James O'Brien is 'scared of overdosing on hope' - here's why | LBC

James O'Brien reflects on the new Health Secretary's comments on people out of work due to 'long-term sickness'.
He wonders if this is a change in tone from Labour - compared to the last Tory government - which will improve the appetite for people to get back into work.
Wes Streeting has announced that the NHS must cease its continual requests for additional funding and instead focus on driving economic growth by helping people return to work.
In his first address since being appointed as the Health and Social Care Secretary, Streeting asserted that it is time to "rethink" the NHS's role in the UK, declaring that the "begging bowl culture" within the health service must come to an end.
Streeting pledged to tackle the crisis of worklessness and stimulate economic growth, emphasising that the NHS and the Treasury will collaborate closely to reduce the nearly three million individuals on long-term sick leave, thereby boosting the economy.
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[@allip4226]

Private sector companies grifting off the NHS is a large part of why it's in such a state to begin with. Pay our NHS staff properly and get rid of private sector conmen draining its budget with profit extraction.

[@keirmitchell5560]

You are aware the people who work in these private sectors are the ones that work for the NHS.

[@Thought_Processing_]

The problem is the NHS doesn’t have the staff. New doctors need to be trained, until then we need to bring outside contractors. It’s not like what the Tories did which was use contractors on a permanent basis.

[@FerreusNRG]

happiest country in the world has private/public healthcare system..

[@Bertrum123]

​@@FerreusNRGdosnt refome want to privatice the nhs and have private medical insurance so the first thing they ask is do you have health insurance or can we have your credit card personaly i would would rather have a well funded nhs like it was under the last labour guve .best nhs approval rating of all time .facts are facts

[@Bertrum123]

Camoren's policies did a few in

[@user-hj2cr7pc8h]

As a long term sick person, with physical and mental illness, I desperately need some hope. The election result and the grown-up politics of the last few days has given me a glimmer of hope (including the gracious exchanges between the new and former Prime Ministers during the opening of Parliament). The trouble is the decades of cuts to primary health services, especially mental health services. I hate being and feeling useless. How do I come back from a decade out of work? Nobody will give me the chance. It would be impossible for me to hold down a 9-5. I’m just not capable without help.

[@gavinclark3485]

Grown up politics 🤣🤣🤣 the children are definitely in charge now buckle up!

[@grahamwade5932]

Hopefully you can find some programs or groups which I can help you. I worked with an organisation called shaping our lives who work to get from marginalised backgrounds more involved in local decision making and into small paid work jobs. Google them and get in touch, they're lovely.

[@naheed03]

You sound more childish ​@@gavinclark3485

[@kanedNunable]

@@gavinclark3485 that must have made the tories toddlers then?

[@swordseye2]

I have been through a very similar thing but with one key difference: I have never been well enough to work. I think there's a possibility that I would be able to with the right help but that's never been there. I'm now 30 and hope is very difficult to come by. Although I don't have any physical disabilities (apart from astigmatism) I have multiple mental health problems with depression and neurodivergence being the big ones. I think the best thing for me as a first step would be a work placement and see how I get on. Find out if I feel there could be changes to make it possible for me to work or not and then if I figure out I really can't work then have benefits waiting for me. Also the whole interview thing is impossible for me because of my difference in thinking and socialising. Right now I just want to know what I'm capable of but there is absolutely no one who will give me the chance and time is ticking.

[@petejenkins5574]

Wes Streeting wants private health to take a cut from our NHS...... In other, unrelated, news Wes Streeting took £175,000 donations from private health companies.

[@Bertrum123]

No he dosnt at least tell the truth and stop trying to twist it .he said they would have to use the private sector to cover the shortfall while they trained up more drs and nurses .they have been using the private sector for years .you need to stop parroting stuff from social media thinking youl.sound clever when you realy havnt a clue what your talking about but nice try anyway lol

[@stevenstocker9873]

If they wanted to reduce fraud within the welfare system, they should have instant access to NHS files, and take the word of a qualified doctor opinion over some hack, with little to no qualifications.

[@pizzacrunch4632]

We need employers to give people a work environment that people actually want to be in.

[@wethepeople_247]

remember we saw Branson sue the nhs for 85 mill because he DIDNT get a contract

[@kevinwordsworth3808]

I live in Australia i can tell you first hand our liberal government sold off public jobs to the private sector and now we are struggling because private companies tend to rip the people off because public money is being suckwd up by private enterprises. Be weary what you wish for it an absolute nightmare.

[@markrhoden68]

I've recently had eye surgery, which has meant I've been off work for two months. When I was due to go back (last week), I can honestly say the days before I was due to go back I was so apprehensive, yet I don't understand why. I've been doing this job for more than 20 years now, yet the idea of going back after my illness was so strange. I can only imagine how hard it must be for people who haven't worked for a long time how difficult it must be to face down that apprehension and even more so if going back to work in a different field that's unfamiliar

[@ckSport3000]

American who loves the UK. Empowering every local government to create a “Blight law”.. auction off all boarder up or blighted building! Create low income housing and low rent shops.. immediately improving every community in less than a year.

