A message to NHS staff: Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health

When I was first made Health Secretary I said it was the biggest privilege of my life, and so it has proved. What I didn’t realise then was that it would also become my biggest passion –working in health is not just a job but a vocation.

The election period reinforced more acutely than ever the incredible work of the NHS, particularly the way staff dealt first with the global cyber-attack and then with horrendous terror attacks in Manchester and London. After the Manchester bombing I met nurses caring for bereaved families with incredible compassion, whilst in London I heard stories of doctors who cycled the length of the city at 2am just because they wanted to help. These stories speak to a wider truth – NHS staff do an amazing job, often in the most difficult of circumstances. And it is this which brings us all together: our great belief in the NHS, what it stands for and what we believe it can be.

Your compassion, energy, dynamism and total dedication, day in, day out, are truly humbling. When I look at what the NHS has achieved in recent years, I think you can feel very proud. Despite the financial crash and ensuing period of constrained budgets, today’s NHS has some of its highest ever satisfaction ratings, carries out 5,000 more operations a day, has lower MRSA rates than France, Germany or Spain, and sees its highest ever survival rates for cancer, heart attacks and stroke. One of the biggest expansions of mental health provision in Europe is underway right here, and there’s been a transformation in attitudes towards patient safety in the wake of Mid-Staffs. These achievements simply wouldn’t have been possible without you, our world-class doctors, nurses, paramedics and everyone else who works every day, across the country, to make the NHS the best it can be.

I am proud that this country was the first to say that no one – rich or poor, young or old –should have to worry about affording good healthcare; indeed we have made this pledge central to how people right across the world define a civilised nation. Going forwards, we must continue to focus not just on equity but also on excellence. We need to continue our work on patient safety, continue the transformation of mental health, continue developing new models of care and continue to put as much energy into prevention as into cure. That’s my mission – to support the NHS to become the safest, highest quality health system in the world.

This is not to ignore the fact that difficult issues lie ahead: money is always going to be a pressure, for instance. But I am confident that, working together, we can unite the whole NHS to deliver the safest, highest quality care anywhere in the world. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your hard work to make this vision a reality.

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful man in charge 🙄

Yeah, you all great, the NHS is great, but I’m still not going to give you a pay rise, or fund it properly.
His biggest passion is himself.
****

Positioning himself for a tilt at the leadership IMO.

Positioning himself for a tilt at the leadership IMO.

I dont think its even that, I think its part of the new caring Conservative Party

uselesshippy – Member
****

Hunt?

or fund it properly.

How much money would be ‘properly funded’?

Free boob jobs and sex changes for all!

Hunt is a this generations portillo

i doubt his rebranding exercise will be as successful but lets hope it also takes place away from power after a humiliation by the electorate

James Blunt said it best……

[/url]Capture by Scud75, on Flickr[/img]

My wife working in the NHS, i can honestly say that i have never anyone she works with from cleaner to consultant that had a good word to say about him!

Free boob jobs

Don’t see why not. If there’s a medical need for it.

and sex changes for all!

Likewise, it’s supposed to be “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” (Marx), just because you don’t need a sex change or a boob job doesn’t mean the NHS shouldn’t fund it.

Likewise if you broke your leg in a car crash, I’d expect the NHS to pay for it, not moan because my leg wasn’t broken so why should yours be fixed?

Hunt and countryside?

How much money would be ‘properly funded’?

I would say, just about the amount needed to pay your employees enough to not require the use of community food-banks.

That should do it.

I work with a brexit voting, right wing, telegraph reading, relentless Tory fanboi, who is also a Junior Doctor

he stall hates Jeremy Hunt

it’s supposed to be “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” (Marx), just because you don’t need a sex change or a boob job doesn’t mean the NHS shouldn’t fund it.

I’d like a larger penis and a smaller waistline

Do you think that I should get them free on the NHS as well?

Anything else I don’t really need but would rather quite like that the NHS could pay for? Hair transplant, Spa weekend?

Would that signify a ‘properly funded’ NHS for you ?

