Wes Streeting

Opponents of assisted dying are not all "usual religious fundamentalists".

I didn't realise Streeting was one of those swivel eyed loony frothing Anglicans?

I did not say they were.  What I said was he was using the lies created by these folk.  the opposition is overwhelmingly from religious fundamentalists and they spread lies about it.  I have seen their briefing papers where they tell folk to do this.  they call it "fibbing for god"

I have no problem with those who say " Its against my religion"  I have no issue with folk with genuine secular concerns.  What I cannot accept is the deliberate lying from well funded religious fundamentalists.

the point is that its outright lies he is spreading.  Lies created by the religious to impose their world view on the secular

Thanks for the explanation tj.  Are these fundamentalists actively seeking donations by inappropriate (ie through fear or bullying) means?  Who is allowing them to be powerful?

Anyway - this was not to discuss the merits of assisted dying ( there is another thread for that) - but to discuss what a dangerous liar this man is.  Its an example of how he lies as he does over privatisation and other aspects of health care.  Allowing dogma to overpower truth.

I'd rather have Jeremy Hunt in charge!

I fully support assisted dying, and I've been impressed by what I've seen of the proposed bill and the safeguards within it.

I am a bit concerned that coverage it's going to attract in the coming months and the "assertions" that will be made are going to be very stressful for you TJ, given your obvious and justified interest in the debate.

If shouting on here makes you feel better, fair enough.  But expect to get a very hard time from those who are still not comfortable with the idea, or who do not take well to your passionate debating style on this important issue.

I don't want to see yourself getting wound up or winding yourself up over some of the opinions we disagree with on the subject. You need to find the best way to look after yourself in the coming months.

I have no problem with those who say ” Its against my religion”

I keep thinking that when interviewed about it the first question should be 'do you believe in a god' and then we can judge their responses based on that framework. Radio 4, this morning, asked Streeting about his faith after allowing him to say he was opposed to the bill because he's concerned that people may opt for assisted dying so as not to be 'a burden'. This phrase has been used a couple of times on R4 by Christian MPs opposed to the bill so I'm guessing it's the party line - whichever party that might be.

No worries CG - they are funded mainly by the american evangelic churches and by Brian Soutar the Stagecoach boss.  The main anti organisation "Care not Killing" has cross membership and leadership from SPUC ( society for protection of the unborn child - the nasty anti abortion organisation)

I have met with these folk and debated with them - a very unpleasant bunch.  Because they are so well funded and organised they have power beyond their membership.  Their lies get spread widely and are picked up by the media unchallenged

Anyway - Streeting?

Ta more cash!

anyway - Streeting?

My concern is that as usual he is targeting the wrong people to punish for poor performance as per the latest league tables.  The people who are actually in control of how quickly patients get seen are the consultants. They manage thier lists via their secretaries and decide who to treat when. When they dig their heals in there is nothing any manager or hospital can do about it.

I completely agree that the production of the league tables will create an industry in itself and because of the way these things are always done much time and effort will be spent on how to best game them to get the best place in the league. The best place in the league being at the bottom of the upper quartile. High enough up to be left alone, not too high that you have to be able to explain how you have done it to those at the bottom.

Yeah, I don't trust Streeting to do the right thing for the right reasons, and publishing league tables are not the right thing.

The NHS is entering its toughest season, I know a new government cannot magically find thousands of bedsvans qualified staff, but be nice to have plans for some progress not more bloody league tables.

League tables? Please no. Have you a source for this?

As for the assisted dying. With the correct safeguards and legislation in place there really is no secular argument for it other than 'I don't believe in it." If a person genuinely has had enough then what gives another person the right to insist that they carry on in pain with no chance of recovery?