[@mogznwaz]

I’m a small-c conservative and I agree, I think the vast majority of the public would be united on this

[@frankbrennan1619]

Absolutely, but Sadiq Khan in particular will ONLY do the complete opposite & as always, blame EVERYONE else when NOTHING improves....

[@muckraker7942]

Thanks Lenin.

[@petejenkins5574]

well I have had a long, hard think about it (about 30ms) and I cant see any possible bad outcomes of that

[@peterspowage5752]

​@@frankbrennan1619and you know this because...............?

[@jonnyb2774]

If a private company can take on delivering some of the care the nhs does, at no more cost to the taxpayer, at the same standard and a profit, then I’m all for that, but it has to be the same standard and not cost us any more.

[@johnrussell3961]

That’s how it works in Europe . State health care doesn’t have to mean state provision.

[@rhondamcknight2596]

Corporations make money. At what point does a corporation stops making a profit off your health before raising the cost? The cost to you is so high the corporation has to drop you? No, you do not want Corporate run healthcare.

[@kristianheadland8184]

Having allowable profit margins clearly stated in the contracts, and deliverable that if not met have reimbursement clauses in them. These are all things that got us to the moon and back. This is how government and business work together to grow. How do the long term sick get back into work. Support employers to take work with the state to hire from this pool of people. Improve government and small business relations to empower this work.

[@Etheoma]

Like that aint gonna happen, what I'm hoping for is a temporay step in for private providers, but an investment in NHS capacity for the long term... although that isn't going to happen either.

[@allip4226]

That absolutely won't happen. It will be an expensive (for us) disaster, just like the privatisation of water, utilities, the railways, Royal Mail, etc.

[@FornaxTheHerald]

No private healthcare!

[@orsoncart1547]

The NHS sent me to a private clinic to get a scan and the place was empty when I walked in. No staff on reception but no patients either, nobody, a ghost town. I had to walk around the place going up the stairs looking for someone. Had tea and biscuits layed out in the waiting area which was nice but the whole thing seemed such a waste.

[@justin6378]

I don't want carers from private companies either! Who trains these people because the majority of them don't seem to have a clue what they are doing!

[@muckraker7942]

@@orsoncart1547Private clinics in the UK are not really private, they rely on the NHS for referrals and they hire NHS trained staff. UK does not have a clue how to run it. A more natural experience would be to try one of the American hospitals like Portland in Westminster. Brits talking about private healthcare is like Russians talking about freedom. They just don’t know.

[@peterspowage5752]

​@justin6378 They cost the NHS a great amount of money too, but we have a crisis and every available source of provision should be mobilized to resolve it.

[@allip4226]

​@@muckraker7942I lived in the US for six and a half years and am well aware of how their private healthcare system repeatedly fails their population. Sky high "insurance" that will use any excuse not to pay out. A bureacratic nightmare that ordinary citizens struggle to navigate, and of course most people do not have the resources to take insurance companies to court even when they are breaking the law. Expect to pay hundreds a month in "insurance" and thousands more in "excess" and "co-pays" If you ever actually need to use the services. The last thing this country needs is a US-style "healthcare" for profit system.

[@robertcreighton4635]

'Hope, in reality, is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man' Friedrich Nietzsche. Cheerful chap wasn't he

[@Ridersonthestorm8899]

Kind of true though lol

[@SashaGrace94]

Annoyed I was in the office yesterday and wasn’t listening live - as a former DWP Case Manager and Work Coach I can tell you all about the system and how it designed to let people down. Outcomes for job searching and getting people into the labour market is not done by Job Centre staff, it’s contracted out privately to other companies. The way UC is built is designed to find people fit for work and ignore all the reasons they might not be. The work capability assessments are not done by DWP staff either, they are also farmed out privately with a strict assessment criteria that is designed to find people fit for work at every opportunity even if it ignores all the reasons they may not be. People need proper capacity building and support to find a job that suits them. The number of people who can work but don’t is very small indeed.

[@tomjohnson9833]

David Lammy is now the actual foreign secretary of the United Kingdom. Overdosing on hope is not a risk

[@IMBlakeley]

I wouldn't trust Streeting further than I could spit an elephant. Better than the tories, well yes but that's not a high bar.

[@theregolfer9721]

We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of improvement.

[@acrodave9287]

I'm not overdosing on hope. I'm 60 and disabled with heart disease and haven't been given more than about 7 years left to live. It seems that whoever is in government, I'm under the purview of the DWP; a state within a state beholden unto none, so whoever is in government, my card, and the cards of tens and thousands of others is already well and truly marked. Already the phrase "economically inactive" has become accepted parlance and it's uncomfortably close to the German phrase "Nutzloser Esser": "Useless Eaters".

