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It is a time of dramatic change for the NHS, but as this Guardian piece points out, "the scale of what is being proposed has yet to sink in".
So what happens now is anyone's guess. Expect a lot of shouting regardless of what happens. Cameron no doubt wants to save money but the scale of change looks more like a rejigging of the actual organisational structure than a few money-saving exercises.
There are also a few interesting opionions from within the profession on today's Telegraph letters page. With one FRCS telling us that in his career at the NHS a "a modest-sized cadre of administrators" has been replaced by "a bloated swath
of 'managers',
given authority to tell the professionals what to do".
Hopefully any cost savings will be ones that optimise the NHS and allow it to continue to be there training and employing medical staff. I think the balance of private medical provision in this country along with the NHS is a good thing. Any change needs to be carefully and confidently carried out: anything else is going to be more than simply controversial.
My guess would be though that private medical care will increase over time – there are many reasons for this. But think of it like dentists' or opthalmologists' work – private provision for these has increased as the nationalised service hasn't been one size fits all and many choose some of the private as it suits their pocket. Nothing wrong with that art all. But for private medicine to grow healthily, it has to be done in the right way.

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Whats Does The Future Have Instore For Medical Insurance?

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Now that the general election has finally finished and the debates are finally of our TV screens (even though they were good for comedy value half the time) I'm just wondering now what will happen in the medical area of our country?
Gordon Brown who recently resigned as Primeminister stated that the NHS was the best form of health insurance the citizens of the UK needed but now that David Cameron and Nick Clegg are in charge will they back his views or insist on people taking out private health insurance?
With so many things bound to change I think this could be one at the top of the list. Whats your views on the issue and do you think with these two in charge will our country go forward from the mess were in just now or is it going to get worse?

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The general election campaign here in the UK is becoming increasingly heated. Today, The NHS Confederation with the British Medical Association, King’s Fund and the Royal College of Nursing is holding a pre-election health hustings. The debate features prominent health spokesmen from the three major political parties: Andy Burnham (Labour), Andrew Lansley (Conservative) and Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrats).
The majority of the debate will be around four main themes:
NHS finances, workforce, public health and social care.
You will be able to view live coverage of the debate from 11am on this blog. Feel free to join in a discussion about what was said afterwards.

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These were the findings of Reform a Think Tank with links to the Conservative Party which were released this week. In a drive for more efficiency, they have been putting pressure upon the leading candidates in the forthcoming elections, to drastically cut spending on the NHS, including reducing the overall number of available beds in the UK.
This has been reported this week throughout the media, but, in particular the BBC Health website gave it extensive and fair coverage, asking both the think tank, and front end users of the hospitals themselves exactly their positions on the situation.
This is an intriguing scenario, for everybody in Great Britain, as there are two finely balanced which are at stake here 1) the quantity of medical coverage and 2) the quality of medical cover.
The argument given by the think tank is that if the number of places were cut then resources could be focused more acutely, and this would also bring in more competition, in order that the NHS rivals the care provided via private health insurance. Many members of the public counter this argument by the logic given by Aneurin Bevan, the post war architect of the National Health Service in his statement "from the cradle to the grave", in the understanding that EVERYBODY should be treated the same no matter the circumstances, and sometimes that means overcapacity.
I'm sure this will be of huge importance in the way the election is decided, up until now neither side has put forward a fully comprehensive case as to why the people cannot have both quantity and quality.

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This is all over the news today, but just incase you have missed it The Nuffield Trust has published it's report into the NHS post-devolution. The principal headline is that Scotland is performing less efficiently than England despite high levels of investment and the most doctors and nurses.
You can download the report in full from the Nuffield Trust website.
There is also a powerpoint presentation available to download featuring some key facts and figures from the report (click here to open).

Nuffield report

We are interested in your thoughts on this report , particualrly if you work within the NHS in Scotland. Is the report out of date and inaccurate due to Scotlands unique geography and areas of deep seated poverty? (as Health spokeswomen Nicola Sturgeon has claimed).