I think it would be impossible to turn you into an even bigger cock 😉

I’d like a larger penis and a smaller waistline

Do you think that I should get them free on the NHS as well.
Sorry we thought you had a massive prick already.

I’d like a larger penis and a smaller waistline

Do you think that I should get them free on the NHS as well.

well gastric band surgery greatly reduces obesity related diseases like diabetes and cancer, that cost the NHS billions

your tiny penis is, however, your own burden 😉

ninfan – Member

How much money would be ‘properly funded’?

Free boob jobs and sex changes for all!

Pretty unthinking remark there.

(There was more here, but probably best left unsaid, all things considered.).

+1 kimbers and oldnpastit you kept it classy

I work with a brexit voting, right wing, telegraph reading, relentless Tory fanboi, who is also a Junior Doctor he stall hates Jeremy Hunt

Hunt’s a remainer.

Yes, she really fits into my description of “for all” then doesn’t she oldnpastit?

Come on, what constitutes a ‘properly funded’ NHS?

Where do you draw the line between need and would like?

You can argue the line should be drawn differently to where it is at the moment, that would be a perfectly valid discussion – but sooner or later there has to be a line, where does it need to sit in order to be a ‘properly funded NHS’?

well gastric band surgery greatly reduces obesity related diseases like diabetes and cancer, that cost the NHS billions

Said it before – We’ll have rationing back in shortly after Brexit, so thats the Obesity crisis solved in one fell swoop.

your tiny penis is, however, your own burden

But if I wanted it turned inside out instead, you would be happy to give it to me free?

(obvs, as we know, I don’t need the NHS to give a **** when I am one already, etc.)

A knew he was really a compassionate soul.

Is Jeremy a country member? (With thanks to I’m sorry I haven’t a clue).

I’d like a larger penis and a smaller waistline

They can take it out your waistline and inject into your penis. You might be able to get it on the NHS if you can show the lack of size is harming your mental health wellbeing but I don’t know. For someone whos daughter had mental health issues your lack of compassion for others who may also be suffering is telling.

or fund it properly.

Cant be cheap to provide health tourism for the rest of the planet.

Cant be cheap to provide health tourism for the rest of the planet.

cite- or youre just a troll

Where do you draw the line between need and would like?

It depends on the exact case surely? Medical reasons, psychological reasons, societal considerations etc. Not for you or I to judge, but for professionals who understand the impact of these decisions. They are the ones who should be drawing your line.

The problem is many people take a blasé attitude to stuff that doesn’t fall into their own stereotypical “medical” viewpoint. It’s why mental health has taken a backseat for so many years…

But if I wanted it turned inside out instead, you would be happy to give it to me free?

I never get drawn into these political arguments but it’s obvious what you’re insinuating and it’s a reprehensible, damaging and downright sadistic way of thinking. I hope you’ve got time to edit both your post and more importantly, your opinions.

shame on you.

You can argue the line should be drawn differently to where it is at the moment, that would be a perfectly valid discussion – but sooner or later there has to be a line, where does it need to sit in order to be a ‘properly funded NHS’?

Every day NICE and no doubt many hundreds if not thousands of very bright and very professional people have to make these choices of who gets treated, how and when. This line you speak of might help guide that process, but I’m confident you realise it’s a lot more nuanced than “Boob jobs: yes or no?”.

Can you all stop going off topic please, talking about the funding of the NHS

This thread is all about the caring ‘one of us’ friend we have leading the NHS.

I feel like I need to email him back just say how much I love him too

For someone whos daughter had mental health issues your lack of compassion for others who may also be suffering is telling.

Its easy to be a critic and whinge about “properly funding the NHS” – less easy to recognise that its a really big issue that you can never satisfy all needs, wants and requirements, and that often the difference between the two is a matter of judgement and viable alternatives.

so, where would you draw the line?

but I’m confident you realise it’s a lot more nuanced than “Boob jobs: yes or no?”.

Did I suggest no boob Jobs? No, of course I didn’t – that would be just as much of a ridiculous extreme as boob jobs for anyone who wanted them.

But where does the line lie between those two extremes in order to produce this mystical “properly funded NHS” that people are speaking of?