[@JohnSmall314]

Are disasters such as the trains and water companies inevitable after privatisation? Yes. It's trivially easy to see why. For publicly run services, you pay tax or a small amount to get a service, e.g. a ride on a London tube train. All the money goes directly to providing the service. I know because when Johnson was Mayor of London there were big signs up on the London underground saying "Because we don't have shareholders, all the money from ticket sales goes directly to funding the underground", or words to that effect. But if you get a private company to do the same job then they have to turn a profit, which means they have to (a) charge more or (b) provide a worse service or (c) both (a) and (b) together. As we have learned it's nearly always (c). Which means that getting private companies to provide services that the NHS already provides means option (c) they'll charge more for a worse service. As we can see already where lots of private companies have been contracted to provide services that the NHS should be doing itself, such as cleaning in hospitals or testing blood samples. We pay more, but get a worse service. So I really do not know what drugs senior people in the Labour party are on if they think that partial privatisation of the NHS is going to solve the crisis in the NHS. Have they learned nothing from the last 40 years?

[@thatguy2608]

In policy you have 2 main approaches that branch out. You have the positive reinforcement, and the negative reinforcement approaches. Obviously the positive tries to incentivise certain behaviours, and the negative punishes any behaviour that falls short of a certain threshold. Nurturing vs tough love is how it plays out in layman's terms. Excess labor isn't frowned upon because of missed tax receipts. Taxes are the recycling end of public investment, they dont pay for investments. Bonds issued by the government aren't paid for with taxes. This view of taxes paying for things needs to stop, they don't. They help keep the international value of a currency balanced. The real downside to excess labor is that the government is deprived of that labor for investments in productivity that will further strengthen the currency and by default lower import prices that help living standards (real wealth increases). Labour can start by getting the NHS keying on the disabled labour force to see what they have can fix and what they can't. Then you have a baseline for expected gains in labour/productivity. Contracting services to private entities with a stiff regulatory structure will help the economy/NHS/entrepreneurs, etc. It's a foreign idea because of the courrupted use of it by the Tories, but it is the way. Once you have a clear view of the disability factor in the public sphere, then you can plan on how to move forward.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Did you know private cleaning in the NHS, costs the NHS in illnesses caused by poor cleanliness over £1 billion a year that's poor cleaning alone. That is over 100 million more than all missed appointments and all unused medicine costs the NHS a year.

[@johnrussell3961]

When some know something is free, they abuse it.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@johnrussell3961 it isn't free.and if it was abused, we'd see it in the figures which we don't.

[@johnrussell3961]

@@Alex-cw3rz , Missed appointments is recorded.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@johnrussell3961 all that shows is missed appointments. We don't know the reason.

[@paulgoddard6679]

It's sad to say but there are some people who don't want to work no matter how much help you give them

[@johnrussell3961]

I don’t want that type saying…..hello , I am your new GP..

[@williamtudor]

Nobody chooses a life of crushing poverty on paltry benefits. Put the Daily Mail down and give your head a wobble.

[@keithparker1346]

No doubt there are a tiny minority that do that but there's also something like £19billion if unclaimed benefits so it works both ways

[@eddiecalderone]

@@williamtudor Oh you’re so naive…. Or ignorant

[@williamtudor]

@@eddiecalderone No, I'm literally neither; simply an informed and educated individual on the matter. You, conversely, live in a fantasy world of daily mail headlines. Grow up.

[@brianferguson7840]

I wonder when LBC will start covering the "Situation" in Gaza ??😢 The misery continues unabated.

[@leedavis6000]

Literally about to do the same thing. Thanks for getting there first. 42 people killed by Israel in the last couple of days from one attack. Also a in report coming out saying the death toll is in fact considerably higher.

[@AndyM_323YYY]

Russia bombed a children's hospital in Ukraine. Have you been posting about that?

[@leedavis6000]

@@AndyM_323YYY 💯 also made contributions aswell. What have you done?

[@tonydawson5250]

@@AndyM_323YYY So Netenyahu and Putin are both utterly evil.

[@AndyM_323YYY]

@@leedavis6000 Can you clarify your post? Who made what contributions to whom?

[@sunday-tea9853]

The idea of letting private companies anywhere near the NHS is horrifying! If they go down this route I'm very dissapointed in my labour vote...

[@gearoftones8585]

If you voted Labour, that's what you voted for.

[@Dunbar0740]

The route was embarked upon some time ago. Under Hunt's stewardship public bodies were prohibited from bidding on NHS contracts. This is why hospitals now resemble shopping centres. The question is, will our new government continue down this path?

[@gearoftones8585]

@@Dunbar0740 streeting said he would BEFORE the election, were you guys asleep FFS, or did you just not want to hear it? Look at where his donations came from!

[@mattyfrommacc1554]

I voted Labour and know entirely about this, don't like It particularly

[@johnrussell3961]

You voted for new labour to find realistic solutions. It wasn’t about swapping Tory dogma for far left labour dogma,

[@AndyWarpol]

Ex googler here. Can’t get a job. Don’t get into tech. It’s dead. Thinking of becoming a gardener

[@AndyWarpol]

There are less jobs. In general.

