Lord Darzi Independent Investigation Of The National Health Service In England

The independent review by Lord Darzi who is also an NHS cancer surgeon, into the state of the NHS in England ordered by the new Labour Government; has now been published today 12th September 2024.

It's findings, as expected, are that the NHS in England under the last 14 years of Tory Government under-funding and privatising legislation; is that it is in a 'critical condition' and in 'serious trouble'!

Before reading the details of the Review, downloadable from the Unionsafety E-Library by clicking on the image of the report's cover below; it is worth watching PM Keir Starmer's response to the investigation's findings on the right, with introduction by The King's Fund.

Unfortunately, his press conference this morning held at The King's Fund conference in London; gave no real details of how his Government will fix the NHS.

Despite giving no details of how his Government will save the NHS, his first statement was that "The NHS must reform or die." and that 'Pursing money in just isn't the answer.'

He did however hint that money will be available once the reforms he will introduce takes affect. He also gave commitment to the NHS principles, or at least Tony Blair's version of it with his infamous rephrasing of the NHHS principles to one which hides many negatives: "Publicly owned, publicly funded, and free at the point of delivery."

This of course hides the fact that ALL healthcare in England could be transferred to the private sector, despite costing far more as it becomes based on profit as opposed to healthcare. Which is why the Tories via the Health And Social Care Act 2012, removed the responsibility of the Secretary of State to provide a National Health Service!

But Unionsafety understands from previous announcements in his comments to the media, his secretary of state for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting intends to move healthcare out of hospitals into the community, and to the patient's themselves via digital services and mobile phone apps!

But the movement of mental healthcare to the community has been a complete disaster.

It has mostly been taken over by private companies working in the NHS providing minimum support services limited in the time and number of appointments, and resulting in some deaths of patients and of members of the public when mental illness has driven patients to criminal actions as a result of their mental health conditions becoming worse, and the lack of mental healthcare and support; allowing deterioration of mental health in many men, women, and children who are denied sufficient professional mental health assessment and treatments.

Furthermore, the numbers of suicides occurring in the population of England, is increasing, not being prevented.treeting's plan is to use so-called 'Life Sciences' to replace GP visits, close hospitals and concentrate healthcare services into fewer hospitals and into the hands of private healthcare sector. Reported on by Unionsafety last year. See:

He also intends to drive ill-health prevention from the community down to the responsibility of patients themselves, and even to use mobile phones apps to self-diagnose! Whislt at the same time doing nothing by way of legislation regarding the food industries continued use of chemicals in our food and the fast food industry both of which are responsible for the ill-health and obesity amongst the public.

Similarly, under Blair's Labour Government one of the worst blights on public mental health has been gambling, with the virtual take-over of the sporting industry in this country.

Click image to enlarge or Click here to download PDF version

Keep in mind that patients using any of these 'future' apps will have to buy them first!

Even worse, as NHS England starves GP practices of funds unless they employ Physician Associates instead of GPs; the main aim of the Government is to reduce costs within the NHS and to deny healthcare, just as the US system of healthcare has done for decades.

None of this of course has been announced to the public as part of a 10 year plan for the NHS

Turning to the Independent Investigation into the NHS in England, it must be noted that there were limits to the terms of reference for Lord Darzi's investigation - funding was NOT part of it!

This despite the issue of capital funding for the NHS has been a contentious and pressing one for some time. While Lord Darzi's review highlights the urgent need for significant capital investment in the NHS, particularly for buying new equipment like scanners and updating dilapidated facilities, it stops short of specifying exactly how much is needed. This aligns with the constraints of his terms of reference, which did not allow him to propose an increase in the overall NHS budget.

However, the NHS Confederation and other bodies have called for a £7 billion increase in capital spending to modernize the NHS’s infrastructure. This includes updating hospitals and facilities, investing in technology, and addressing backlogs in maintenance and repairs. Whether this funding will be made available largely depends on government priorities, fiscal policy, and the broader political climate.

The UK's government has faced consistent pressure to increase funding for the NHS, especially in light of the pandemic and ongoing challenges. Recent announcements have included increases in health spending, but capital budgets for infrastructure improvements often face more scrutiny compared to day-to-day running costs (such as staffing and operational expenses).

Whether or not the £7 billion call for capital investment will be met is uncertain. It will depend on a range of factors, including the state of public finances, political willingness to prioritise healthcare infrastructure, and the influence of public and professional advocacy groups pressing for these funds.

With the upcoming budget reviews and political cycles, any decision on large-scale capital funding increases will likely become clearer in the near future.

But perhaps the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, has given the game away, with her cut of the Winter Fuel Allowances for Pensioners. Means testing now seems to the norm and may well be introduced into ALL 'welfare' benefits, e.g. free prescriptions for the over 60s, charges for attending a GP, charges for failing to attend appointments, charges for going to the A&E. and charges for needing to be an 'in-patient' per night!

You can download the full report into the NHS in England from the Unionsafety E-Library using the search word 'Darzi' or 'NHS'.