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UK Health Care System WorksOnce again we here in the UK seem to be blessed by the NHS and the different ranges of private medical insurance options available. Although we think our system is not perfect, in hindsight when you look at other countries in the world – it is clear we do OK here in the UK.
Some of the richest countries in the world are struggling to come up with a healthcare system that actually works for the population of the country, and not just for the well off. America more than most. The healthcare system in the US seems to be all about dollars instead of being about its citizens, rich or poor.
You could pay your medical insurance for 30 years in America and still end up bankrupt. Loop holes and conditions, oh it sounds like a night mare. We keep hearing about the heathcare system in America but they are not the only ones with problems.
In fact these problems seem to be getting repeated around the globe with most countries that rely on private medical insurance companies, and guess who runs most of the companies?? Westernized insurance companies are at the heart of most of these countries.
They are not blame for the system but they are always about if there is a system worth exploiting. These scenarios make me believe that the health care system in the United Kingdom is one of the best in the world. It maybe cost a fortune but I would rather live in a world where all walks of life get access to the healthcare they need.
The NHS does its job, the private healthcare companies are there for people who have a little extra money and would like to protect their families by giving them quicker access to medical treatment if and when needed.  

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The healthcare debate currently raging across the pond in the USA is providing a great deal of interesting talking points. For those who are unaware, President Obama is currently trying to push through a program of Healthcare reform which could see the current US healthcare system completely overhauled.The debate has sparked controversy not only in the USA but internationally as well, with many commentators attacking foreign healthcare systems – many of which offer differing models to the US. WIth this in mind CNNhealth.com has produced an excellent article which outlines the different healthcare systems in use across the globe.Here are some of the key facts from each country:The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences describes the US as the:
"only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage"
Will the US follow suit? Let us know your opinions.

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The micro-blogging website Twitter crashed last week due to the sheer volume of report recieved for the trending topic #welovetheNHS. Trending topics are user generated subject tags, the most popular of which which appear on the search pages of the Twitter website.
The #welovetheNHS tag was set up as a reaction to percieved falsehoods that American Right-Wing thinktank The GOP had been spreading about the UK healthcare system. The tag recieved so much attention that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah felt compelled to respond.

#welovethenhs on Twitter

The UK health system has been under attack, with many failing to understand that here in the UK we have a choice.. You can use the NHS for free or opt to pay for private medical insurance if you can afford it.


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Health Insurance policy

For those of us here in the UK there are essentially 4 health insurance policy types (with various internal policy groupings within) – although not everyone is aware what the different types of cover actually are. We thought that we'd give it a stab and try and come up with some concise explinations for each.
Comprehensive Health Insurance Cover
These policies are designed to pay out for the widest range of medical needs possible at any time.  Advances in medical technology have meant that comprehensive cover has become a very expensive option. There are methods which can be utilised to reduce the costs of comprehensive cover. If you agree to large excesses some health insurance providers will reduce premiums if you agree to omit certain conditions from your policy cover.
Co-Payment Policies
The next  level down from comprehensive policies is co-payment, or shared responsibility cover.  With this type of policy the customer agrees to pay a percentage of any claim. As with Comprehensive cover, premiums can be reduced by agreeing to exempt claims for outpatient treatment or any therapies.
Cash Plans
Cash plans are the cheapest form of cover – but they are the least comprehensive. They work by paying out a lump sum, (up to a limit), for visits to a hospital, dentist, optician or physiotherapist. Cash Plans can cost as little as £100 a year and they will pay you a cash sum for every night you spend in hospital, whether you are recieving Private of NHS treatment.
Self-Pay
Heart surgery or a knee replacement operation could cost well into five-figures, so if you’re planning to pay for your private healthcare directly, it’s worth putting some money away each month into a savings plan.
We hope that this has cleared up some of the questions that you may have on health insurance policies. If there is anything that you feel we could add then please let us be aware!

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