[@boltonpictures9034]

The only way I see to release pressure off the NHS is to make NHS service available through Health Insurance. Health Insurance payments should be provided by their employers which will also encourage people to find a job and stay in a job. If people can afford to pay annual Car Insurance, they can certainly pay Health Insurance contribution for their health needs with support from employers. The state could then provide Health Insurance for those on benefits under social care reform. That way people will know the limit of their coverage and pay more attention to their health. Save the NHS ! 😱

[@wthomas5697]

Our health care system over here in the US is essentially privatized. The doctors and staff are great. The part of the deal that involves the companies who do the billing is horrific. You never know how badly you're going to be ripped off. It's a constant fear, what they're going to charge you. The prices are that shocking. You folks won't like it.

[@Aubury]

For Londoners, the outrage over Thames Water scandalous behaviour. Asking for another price increase to complete its updating, having already taken a previous increase to complete. Whilst it hangs on the edge of bankruptcy. Nationalisation without compensation, the rapscallions.

[@leonardosimm3536]

The biggest issue with private companies' involvement in public services (let's be honest, although I prefer it for our essential services, public ownership is no guarantee of great quality of service) is the lack of regulation, enforcement and dearth of short-term consequences for not observing the rules and established standards. Having a robust system of oversight and enforcement will sort out the chaff from the pool of applicants and remove the non-performers from the industry in short order. Deterring poor service levels and corruption is the biggest weapon against the kind of criminal under-performance we see in, for example, the water industry.

[@alantheinquirer7658]

In an ideal world, the NHS - in fact, any public service - should be run by the public purse. However, so much damage has been done that private money (investment if you will) is a necessary evil in order to recover the service. Then, after the nations economy recovers, the private contracts can be gradually reduced. Thing is, a Tory government increases private contracts with no intention of reducing dependence on the faceless 'investors'.

[@johnrussell3961]

Exactly. The Tories have made sure the state has no money . It’s the private sector that has money..

[@alantheinquirer7658]

@@johnrussell3961 Whenever criticised, every government answered with how much money they'd 'invested' in the NHS. No mention of WHERE that money was invested!

[@sunday-tea9853]

The problem is once that box is open, putting the private contracts back into the box will be almost impossible....

[@alantheinquirer7658]

@@sunday-tea9853 Wouldn't it be possible to let existing contracts run to term? If they're open-ended then they can be given a time limit along with expected performance targets. We could do it with the water industry too - no more blank cheques - they either reduce profits to shareholders in order to meet targets or they lose the contract.

[@sunday-tea9853]

@@alantheinquirer7658 theoretically I see what you're saying, but in practice any public service that was opened to private sector was eventually privatised. I might be wrong, but it seems we've been down this road before and it rarely ends well. All we need is another corrupt goverment at one point to write a bunch of loopholes into the contracts and that's it.

[@boltonpictures9034]

Obstacle to work for the 2.8 million are the unavailability of speedy medical services. If your joint replacement takes 2 years on a waiting list, by then you have lost your skills and got comfy with your couch and TV , whilst the consequences of delayed treatment or neglected care is hugely expensive and costs the NHS more that it would cost for that joint. Delays due to lack of resources, personnel and red-tape with a gross imbalance of distribution of funds to Cancer vs Non cancerous disease keeps the society in morbid state for longer. 😮

[@macsmiffy2197]

I’m a bit wary of Streeting’s plans for the NHS. Firstly, he needs to look at the number of nurses who are on long term sick with long covid and the way they are being treated by hospital management. People I know in this situation have been trying to find a solution for over 2 years. It’s psychologically distressing as well as having their physical problems to cope with. We honestly believe managers to be kicking solutions down the road in the hope that these nurses will just give in and resign. Disgusting behaviour!

[@finlayfraser9952]

Betrayal of the very principal of the NHS.

[@bennyfactor1]

Living in a rural area I and many others rely on the private sector to deliver services having been referred by the NHS. And almost all of those services are delivered by ex NHS staff on better pay and conditions than they experienced within the NHS. Although I suspect those who oppose private sector would stop the mobile units and have us traveling 40 plus miles to sit in a NHS waiting room for hours.

[@trueredred859]

Streeting so close to losing his seat😂

[@user-fj9np7mp7p]

But he didn’t.

[@andrewelder8212]

So get over it and join Owen Jones' great movement of the left😂 Or is it left behind?

[@Dayrile123]

But... He didn't. He won his seat and is the new health secretary in government.

[@user-wj7cv9hb5j]

A straight answer is an honest answer, avoiding is lying. Watch starmers words... never a straight answer.

[@mattyspaghetti449]

Overdosing on hope?? Sir, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[@BurningTNT]

One policy would be to mandate companies over a certain size employ a percentage of disabled people roughly equivalent to the working age population that is disabled and fine them if they don’t meet that. One of the big issues is finding employers willing to hire someone with multiple health conditions and make adjustments rather than just claim another candidate was better qualified

[@boltonpictures9034]

Why is NHS buying Teleradiology services within the UK on the justification that they do not have enough Radiologists , whilst it’s the same capacity NHS Radiologist that does the private Teleradiology work at a higher fee. As a consequence the Teleradiology companies acting as the middle man between capacity and demand are paid huge fees for a short-term fix . It may be justified if Radiologist capacity was increased by contracting with Radiologists outside the country and take advantage of the time-difference.