Arguments from a religious stand-point are based on fairy tales. I see that the Anglican church has shed even more moral authority this week.

doing what the scots government did would be a good start.  Remove the remaining bits of nonsense of the fake market, group hospitals and other services into sensible groups and then do not eff about reoganising owt else.  Immediate savings in bureaucracy and increased efficiency at very little cost. That would reap immediate benefits

The league tables are to create "failing" parts of the organisation in preparation for privitising them and to pick a fight with managment and clinicians to appear tough.  |Its not about solving any issues

the other quick  thing is to pump money into community care in all its forms,  Bed blocking is a huge issue and discharge targets make it worse with failed discharges.  We need to be able to get folk out of hospitals when they no longer need that bed.  Failure to do so causes a lot of the ill effects.

League tables? Please no. Have you a source for this?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/13/wes-streeting-hospital-league-table-plan-nhs-doctors-bosses

He will also set out plans on Wednesday to sack “persistently failing managers” and send “turnaround teams” of improvement experts into poorly performing trusts, including those with big deficits. Trusts with good performance, or which raise themselves up the league table, will be rewarded with extra money to buy equipment and repair or construct facilities.

So if you are a well performing hospital or service - which generally means its in an affluent but not too high cost of living area - you get extra funds.  those in areas with high levels of illness and disability get expensive new managers (presumably from their pet outsourcing firms) put in who will adsorb time and effort in reoganising things.  this will make things worse not better and increase health inequalities

I think the principal reason that Streeting is briefing against the Assisted Dying bill is because it is a controversial subject that he is not really interested in dealing with. The people who have done the heavy lifting on this, like Kim Leadbetter, have got involved as a matter of principal because they believe they are doing something that is going to help people avoid unnecessary suffering. I don't think Streeting wants to get his hands dirty and take the flak that will be involved in passing the new law.

80% of the population are in favour.  Starmer has asked those in cabinet that support it not to be too involved as its rightly a conscience vote.  I am sorry - I just do not buy that as a reason at all and he has gone against Starmers guidance to cabinet.  He would be better shutting up about it "its going to be a conscience vote and I support that and urge all  all MPs to vote according to the evidence and their conscience"  He could even say that he will be voting against.  Its the repeating of the lies that gets me.  I distrust him and his motives

I have seen valid concerns raised by some doctors representatives, and a friend who is in her final year of medical school, that they are uncomfortable with defining the "6 months to live", trying to decide if there's competence and/or coercion. I can understand it puts doctors in a difficult position.

Though doctors have to make other awful choices anyway, and - Shipman aside - I'm sure plenty of doctors in the last few thousand years have made sure people haven't suffered longer than necessary.

If you want a more light hearted take on the subject,  David Baddiels current tour deals with it very bluntly, based in his experience with his parents.  I'd  recommend seeing it if anyone gets a chance.

League tables FFS!

Why does every idiot who idolises privatisation think public services will be better competing against itself.

The 6 months to live was dropped from the scottish bill for that reason.  I accept there are genuine secular concerns tho looking at best practice worldwide we can see those are misplaced concerns generally

Anyway - perhaps better not to discuss the detail of assisted dying on this thread?

I disagree with his approach on assisted dying (he's said he agrees with the principle, it's implementation that's the stumbling block).

He has secured the biggest increase in the NHS budget since 2010. We shouldn't be surprised he needs some headlines on reform to support this.

I think he's okay fwiw. I'll go further and say I like him, though he's a politician to the roots of his boots. I detect that the OP has some serious antibodies...

I used to think he was going to be good.

But making up this spurious argument just makes him seem like a weasel who will say anything to get what he believes.

Double speak worthy of a tory

john - we will see it the4 fullness of time for sure but I believe he is setting up to increase priviatisation given his taking of money from private healthcare and his appointment of folk with huge private healthcare interests as advisors.  league tables are just wrong and counterproductive and why does he keep on picking fights with the professionals?

Trusts with good performance, or which raise themselves up the league table, will be rewarded with extra money

How ****ing stupid do you have to be to think this asinine proposal is in any way helpful?

