General Practice is a bit of an oddity. While an integral and fundamental part of the NHS it has never been a service directly provided by the NHS, but instead provided through GPs as independent contractors. Yet it is widely regarded as the bedrock of our health care system and partly responsible for its efficiency…..
NHS Threats
No Way to Treat Visitors
NHS staff are begin forced to query someone’s nationality before they treat them under this government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy. And for what? 0.3% of NHS costs, according to Dr James Skinner, from Medact, who spoke at this year’s AGM in York. And the human cost? (more…)
Free screenings of new NHS film
A hard hitting, fast paced and well crafted new film, describing the journey of the NHS from its founding to the present day is receiving free screenings around Britain between 14th and 18th of October. Under the knife is directed by Emmy award-winning director Susan Steinberg and narrated by Alison Steadman. (more…)
Getting the Bigger Picture: Donate Now
A great new film telling the story of the NHS from its creation to its current state of turmoil is struggling to get an airing through the TV or cinema networks – please help by donating what you can. (more…)
Book Review: Did He Save Lives – David Sellu
A harrowing account of the investigation of a post-operative death, made all the worse because it is true and it has to be told. (more…)
Pounds for Patients – Just Plain Wrong
The Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI)’s report (Pounds for Patients) highlighted in the Guardian of 1/7/2019 is shocking. 400 NHS consultants owning shares in private hospitals to which they refer patients must surely expose them to irresistible pressures to refer patients to “their” hospitals whether or not this is in the patient’s….
DFNHS-BMJ Essay Prize 2019
The DFNHS-BMJ Essay competition is happening again. Doctors for the NHS are offering a prize of £500 for the best essay with the title: “ Where have all the doctors gone – and why?” (more…)
Non Mea Culpa
Matt Hancock tweets that each of the 52,000 annual deaths from sepsis is a preventable tragedy. Tragic yes, but preventable no, certainly not with the current delays between onset of symptoms and first dose of antibiotics. (more…)
Health surcharge – doctor overcharge
The “Health Surcharge” for non-EU migrants was introduced by the Conservative government in 2015 with a promise in the 2017 manifesto that it would be tripled to £600. This was to be an annual fee paid by the applicant and all their dependents and to be paid upfront as part of the application process. Xenophobes no….
DFNHS Response to Developing a patient safety strategy for the NHS
NHS Improvements’ strategy document ‘Developing a patient safety strategy for the NHS’ invited comments. Eric Watts, on behalf of DFNHS, replied. You can download his response here.