[@tjrr1999]

James o’Brian king of the culture wars

[@jimwest7107]

I have chronic breathing issues still with no diagnosis but the effects of it bad enough to qualify for disability and PIP.

[@naheed03]

You should apply for pip if you haven't already.

[@MonkEsquire]

Haven't worked since 2007 due to long term issues with anxiety & avoidance. At the point now where I feel like I'm ready to ease back into the workforce but there's basically nothing out there for people like me. Would be nice to get an apprenticeship in a trade but it's looking bleak.

[@naheed03]

There are jobs apprenticeships and more you just having to look around online. Lots of work from home jobs, flexible hours, part time or freelance self employed too. It takes a huge effort I know but there is tons more than you realise.

[@keithparker1346]

This country has given up training people as we'd rather import labour as it's cheaper

[@davidaward82]

the fact that utility companies in this country can claim millions in subsidies, while also giving away millions to their shareholders, is utterly disgusting. you can't need a government handout in order to stay afloat, AND make enough profit to give bonuses and dividends without one of those two things being a lie. we all know it's the former of the two that is the lie, as they DO give those bonuses and dividends.

[@matthewcaldwell8100]

Labour has a chance. Everything about the way they have operated until now suggests they will squander it. I really hope I'm wrong.

[@S-I-T]

They have no other way of easing the pressures on the nhs. Id hope these private companies are properly scrutinised. We need results and people getting treated.

[@mysteriousfox88]

private sector with no self regulation and tight auditing

[@awesometruth6409]

Labour should review and cut the yealy salary of Band 7, 8, 9 and Chief Execs of NHS trusts and pay that money to NHS staffs working lower Bands.Service will improve for sure.People working in higher bands/positions mostly work from home and come to office may be for a day in a week.Question is if they really do the work from home or just being unproductive?

[@alexanderprice6612]

Shocking amounts of lies and misconceptions around what privatising the NHS entails. Most of Europe uses a privatised healthcare model already. It would improve standards, and it would also allow doctors and nurses to demand better salaries through natural market competition rather than the current NHS model where the UK effectively has only one employer and so all healthcare wages can be dictated by politicians.

[@keithparker1346]

Market competition 😂

[@alexanderprice6612]

@@keithparker1346 yes, just as in every other privatised healthcare system in the world where there are multiple employers people can move companies to demand better wages. This is impossible when the only employer in your field is the NHS and politicians fearful of being blamed for tax rises dictate your salary.

[@ycanionlyevafind1sok]

The language doesn't matter, it'll push mentally ill people back into work. Do we trust the systems to get it right every time? Thousands of people will fall through the cracks on this, they always do. It'll cause a lot of suffering.

[@fintamaria2429]

The question is this. I am improving my life, I have a better life after ten hours of work every day, or my only joy at the end of the year is that I have not yet reached Homles. How many years do you think it takes to work like this just to be tired , under stress so that you become irreparably ill. 4,5 years only😢😢😢😢

[@PassiveAgressive319]

The NHS has always used the private sector to manage waiting lists and get patients we have been waiting long for operations.

[@MiPointIs]

Wes Streeting said he would utilise private health companies to remove the backlog in the NHS

[@CurtalA]

Once private are in the doors, it will be impossible to get rid of them. I do not trust this government to keep the NHS free at the point of use.

[@johnrussell3961]

The far left wants everyone to wait until the NHS has been fixed.,

[@jameslochridge4265]

Streeting is lying in the description, what he's talking about is privatised healthcare, After all he's sponsored by private health companies.

[@peterspowage5752]

​@@jameslochridge4265Streeting is not the Prime Minister, nor are his views representative of the Labour Party, the policy of which is very much in favour of a state owned NHS. Unless Starmer, his Party and the country as a whole changes their minds, the use of private health to address the issue of reducing waiting lists will be just that, nothing else.

[@keithparker1346]

​@@peterspowage5752really? You expect these healthcare companies to donate to Labour and expect just one off work?

[@redtop1968]

Trust Streeting at your own Peral, concerning private health bungs he has taken.

[@boltonpictures9034]

HOW TO FIX IT ? The only way I see to release pressure off the NHS is to make NHS service available through Health Insurance. Health Insurance payments should be provided by their employers which will also encourage people to find a job and stay in a job. If people can afford to pay annual Car Insurance, (35 million have Car Insurance in Britain), they can certainly pay Health Insurance contribution for their health needs with support from employers. …The state could then provide Health Insurance for those on benefits under social care reform. The Insurance body can also regulate evidence based practice and reduce wastage. Set a limit for cover and ….That way, people will know the limit of their coverage and pay more attention to their health. Save the NHS ! 😱.

[@hughwilson-gm9bw]

Remember that under Blair the nhs started to send some patients for treatments in the private sector and this helped to reduce waiting lists, if this is done on a short-term basis only im in favour. But we mustn't sell of more of our services to the private sector. How long will it be to raise the money, recruit and train medical staff, build new hospitals and reduce waiting lists?