When we have problem areas in the company I work for they get put into "enhanced measures" and extra funding and resources are deployed to improve them. Pouring more money into areas that are already performing well makes absolutely no sense!

Anyway – perhaps better not to discuss the detail of assisted dying on this thread?

You maybe shouldn't have made it such a plank of your argument in your original post then. I understand that you've a personal interest in this but it's a poor foundation for what just looks like a grab-bag attack on Streeting.

I support the concept of assisted dying but the case for it is currently undermined by the inadequacy of palliative care in the NHS, thereby making one of the alternative choices less viable. I have no religious objection to it, and even just for personal reasons would like it to be an option in the future.

I'm a big proponent (and massive beneficiary, at least in financial terms) of socialised medicine, but in my unfortunately wide experience of various specialties it's by and large an absolute shit show, despite the good intentions of most people involved. It is in need of major reform. As far as Streeting's proposals go I haven't yet formed an opinion, though I've serious misgivings about anything that involves league tables and its inequities and inevitable gaming. You've only to look at the handling of waiting lists to see that the current NHS can make black into white.

Fair enough - it was probably a mistake 🙂

I was happy to give Streeting the benefit of the doubt, but league tables is an idea that so dumb, it feels like they've a list that they went through and crossed them all off for either political or financial reasons and the only thing left at the very bottom of the barrel was this horsehit.  It'd better be one those 'ideas that get floated' to the public to gauge their popularity to be either enacted or quietly dropped accordingly.

I'd point any politician ****ing about with the NHS to a quote from Bill Gates, "People always overestimate what you can achieve in a year, and underestimate what can be done in ten"

^^^I agree with all the above. Did get a bit of heartsink with this morning's media round. Just hope it's meant to be eye-catching and not meant to do a right lot

Aside from anything ,he does look like a person whose demise will involve a satsuma and a wardrobe.

The league tables are a terrible idea. Managers who are in fear for their jobs do not make good decisions nor do they provide good leadership, and the idea that ‘good’ hospitals will be rewarded means that hospitals at geographic or demographic disadvantage are going to be left high and dry. And there’s not enough elective capacity to give people true choice, and in an emergency people will be conveyed to the nearest ED.

I have seen valid concerns raised by some doctors representatives, and a friend who is in her final year of medical school, that they are uncomfortable with defining the “6 months to live”

My issue with this is that the profession is already bad at this (as in overestimation rather than the reverse, in general) and frankly it’s crystal ball gazing a lot of the time.

This guy is on my unwritten list of c's since he was NUS president, but I can't remember why.

Could be something he said, did, or just the way he was.

I wonder how long he will last?  there are others in the cabinet I have little time for but they do not look out of their depth like he is.

Streeting..... absolute ****. Probably my least favourite Labour minister..... he's a large reason why I can't bring myself to vote Labour. He's a very slightly less total bastard than your average Tory.

I heard him on Today this morning. He spouted a string of management-speak buzz phrases.

League tables are just an utterly stupid idea. It will divert resources from patient care to managing the process. As for giving more money to the people who manage to game the ranking system best, that is even more stupid.

Apparently assisted dying will cost so much it will cripple palliative care.  Such an obvious piece of nonsense.  Others of the antis have called it a cost saving measure.  Palliative care is expensive.  Someone taking assisted dying will save that money that would have been spent in those futile last weeks.

I had a similar WTF moment, but the safeguards in the process proposed in England mean two doctors sign it, then one of those doctors goes to the High Court to have a high court judge review it.  I imagine the NHS will not send them alone (although they should be perfectly capable of giving evidence alone) and there might be a barrister accompanying them.  Given the chaos of the courts that is probably a whole shift where the doctor can not be allocated to the wards/clinics etc…  So I can see that as drafted the proposal could be expensive.  Perhaps he could have a chat to the Justice secretary to see how they could stream line that or indeed encourage an amendment to the bill that only requires the doctors to go to court where there is some element of concern about the content of what they have written.  No doubt if he does though, the slippery slope people will be saying, “see the bill is not even law and they are changing it” because it seems people only pay attention to how Parliament works when it’s “their” issue before it.