Same goes for expensive cancer therapy that might buy an 80 year old a few extra months, versus the same in someone younger – where does the line lie that allows us to signify the NHS being properly funded?

I feel like I need to email him back just say how much I love him too

Apologies FunkyD, give him a kiss and a hug from me!

Why don’t you start a thread about it ninfan? You clearly want answers.

You clearly want answers.

Well, the government that (just about) got voted in gave someone the job to look at this and draw those lines

Seems that some people think he’s got it wrong, so all I’m asking is where they would draw them instead.

I think the issue is, this is the MP for Health and not one person i’ve met working in the NHS has time or respect for him?

How do you think the A&E nurse on duty at 1am on Saturday morning dealing with the next drunk feels about the fact that Jeremy Hunt and friends all got pay rises in April, yet they haven’t had one for four years?

My wife is a lead radiotherapist, used to be a 8-4 or 9-5 job Monday to Friday for her with final salary pension, she can now work any hours 8am -8pm 7 days a week at her hospital, for no-more money at all than she was on 4 years ago?

MP’s had a 10% pay rise in 2015 and a further pay rise in April 2016 and April 2017.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/24/mps-enjoy-1000-pay-risewhile-public-sector-workers-face-cap/

Let’s have all the NHS staff and public sector workers tell us the huge pay rises they’ve had…………….

Every day NICE and no doubt many hundreds if not thousands of very bright and very professional people have to make these choices of who gets treated, how and when. This line you speak of might help guide that process

*Might* help?

I’d say it’s pretty much essential.

Cross party agreement on what ‘good enough’ means is the starting point for any sane plan for the future.

Its easy to be a critic and whinge about “properly funding the NHS”

its far easier to be a troll and just shout, Humphreys style, how much, would you pay for x would you pay for y etc

How about

” do you think the NHS needs more money ninfan?

If i said to you i want to ride my bike more would you grill me on the terrain and the dates and the distance and what tyres etc or just accept you knew what the statement meant

DO you ever feel the need to engage on the topic rather than scribble and deraill

If you asked for help for your daughter should they just grill you on exactly what you mean to the n th degree or just help you ?

You need a better hobby and we need to stop feeding your scribbles

Scud – not sure I agree with you there Agenda for Change staff have had pay rises in the last 4 years, they have just been pretty low.

Also again agenda for change means that working unsocial hours is paid at higher rates.

I think 99% of people that work in the NHS accept it can no longer be a Mon-Fri 9-5 job, or that it should ever have been

The A&E nurse would probably wish there were more staff available before thinking they are not getting paid enough

You need a better hobby and we need to stop feeding your scribbles

Seems to me you just have a tough time actually engaging and debating on issues where shouting someone down and calling them an evil tory **** doesn’t have the desired effect.

” do you think the NHS needs more money ninfan?”

No, we’ve tried that, and it hasn’t worked – I think they (and the surrounding support services that feed into the system) need to begin spending money in a radically different manner and reassess completley what the role of the NHS is, particularly regards preventative medicine and lifestyle based illness.

But closing hospitals and moving doctors and nurses into the community instead would just be more evidence of ‘cuts’ wouldn’t it – see the political football that A&E closures always becomes.

Seems to me that JH is just trying to do his job as his boss has told him to do it.
Get more results with less resources – not much different to 1000’s of other middle managers hated by their employees in other companies/sectors up and down the country.

ninfan makes a very good point about ‘adequate funding’, and imo the way the world is these days, there’s so many people that would be unhappy no matter how much money you throw at the NHS.
Great Auntie Doris has X terminal illness, we can extend her life by 6 months for: £1k? £10k? £100k? £1mil? £10mil? Where do you draw the line? To her loved ones you cant put a price on it, but someone somewhere has to assess whether £XX would be better spent on Auntie Doris or something else.

With new and more expensive drugs/treatments being developed all the time, costs are only going to increase and much as we would like there to be, there isn’t an unlimited amount of money.

Seems to me you just have a tough time actually engaging and debating on issues where shouting someone down and calling them an evil tory **** doesn’t have the desired effect.

One of your better goads its a crock and a straw man but its still a great goad