If anyone cares to look at the service from the point of view of doctors and clinicians, etc - it's worth reading what they have to say about the various systems, directives, etc, that have been imposed on GP surgeries. If you look at PULSE the site that is for the professionals only - it is quite revealing.
One doctor, on calling 999 for one of his patients who was clearly in need of urgent attention, was told by the 999 service to 'call back when the patient stops breathing'. I doubt it was because the call-handler was callous or indifferent - more likely that there were no ambulances available - for reasons we're all aware of.
He twice had to take patients to the local hospital himself.
The question that needs asking is - why is the whole system of care in such a dreadful state?
Most of us are aware that the needs of an ever-growing ageing population is putting a tremendous strain on it - but so are the government. They have the stats, the figures - this has been an escalating problem since they took office, as has social care, and care-in-the-community which local councils with constrained budgets have been dealing with for years.
So what have they actually done about it? Apart from apply sticking-plaster solutions like roping in local pharmacies, or PAs?
Of course we - us patients - have a duty - to self-manage those health problems that do not need the immediate attention of a clinician, and I believe that many of us are doing just that. And, I might add - in view of my own experience in A&E at weekends - so do those self-centred, careless idiots (and I make no apology for using that word) who drink themselves silly and end up prone on the pavement who have to be ferried by ambulance to their local A&E. If you doubt they are much of a problem, just ask the crew or nurses next time you are unfortunate enough to have to be in that department on a Friday or Saturday night.
But they are only part of the problem, not the sole cause of it.
growstuff wants to know how we would sort out the problem when we talk about a complete re-organisation of the NHS - well, I for one have no bloody idea because I don't know enough about the structure to be able to make an intelligent recommendation. But we pay our politicians to do that for us - all we can do is comment on what we see and experience ourselves.
But if I was compelled to give an answer, I'd start with looking at how other European nations manage their healthcare systems. Especially those that appear to fare better than we do.