Streeting I find very disturbing as a politician and I think the weakest of the cabinet. I really don't like his MO either, he is thoroughly unconvincing.

I don't understand how he is in a top tier job, and to be honest I don't think he'll go the distance

I agree with that Poly - the judicial review thing is a sop to the antis but it actually just gives the anti credence that coercion is an issue - which it simply is not.  Any coercion goes the other way trying to get their loved one to continue futile treatment,  Its a completely stupid idea and not needed

Streeting getting a kicking in the Grauniad

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/13/wes-streeting-hospitals-league-tables-nhs-staff

I have to agree, I just don't like him. Don't like that he seems to somehow be tied up with big med/pharma, don't like his manner, don't like what come out of mouth and don't even like his voice. He seems to be the least labour like of any of them and I'm concerned that he's in charge of the NHS.

Lets hope normal Labour principles prevail.

I just don’t like him. Don’t like that he seems to somehow be tied up with big med/pharma, don’t like his manner, don’t like what come out of mouth and don’t even like his voice.

+1

Just something a bit weaselly and smug about him.

I'm prepared to accept the NHS may need reforms, even a bit more provision via commercial firms, but he does not inspire trust and confidence.

Don't let it get you too het up though TJ, he probably doesn't have that much influence on the assisted death vote.

Lets hope normal Labour principles prevail.

Old Skool labour or Blairite labour?  😉

I never really understand these sorts of "personal" reactions.

But I dunno, as the goody two shoes gay kid in the south London council estate with family in prison, I guess he's going to be used to some people talking an instant dislike.

Apparently he's entertained by the substantial number of responses to the current public consultation on the NHS 10 year plan to the effect he should be fired out of a cannon etc.

The one that ambulance sirens should be replaced by a recording of Danny Dyer saying "nee naw nee naw" though I think we can all get behind?

I don't like the league tables thing and neither do all the think-tanks. Hope it fizzles. But he is the most successful cabinet minister in the recent budget. I'd not underestimate the guy. (Kiss of death, obviously.)

No 10 rejects suggestions Streeting's assisted dying interventions have breached government neutrality rule
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the prime minister’s spokesperson rejected suggestions that Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is ignoring the instruction that ministers should not try to influence the public debate on the assisted dying bill. (See 12.32pm.)

Asked if Keir Starmer was confident that ministers were respecting the guidance from the cabinet secretary on this matter, the spokesperson replied:

Yes. Ultimately, this is a case where the PM has said it is a free vote for MPs. Government will respect the will of parliament. Cabinet ministers have made very clear that the whole of government will respect the will of parliament on this deeply emotive issue.
Asked specifically about the intevention yesterday from Streeting, which led to Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who has tabled the bill, suggesting he was ignoring the advice for ministers, the spokesperson said:

How long before he is sacked?  He obviously has breached the guidance given making multiple pronouncements on the issue.   Usually this sort of defense is stage one in the sacking.  We can only hope for the sake of the NHS that its sooner rather than later

Edit - quote from the gruaniad live blog

John - its not a personal dislike for me.  Its that he is in the pay of privitised medicine, he is ignoring all the experts, he is needlessly picking fights with the professionals, he is making decisions to actively make things worse and is clearly setting up to privitise more of the NHS

Apparently he’s entertained by the substantial number of responses to the current public consultation on the NHS 10 year plan

That says a lot about his arrogance.  He should be listening to those who know and he should be very concerned that his plans meet universal condemnation.  From GPs, Hospital doctors, hospital management, nurses

I’m prepared to accept the NHS may need reforms

I would probably start though by backing out the previous set of "reforms" and then take another look once that crap is flushed out.

