reducing private healthcare within the NHS will free up finances.

[@trishtraynor]

Not a new idea. I worked in Kent and Canterbury hospital in the early 00s and the private hospitals were well used for NHS patients. We have to make sure that it's NOT the same surgeons working all hours in both sectors! Another quick fix at that time was to send patients across the channel for routine hip replacements. Trouble was, they didn't fully understand that patients need somewhere for rehab afterwards. Imagine that! Trust bosses who wouldn't know a patient from an x-ray machine 'running the business' of healthcare. 😠

[@ted5669]

Impossible. More people coming in means more people using the NHS. Same with schools, prisons, housing and so on.

[@oweng7987]

I wonder if we stopped importing over 1 million new NHS users every year, pressure might be relieved on the NHS?

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

Haven't seen a single reporter on mainstream corporate news ask that question. Its like they are all involved.

[@fylbike]

The private sector helping the NHS? HOW?

[@YUDNSAY]

Prior to 2020, GP practices were given the 'opportunity' to create private clinics, as there was expected to be an increase in 'waiting' lists after 2022....