[@keithparker1346]

Any money to private healthcare is money taken from the NHS

[@MarkSibthorpe-yg8zu]

I also feel the Left see others as victims but the Right wing want to be the victim. For example the BLM campaign, which at heart is giving everyone treated equally but the right wing became very aggressive as they hate others being seen as victims

[@SandraKindreich]

Absolutely no change there then

[@RobMorrison-vf2is]

If it helps cut the waiting lists in the short term it may be necessary. But how does it sit with taxpayers' money going to pay shareholders. I can see a time where a lot of people will have to pay as they do in the states. Once they get a foot in the door it is hard to remove it. The contracts or at least details should be published of who is doing what, when and for how much and scrutinised independently for transparency. We do not want more of what has gone on previously. Because sometimes some politicians can't help themselves from helping themselves.

[@user-zt5rx6zx1e]

if the previous lot had said anything about using private health then they would have been accused of privatising the health service and anyway anything that gets this guy to stop saying he hates people will do for me

[@SharonTrew]

Demonise the poor...the sick...the immigrant. Yes there are some people on the take..but set the money lost against tax avoidance or non uptake by pensioners of benefits. However there is a problem with "the working poor" or long term sick. Make wages and conditions worthwhile. Im long term sick but now a pensioner (6 years after i expected)...i would have liked to work parttime while i was ill but the horror of working that with my benefits..ie reporting earnings, fear of losing my fall back benefits if i needed time away from work, and dont forget the waiting for medical procedures that could make work possible plus working conditions that made allowances for my disability that employers had to fund...all this made finding a suitable job impossible. A universal flat rate of income for all would guarantee to protect everyone from destitution and likely save £££ in sorting all these benefits..it would stop the demonising of the poor to a large extent and paid access to education would benefit society at large and encourage personal growth and skill gathering. Those who enjoy their working life are the lucky few..most of us work for wages and when those wages are no better than benefits the answer isnt to cut the benefits but to make work worthwhile by improving conditions and wages and helping people find their place in society. Tinkering with the benefit sytem and not recognising how and why it has become a choice rather than a safety net wont cure our sick populace. Last point...if you have no recourse to mental health support you will not pull yourself together.

[@DoneDunning]

Can't they just leave us poor little Europeans alone?

[@EmDavies-cl8nv]

I am long term sick yet care for my disabled SEN child and home educate them all at my own cost with no support. I wish the government would recognise people such as myself who are working whilst being sick and also saving the state a lot of money.

[@naheed03]

If you don't mind me asking how do you manage your bills? Surely you must get UC and child benefits and/or PIP/carers allowance for child's DLA? That isn't self funded so you must be getting financial support. I get Uc and PIP. I wouldn't call that self funded. Unless you work a bit / have substantial savings

[@EmDavies-cl8nv]

@@naheed03 my husband works covering bills for 3 people. I'm at appeal process for PiP nearly 2 year wait from initial claim. Do you know how much it costs to meet the needs of an SEN child's education, providing them with a similar access to play, therapy and education? So yes at our own cost as we get nothing from education board only annual safeguarding. They couldn't meet my child's needs resulting in them being home educated.

[@timwoodger7896]

It’s socialism for the corporations and austerity for the public. Corporate socialism not dislike the Torys.

[@gerard7833]

That's what he's doing, private

[@jameslochridge4265]

Can't wait to see how much control over our resources/energy etc in Scotland we in Scotland get from Starmer.

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

My experience is of being a highly qualified highly intelligent person whom morons wouldn't employ for that reason. Can I have the million quid that has been stolen from me, so I can retire?

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

Graduates of the 700th best university in the world are not much different from non graduates. Or 200th.

[@octaviamcdougall7170]

THERE IS NO HOPE WE ALREADY PASSED 1.5c THERE IS NO CHANCE FOR US YOUNG CXXTS

[@taxpayer1040]

Don't worry, dear Lord Watson of Kidderminster should be able to help out.

[@oshimia6746]

I am genuinely upset that Wes Streeting didn't lose his seat. He is the worst possible person in the Labour Party to have in control of the NHS

[@BadgerBoy59]

I think if the private sector is used in the short-term to get rid of the NHS backlog which the Tories created, then I'm in favour of it. It's if the private sector continues to be used AFTER the backlog is cleared that is wasteful.

[@StaggerLee1468]

You are so right. He is so, so foul. He and Kendall are peas in a pod

[@StaggerLee1468]

​@BadgerBoy59 that's exactly it; it will never end there, the door will be fully open and they will march right through

[@peterspowage5752]

Labour set out a number of priorities in its manifesto. They are already addressing those priorities. The personalities who are charged with getting results have been chosen and approved by Starmer, who, I believe will have no hesitation in sacking them if they fail. Whether or not you like them or didn't want them to be elected is therefore irrelevant.

[@peterspowage5752]

​@@StaggerLee1468That is not exactly it. The NHS is still Labour's "sacred cow," and, whatever personal feelings you have about Streeting, using private provision is only a strategy to reduce waiting lists, not abdication of the state's responsibility for our health.

