The British Medical Association, meeting in Edinburgh this week has voted to engage the public in debate about the future affordability if the NHS. This has raised the question of whether top up fees and user charges should be introduced. The National Health Action Party says this will lead to a two tier system unless it is tightly means-tested which would be an administrative nightmare.
The co-leader of the NHA Party Dr Clive Peedell, who is on the BMA Council, says the suggestions for charging need to be dismissed out of hand. “The introduction of NHS top-up fees would be irresponsible, dangerous and an administrative nightmare. This fundamentally undermines the founding principles of the NHS. We do not want to go down that road. Charges and fees will put patients off from seeing their doctors when they have genuine needs."
Continuing: "This will increase health risks and potentially increase costs as patients may present later with more advanced healthcare problems, which can increase complexity and cost of treatment. Once again, the poorest and most vulnerable in society will be affected the most. Another classic case of the Inverse Care Law."
"There are plenty of alternatives that must be considered:
1. Challenge the political case for austerity. There is clear evidence that austerity damages healthcare and our economy.
2. Review all aspects of value for money in the NHS, taking a close look at the Health Committee work and Parliamentary debates in March 2010.
"There are plenty of alternatives that must be considered:
1. Challenge the political case for austerity. There is clear evidence that austerity damages healthcare and our economy.
2. Review all aspects of value for money in the NHS, taking a close look at the Health Committee work and Parliamentary debates in March 2010.
3. Use the monopsony power (buying power) of the NHS for cheaper procurement of drugs and medical equipment.
4. Abolish the internal market and save up to 10% of the NHS budget.
5. Abolish the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which has resulted in billions of pounds of taxpayers money being transferred to banks and investors, rather than patient care.
6. Restore NHS funding to at least the EU average %GDP spend."
4. Abolish the internal market and save up to 10% of the NHS budget.
5. Abolish the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which has resulted in billions of pounds of taxpayers money being transferred to banks and investors, rather than patient care.
6. Restore NHS funding to at least the EU average %GDP spend."
