NHS England digital boss in hot water over 'puff piece' written about her future employer

Sure it'll give your old mum a new hip but you probably paid 10x the actual cost of the procedure through taxation of your entire family.

Did you actually read what you wrote? Are you capable of understanding why that is not in any sense a reasonable real-world comparison and an utterly invalid argument?

You are Daniel Hannan and I claim my £5.

The available evidence seems to indicate that you're spouting rancid rhino shit.

Like all selfish heartless twats,

you miss the point of the NHS (until you and your relations need it, then you whine you had to wait an hour).

It means people can be useful members of society without be worried every 5mins that if they get sick they will be bankrupted (see USA shit show!).

Fuck it, why don't you just fuck off to USA and give that a try before you start shitting on the NHS.

Lets see, the article talks about someone clearly lining their own pockets at the expense of the NHS. This is what politicians have been doing as well, outsourcing whatever they can. There is even a law that lets companies sue the NHS over contracts they don't get. Who thought that one up?

So you see it isn't really socialism any more, it's corporate greed, that's why it costs so much.

You could always move to the full capitalist model and watch poor people die or get Ubers to hospital because they can't afford the ambulance or find themselves with thousands of pounds of bills because they went to the wrong hospital. Then there's medication such as insulin not being affordable and people dying. I think I'd rather stick to what we have though I fear at some point we won't have a choice anyway.

@ Mr 'erm' Longshaft

Stating something does not make it true.

If so, let me state that 'Capitalism is inherently evil.'

Sure, it will give you money if you agree to the terms of the bosses, but you probably end up giving them 10x the actual cost of your wages in productivity that lead to profits you never share, as salaries are always the smallest they can be under pure capitalism*.

Its like idiots who claim that laisez-faire economies benefit everyone, when in fact it is the less well off who pay for it every day of their working lives, indeed their lives, while the rich get ever richer.

Not perfect but brilliant

The NHS, like Australia's Medicare, sure isn't the model of efficiency and particularly outstanding value.

But it sure as shit beats the alternative: the bankruptcy, suffering or premature death of poor people.

That is

Balls.

Do you have the same view about the fire service? "They sit around watching TV, and sleeping while on duty"

About the Police? "Just wander around the streets and sit in cars"

The Army? "Just play with guns all day"

You really are a prick of the first order.

Me? Happy to pay 100x what I take out of the NHS, the health of my fellow citizens means I can enjoy a fairly smooth and trouble free life.

Funny thing is, I'm happy with my, what, £100 a month (about 20% of my tax amount) that goes to healthcare. Happy to pay it every month for the rest of my life in fact. That covers me for yearly checkups, 4 blood tests a year, will have me on dialysis if my kidneys do eventually pack in, cover the cost of a kidney replacement if I need one, and cover any injuries I do to myself when I'm at work.

Best bit? I can carry on working, and being a functioning member of society, helping educate the next generation of doctors, teachers, crazy anti-socialists, and whoever else society ends up with. I don't have to worry about being hit by a big bill of my health gets worse - all I have to do is live my life. If I get ill my focus would just be on getting better, and not on worrying about bills.

Seems like a great deal to me - and the vast majority of people in the UK agree.

The amount the average UK citizen pays in to the NHS during their lifetime is a fraction of the cost of comprehensive health insurance in the US.

Show me on the wallet where the nasty-wasty AOC plans to hit you.

Robert Longshaft... Whose only purpose in life is to make "Bombastic Bob's" (what is it with all these Bobs?) socialist views seem less wacky!

"Sure it'll give your old mum a new hip but you probably paid 10x the actual cost of the procedure through taxation of your entire family."

Healthcare costs and outcomes are pretty well known for developed nations...

NHS - a fully 'socialized' system paid solely through taxes is just about average for developed nations. Outcomes are OK to good, waiting times can be pretty long BUT accessible to anyone. Whoever wants to skip the queues can pay for private treatment by paying directly or through insurance.

US - has fully capitalist system paid directly or through insurance, with one party fighting tooth and nail to remove insurance coverage options for poorer people. Average treatment costs are 2.5 times that of the average for developed nations. Outcomes are good... if you can afford them. If you can't, tough luck.

Switzerland - hybrid capitalist system where basic healthcare is covered by obligatory insurance bought on the open market and regulated by federal government. The costs are about 1.5 times that of the average for developed nations. Outcomes are great, waiting times counted in days not weeks or months.

So, while UK system might not be the best, it's certainly not that expensive and it WILL give your mum a new hip whether she's rich or poor.

"Socialised heath care, like all socialism is inherently evil."

Holy crap, you seem a bit confused as to what 'socialism' actually is. Are you by any chance from a country where it's equated with 'communism', which is a VERY different thing?

The US government pays more per capita on healthcare then the UK government does. So you 'logic' doesn't work.

National Insurance and NHS

I've only ever needed the NHS acute care twice in my life. One, which placed me in critical care and the other from a serious car crash. I was concious when I got to A&E - the staff had all been paged - they half expected me dead/dying. I remember them forming a line and working through their RTA procedure and was seen my every departments consultant, stiched up, drugged and mended all from the A&E bed.

For that incident alone, I don't begrudge handing over NI and tax for the NHS or the front line staff.

A relative had an accident in the US - we were stopped at a checkout to pay the ~£10K USD for her first nights stay. Long live socialised healthcare, I say.

a few months in Styal Prison should do the trick

you might have not heard of the latest proposals from our masters, in order NOT to save money, but to provide the best outcome for all involved, they believe all those sentenced to less than 6 months should serve it in their community. Unfortunately, it was not a good day to bury this news, as this proposal caused quite a stirr, but not a round of public applause. Anyway, fast forward a few years and the dear lady will probably qualify for home office treatment (and I don't mean having her papers lost by home office, that never happens).

No, penalise the company

Just place an NHS internal ban on contracting with them for, say 24 months.

Re: There is no such verb as "to pen"

My sheepdog disagrees with you. And further, it's due to be let out to leave some of your namesake in the borders.

Re: There is no such verb as "to pen"

>There is no such verb as "to pen"

I've just baked some humble pie using a recipe penned a long time ago that is favoured by shepherds while penning their flock, fancy a slice ?

Re: 'Largest and most trusted'

"In a independent survey, conducted just outside the Livi head office, 43% of respondents looked over their shoulders and said they would trust Livi, 7% used expletives or computer jargon, 49% said they run private gp practices and the remaining respondent obscured her face with an NHS umbrella and asked us to not mention the G4S security man with her sack of money ...

When we contacted Livi for comment we were told we had a fungal nail infection and should go to a gp for advice.

Re: Jaw-droppingly inappropriate, yet perfectly legal

In Meg Hillier's defense, the prospect of these type of white collar actions being made a criminal offence would likely result in heart attacks or resignations from almost all top level public sector management. It might even bring whole sectors of the public sector to a standstill. Or expose the fact most of these positions are overpaid for what they actually deliver in terms of value to both the organisation and the electorate (who are the shareholders)...

Won't anyone think of the highly paid bureaucrats?

Re: Jaw-droppingly inappropriate, yet perfectly legal

I think you overestimate the ability of the ruling party to pass legislation.

Re: Jaw-droppingly inappropriate, yet perfectly legal

Very true - IF she was a member of the ruling party, but she aint't. She's Labour (Chair of Public Accounts is always(?) from the Opposition I think)

And Parliament is too tied up with destroying the UK to have time for little things like this.

Bless

"make sure it can deliver what we want it to without costing billions."

You're new to the world of government IT, aren't you?