[@ScruffyTubbles]

There is a suggestion in the Guardian today that private op's have ruined Eye Surgery. Oh dear.

[@EmDavies-cl8nv]

Free up jobs taken by the people who are unable to retire by making a policy to make a childcare payment to grandparents to enable them to care for their grandchildren so that the parents can afford to go to work. Yes you'll get cries of why pay the grandparents but then why pay extortionate amounts to childcare companies stopping people working?

[@brianharris7243]

This is about using available resources(private providers) in a limited and regulated way for a limited period to undo the Tory damage.

[@johnrussell3961]

The far left don’t want the queues brought down if external providers are used to do it., Don’t they have elderly relatives stuck in the queues?

[@keithparker1346]

Yes but we will be paying them when that money could go to the NHS

[@johnrussell3961]

@@keithparker1346 , would you really care if your grandmother was in the queue?

[@keithparker1346]

​@@johnrussell3961yes I would. I've been personally on a waiting list for nearly 2 years. I still believe it's wrong but nice attempt at emotional blackmail...but that's all you Labour fanboys have got

[@johnmurray1479]

The long term solution to this is a to develop an appropriate economy with opportunity and routes to re-enter the working economy. The adult education system is dead (route to re- engaging with skills and finding inspiration), There is no decent training routes for older people to retrain (eg in green economy), there is no support to develop business, universal credit gave people a respectable benefits regime (now gone). Redevelop these routes it will but it will cost money.

[@peace8373]

Is government for the people? Is government for the elites, the rich and the wealthy investment class? Do the people have the right to direct the future of the nation? Why then do we allow the rich elites to tell the people what the future will be like. Stand for the right of the people to direct the future of our country, we are the voters, we have rights you know.

[@FredTheLard]

If you are in a financial position that a fine is at most a few days pay, then there is a case for a short term prison sentence. But that does not require a traditional prison. The punishment is to deprive someone of their time, so they understand society does not approve of their actions. The trick is to implement this cheaply. You could have a 'prison' hotel, the person must book themselves in when rooms are available, attend at least 1 week a year of their until their sentence is paid, pay their for the room and food, and wear a tag during the stay. They must shower as they enter, leaving all their cloths outside, and wear provided cloths for the stay. You book yourself in for a stay, must stay a full week at a time, and any deviation invalidates the stay. That would only account for a small % of the criminal population but it's appropriate for some, and would be effective if you sentence someone to 5 weeks stay over the next 3 years. The cost to the govt is that of a hotel, plus a bit for extra surveillance, it's more bookkeeping than prison.

[@wandavazquez6320]

Don’t do it l. Americans can’t afford healthcare.

[@matthewclifton2510]

Power of self-deceit is amazing. Labour lovely people, Tories, Reform nasty people. Simple enough?

[@peterspowage5752]

In general terms that statement has merit, however, it seems that you don't believe it, so it's not so simple is it?

[@DylanSargesson]

If they deliver a decent service I have no problem using public money to fund extra capacity from the private sector to bring down waiting lists - people will still get their healthcare free at the point of use. The only difference to the current situation is that more people will actually get that healthcare, instead of just being on the waiting list for it.

[@keithparker1346]

It's not really the point. If they can pay private companies why not use that money in the NHS?

[@DylanSargesson]

@@keithparker1346 Building up extra capacity in the NHS takes time, people are sick and dying on the waiting lists *now*. Even if it's a bit more expensive that's still worth it. There's no point in having a health service free at the point of use, if people can't get to the point of use.

[@keithparker1346]

@@DylanSargesson emotional blackmail

[@DylanSargesson]

@@keithparker1346 Not blackmail, just a simple policy argument. The government shouldn't let more people suffer on the waiting list just out of some ideological mistrust of private healthcare providers.

[@keithparker1346]

@@DylanSargesson yes it is emotional blackmail

[@jamesmeehan4209]

What is going to happen to welfare benefits they are going to be cut

[@tonylawlor8833]

I think your fear is well Justified.

[@boywonder6659]

I haven’t got long covid I’ve got long idleness.

[@chrispietryga8710]

Realpolitik...

[@jonathanmarsh5955]

Hope is a very necessary but potentially very destructive thing. We are grown-ups, despite appearances to the contrary! Just be straight with us, as far as possible. Growth and rebuilding take time. As far as sending people on the sick back to work goes, most of us would rather be doing 'something' rather than nothing, I know that from personal experience. It gets very complicated very quickly! Mental health issues, always the poor relation in the NHS, do not get better with age. Degenerative conditions do not get better with age, or at all, really. Fact is that the jobs they wish to see filled are very physically demanding, mentally draining and criminally poorly remunerated - hark at me using a term MPs may recognise!😉 It will be interesting, and hopefully not the pejoratively 'interesting', to see how this pans out.🤔🤞

[@stepearceu2]

I wonder if Nick Ferrari ever pees on JoB's seat as he heads off to his sunlit uplands with his waffle and idealistic non-reality, angry at JoB coming in with simple facts and undermining all his nonsense.

