Would you support the doctors' strike.

Quickly followed by nurses, the rest of the NHS, the teachers, civil service pen pushers, firemen (and women) not forgetting the police force .........

In Australia rosequartz there is a roughly 50:50 public private split in health care. Most Australian doctors (I suspect) tend to work in the private sector by preference as the financial rewards are higher. Therefore the Australian government recruit foreign doctors to fill the gaps in the public hospitals. (this is based on people I know there and here - not on statistical evidence).
In NZ the system is similar to here.

All these have to be paid for. Either we're all prepared for a substantial increase in basic tax or we continue to have reduced services until we can afford them. I'd be happy to pay more tax but I wonder how many agree.

All this hoo-ha about 7 day working is part of a general attack on the NHS - reorganise it, slowly starve it of money, abuse the hard -working managers ("bureaucrats" as Cameron repeatedly called them in the election campaign) and then impose on the management a crazy demand to manage a great deal of unnecessary change in terms of how hospitals are organised.
Police? Crime figures have been dropping steadily for a long time now. No reason to think that having more police will have an impact on terrorist attacks before or after they happen.
Bombing Syria - now that looks like a good way of increasing the risk of terrorism in the UK...

I would love a proper non-political debate in this country about the NHS and the future.

whitewave you tried to get one going earlier this year, and you did some excellent research into how other countries manage their services. We need to take politics out of this, but sadly it all starts creeping in again and goes nowhere. And, before someone else says you can't take the politics out of heakth funding, it doesn't have have to be political, there are other ways.

If I'm honest I really don't want to pay more tax although I would pay more if I thought it would make a difference. What I do not agree with though is paying more tax in order for the public sector to carry on running like a gravy train. With many at the top creaming the money off. Taking early retirement and then coming back as "consultants" and advisors. The 2 biggest health authorities here in the North East have suffered because of this with a husband and wife team both retiring, getting their massive payouts and returning to their posts within weeks. How can that be right?

Someone my DH knows very well "works" in the civil service and is being made redundant next Friday. He is receiving a payout of £175,000. (Apparently he is not happy and thought it would have been a lit more). He is however, overjoyed to know that he will be returning to his job (with a different job title) straight after the Christmas break.

The whole thing needs a massive kick up the pants.

Has everyone seen this? We are being consulted about the future of the NHS but not very effectively www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/19/nhs-mandate-england-consulation-deadline

I would be happy to pay a little more tax to protect the NHS, care for the elderly and help for struggling public sector workers who may well lose tax credits or housing benefit. The vast majority of the salary bill in public sector goes to people who earn average or low salaries.

I put that link on earlier, Lilygran, or it was one from the NHA. I did actually manage to fill in one of the surveys, so I have had input, but not many others that I know of. The email box was full according to the NHA, but they had a way round it.
Another trick was for the mandate to have a big sign on it, taking up a lot of space, so the survey was returned as it was too big. Clever of them.

Hunt has agreed to go to Acas with the doctors.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/nov/25/junior-doctors-strike-jeremy-hunt-agrees-to-acas-talks

www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/jeremy-hunt-george-osborne-and-other-nhs-shambles-this-week

It was this one, Lilygran, about the mandate.

Talking to my hairdresser the other day. He has an uncle who is a hospital consultant. He was amazed when I mentioned that junior doctors have to spend long hours on studying as well as the long hours at work. They have to pass lots of difficult exams if they are to progress to consultant level. My cousin who is register was having to produce a piece of research for the equivalent of a master's degree at the same time as working. All the more reason why the protection of their working hours should not be removed.

Yes definitely would support junior doctors' strike.

I don't think anyone is suggesting bombing Syria indiscriminately

I pay hardly any, but would be happy to pay a bit more.
I still don't understand why retired people don't pay a proportion of the NI stamp - not the part contributing to the State Pension but a certain amount which could be collected along with tax, if they pay tax, to contribute to the NHS.

I think I said that on a previous thread and someone explained why not, but I can't remember the reason.
I am sure it all goes into one pot anyway.

I don't think anyone is suggesting bombing Syria indiscriminately
I really don't know where that came from, I didn't type it ????
Gremlins in the system?? What's going on?

In that case, roseq, why have NI? Why not call it all income tax and lump it all together?

We'd better not bomb Syria yet. Army medics are going to be drafted in to the NHS if the strikes are not called off. First strike could be on Tuesday.

In that case, roseq, why have NI? Why not call it all income tax and lump it all together?
I don't know!
NI goes to the NHS and welfare including pensions. Income tax also goes to welfare including pensions - and the NHS?
Road fund licence goes to goodness knows where
etc etc

I don't think any taxes go to specific purposes, no matter what they were originally intended for!

The NI system has never worked as such - it is not an insurance system any more, but another tax.

www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/our-news/bma-a-return-to-genuine-negotiations-is-preferable-to-the-imposition-of-a-new-contract-or-a-strike

Time limited appears to mean until 13th January. I wonder how long Hunt will take off over Christmas.

Looks like the strike is off and Hunt and the doctors have worked some sort of compromise. Good!

nhap.org/landmark-report-from-the-independent-healthcare-commission/

Anyone who lives in North West London, this report is about your healthcare.
It is also important for everyone else. Chaired by Michael Mansfield QC.
Very long; be warned.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-winter-crisis-government-accused-of-trying-to-cover-up-scale-a6761856.html

NHS are doctoring the figures for the winter. I wonder why.

The situation Lynnabelle has described happened to me last Christmas- I was losing the sight in my left eye and was rushed to A&E. After a junior doctor examined my eye he immediately called the senior doctor, who called an eye specialist, who came from his bed about an hour's drive away in the middle of the night and during the hours that followed, saved the sight of my eye.

Inevitably I was in A&E a long time and marvelled as the staff dealt with many drunks who were being abusive, vomiting and being generally disgusting and disrespectful. One of them lost consciousness and the staff leapt into action to resucitate this person. I'd overheard a conversation between a junior doctor and nursing staff and he had been on duty for about 50 hours at that point. After so little sleep, it's amazing the doctor was still standing, never mind functioning in a critical situtation.

Who can perform well after so little sleep? That is how mistakes can occur. It must surely be the way to drive the young doctors to seek better pay and conditions elsewhere. I support them 100%. We need doctors to have reasonable working hours and conditions, so they can give the very best care to patients in need of their education and skills.

(The problems with the drunks in our towns and cities every weekend is another matter of concern.)