Do we need to raise taxes to fund the NHS?

@graham59 Off-topic. Out of interest, what is the color of you and your baby's eyes?

I doubt anyone is mistaking you for a fool..

Your deficiency of social skills causes you to intentionally offend others, and act like one.

Most people probably believe that "if something walks like a duck, sounds like a duck and looks like a duck, chances are, it is a duck. "

I would remind the others of the old saying: "never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

On the subject of the NHS - I would happily pay more tax if needed. As someone who lived under the American healthcare system I admire the NHS. It's fantastic and something we should all be proud of.

Top heavy with managers
abused medical supply contracts
to much reliance on agency staff
immigration heavy burden
A&E abuse
not enough24/7 cover at basic rates
non smart management of facilities

Sorry... boring brown (though my mother has green eyes and my sister has blue eyes, both with dark brown hair).

That's quite surprising. Whilst it's a drop in the ocean of the NHS budget, I question whether the NHS is getting value for money. The problem is that in order to recruit quality executives, the NHS needs to offer competitive salary packages and whilst this figure might seem like a lot, it's quite small compared to the packages enjoyed by those in the private sector. I read somewhere that the average FTSE 100 CEO earned somewhat over 3 million per year and the article below places the average at about 5 million. (2)

I agree that immigration has placed extra strain on public services. I feel that it would be unwise to stigmatise the weight issue, especially when it is considered that 25% of British people are considered to be overweight (1).

However, figures do show that direct treatment costs for obesity were about 4 billion in 2007 and projected to rise to 6 billion by last year. (4)

Binge drinking in the UK is also a concern. This results in a waste of resources in A&E departments every Friday and Saturday night. The 2010 article below claims that binge drinking costs the NHS about 2 billion per year. (3)

To put this into perspective, the NHS budget for 2015 was about 116 billion pounds.

I'm sure there are no easy fixes. Culture and lifestyle change takes a long time.

I'm personally keen to see the NHS prosper because it's viewed as being one of the greatest achievements in history, the oldest and largest single payer healthcare system on the planet, and has been an example to the world since it's introduction in 1948. (5)


References
(1)http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweig...causes-of-the-obesity-epidemic-in-the-UK.aspx

(2)
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...arned-10-pay-rise-2015-average-salary-hit-55m

(3)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cost-of-binge-drinking-doubles-for-the-nhs-191866

(4)
https://www.noo.org.uk/LA/impact/economic

(5)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/nhs_at_50/special_report/123511.stm

Hey don't you call Filipino's eye color boring! haha
I've always dreamt of having a baby girl with blue eyes someday... I wish!

Good luck with that.


Of course.... brown is best !

Another reason for the NHS being overstretched, its hard to believe that people in the link below actually exist, pathetic woman;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/37244208

Clearly a shortage of taxis in the area. I'd send her an ambulance and back it up to the edge of a deep quarry

I agree wholeheartedly.

Its hard to believe people like that inhabit the planet.

like the guy who rang 999 for the police---because he couldnt find his TV remote control.

In order to remind the public that calls to the number are for emergencies – and not just when you fancy a chat – Metropolitan Police have revealed (in 2015) a list of preposterous examples which have actually been used to call 999.

1. A woman called police to say she has just bought a kebab and it was cold. The shop wouldn’t replace her kebab.

2. Callers, who slept through their alarm and were going to be late for a flight, wanted officers to escort them to the airport.

3. A woman called stating that she was angry because she’d seen a clown in London selling balloons for £5 each.

This price was much more expensive than other clowns selling the same product elsewhere.

4. Callers phoned in distress; they were driving and the low fuel indicator light had come on.

5. A man called to say that his 50p coin was stuck in a washing machine at his local launderette and wanted police to retrieve it.

6. Man called claiming he didn’t have change for the parking.

He claimed staff at the car park had kidnapped him because they were refusing to let him out for free.

7. ‘Where is the best place to get a bacon sandwich right now?’ was the question asked to a 999 operator at 04:00hrs on a Saturday.

8. A man called 999 as he was advised to call 111 but didn’t know their number.

It’s 111, FYI.

9. A woman called stating that she wanted police to deal with a couple of noisy foxes outside her address as they were preventing her from sleeping.

10. A woman called asking for police to attend her property as there were men in her house trying to take her away.

The men in question were, in fact, police officers who had attended her address to arrest her.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/23/polic...lous-999-calls-of-2015-5582032/#ixzz4J2zfinpb

Proper mental. I blame daytime tv, or brexit, or the EU

Some news just in regarding the NHS that may have an effect on us who have larger frames

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-37265752

Refusing to treat "obese" patients,
does that mean no more weight loss surgery?

I think the NHS want us to make better lifestyle choices and lose weight the old fashioned way as in "eat to live and not live to eat"