[@brianferguson7840]

THINGS 🎵CAN ONLY🎶 GET BETTER !🎶 THINGS CAN 🎶ONLY 🎶GET BETTER !🎵

[@Formakiwi]

Don't bet on it. Big mess to clean up, and those sunlight uplands the Brexit cult promised are no closer to materializing just because No. 10 has a new tenant.

[@randerson5172]

I align with O’Brien’s politics but I hate his attitude to those he disagrees with (not necessarily on this section, but on many others). Yawning at them, huffing and puffing, interrupting….I appreciate his wit and the points he makes but his rudeness and condescension puts me right off, as I’m sure it does for a lot of people. I doubt he convinces many who aren’t already on his side to switch to his point of view.

[@keithparker1346]

OBrien is a pompous neo liberal bully

[@tjrr1999]

Agree

[@MrSmegfish]

Labour reckers

[@Kenbreg]

You do not even know what economic growth is James, so stop banging on about it as if it were something we want or need.

[@keirmitchell5560]

Scrap the NHS

[@dard683]

James you must be a spurs fan. Hopeium

[@kevinbyrne5265]

Private companies are anathema to what the NHS represents, the public having a free health service paid for by the government and run for the benefit of patients first and the proper treatment of nurses, doctors and all the people who work in the NHS. Health is a right and having to pay for it is a disgusting idea, it's the rabid capitalist market forces that should be contributing to the exchequer instead of the complete dedication to profits as if private enterorise what separate to the running of a country, them and us. If the Labour Party go down that road they are no different than the Tories. Make the private sector accountable and not another form of government making billions and hoarding it to make more billions. What is the point of that? To play more golf? To have private jets? To have salaries that are astronomical that bears no resemblance to the work of saving lives in hospitals, ambulance drivers, proper equipment, the best in the hospitals and proper wages for all who work in the NHS, why are top executives on these outrageous saleries in private companies and corporations accepted as normal in a society they contribute nothing to. They treat their workers whatever way they want and only consider they profit margins that are astronomical, for doing what? Now we have AI, is it for the benefit of the population of |Britain? We all know it will be used in the hands of people without morals and full of greed to make more profits like what happens with all great discoveries in science. The Labour Party if they go the private sector way with the NHS should admit they are no different than the Tories and stop messing around after a few days in office. Disgusting idea.

[@Pirake123]

People here are missing the point, the point is to evaluate the NHS as a whole and look for efficiencies if some can be made. Privatisation makes sense in many industries, where you can get competitive tenders and there is no natural monopoly and large barriers to entry for new companies (water, rail etc). However, focus should also be put on the demand side. You cannot have an ever-increasing aged population using free healthcare forever without ever-increasing taxes on working people (look at Italy, France etc). You need to make a tough decision and move people who can afford it to private healthcare to take off the weight on the public healthcare system (like whats is done in Australia).

[@johnrussell3961]

We are that skint , thanks to Tories , we are like those who use Pay day lenders. It’s bonkers , but how else do you cope?.

[@arghjayem]

Hope? What hope? Starmer and “Labour” weren’t offering hope during their campaign. All they were offering is “we are not the Tories”. And even that wasn’t true. They’ve taken in former Tory MPs, Streeting is advocating for more private money into the U.K. healthcare system and education and they have allowed private business men into the House of Lords for life peerages just so they can serve in the cabinet! All things the Tories did!

[@frankbrennan1619]

The multi -millionaire illiberal liberal Lord Haw - Haw of Chiswick, continues as cheerleader for the new regime...

[@ryanfraley7113]

Cope

[@frankbrennan1619]

@@ryanfraley7113 Cheer.

[@Gggrrrrrrrr23]

NO WEF Puppet PM. Get Starmer and Labour out ASAP!

[@frankbrennan1619]

Only in five years time when they've totally wrecked already broken Britain but until then.....

[@leehighland5435]

Nothing wrong with privatising the NHS if Labour are doing it, but not if the Tory party are, because hypocrisy is a fine thing when it suits you.

[@Jdsfbgfvbvxv]

Do you need a hand understanding the policy? You've completely misunderstood it.

[@CurtalA]

So true. Once private health care have access to the NHS it is all over. Don't trust this government to keep the NHS affordable at the point of use.

[@Wimblefish]

Its not necessarily a matter of WHAT is being done, its usually a case of HOW its being done. The Tories liked to go at everything like a bull in a china shop, before turning around and blaming the shopkeeper for the mess. So far Labour seem to be looking at things logicially and for the long term. Sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate

[@Formakiwi]

Angry to still be waiting on your Unicorn fella? 🦄

[@leehighland5435]

@@Wimblefish Labour and logic like the Tories don't go together.

[@tonydawson5250]

I'm pleased that JO'B continues (as with Gaza) to be able to question the Starmerite gospel which he signed up for previously. He recognises that Wes Streeting is 'not cuddly'. Most slugs aren't.

[@frankbrennan1619]

The multi -millionaire illiberal liberal Lord Haw - Haw of Chiswick, will ALWAYS be the cheerleader for the new regime....