The invention of "league tables" suggest they are just going to double down on it though.

and is clearly setting up to privitise more of the NHS

I've never known a time when the health minister of any party hasn't been accused of wanting to privatise the NHS, it's genuinely astonishing given the utter certainty of some folks that not even in the 14 years they were in power and with the massive majority they enjoyed, the tories didn't manage it. Brave Wes can take up the challenge of being the target for those shouting that the sky is just about to fall in...again, or still or whatever.

Still, Wes isn't turning out to be the best appointment ever. If League tables is the best thing he can think of, unsurprising that his mentor Alan Milburn was also a fan, then he needs to have a re-think really.

He has said he wants to and his two advisors are privitisers.  He takes money from private healthcare and those advisors have large private health interests.  Milburn used his time as health minister to create the contacts to get rich from private health

he is needlessly picking fights with the professionals,

Turning the junior doctors dispute into the resident doctors settlement?

the tories didn’t manage it.

Depends on your definition really. Labour massively increased private sector involvement in the NHS and the tories took it even further.  The privatisation of mental health care has increased massively.

Labour did make an effort at privatising actual hospitals with the tories carrying on the plan. However Hinchingbrooke showed how difficult it was to do and still make a profit so that got abandoned for now. Far better to keep a rump public sector handling all the training and the difficult stuff and then cherry pick the good profitable stuff.

Good point john

Beeb update

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpqdy9ndrndo

Baroness Hodge - "“His argument about costs? We spend most of the NHS money on the last months of life.”"

Nice to see some others speaking out and calling him out for his nonsense.  He is bang out of order given the instruction to remain neutral.

The cost argument is a BS one, as are most arguments against but I would like to see the figures where the NHS spend most of their money on the last few months of peoples lives as that is clearly not going to be the case. The last few years maybe as a lot of older people are in an out of hospital for years for one thing or another but when it comes to the last few months it is almost over.

Both sides of the argument appear to be open to BS.

the last 6 months thing I have seen quoted before.  I can believe it as its not just palliative car - its the last 6 months of everybodys lives so lots of failed surgury,, ITU time, expensive medical treatments etc

its the last 6 months of everybodys lives so lots of failed surgury,, ITU time, expensive medical treatments etc

and what's ironic is that doctors make difficult and crucial decisions during that time that affect whether people live or die - but nobody has suggested that they should have to back up those decisions in the High Court

the last 6 months thing I have seen quoted before. I can believe it as its not just palliative car – its the last 6 months of everybodys lives so lots of failed surgury,, ITU time, expensive medical treatments etc

Even if that is the case it has nothing to do with assisted dying as majority of cases in your examples would not lead to assisted dying but lead to actual dying! The cost element is totally irrelevant which should have been the point.

In simple terms, he appears to be a corrupted, lacking in any depth, influenceable (for a variety of reasons) coq.

The fact that the likes of Streeting and Reeves are just very articulate vapid clueless political idiots shouldn't be a surprise.

Both are skirting as hard as they can around the real issue - money needs to be spent.

Whenever I hear the word reform I know it's mostly a right-wing prat who believes everything can be solved by spreadsheet evidence in the context of pretending less money spent is better for the economy and the NHS.

(My mother was having radiotherapy this week - two out of four machines broken.)

Even if that is the case it has nothing to do with assisted dying as majority of cases in your examples would not lead to assisted dying but lead to actual dying! The cost element is totally irrelevant which should have been the point.

absolutly.  Its utter nonsense from streeting.  A weeks palliative care will be a similar cost to assisted dying  take it a month early and save the NHS money!.   He is a devout christian and is objecting for personal religious reasons but inventing fake secular reasons to object.  Its the tactic often taken.  Just this one is a new one and the most nonsensical I have seen and as you say cost should not come into it.  I expect to see this line parroted by Care not Killing now

He should have been honest like Shabana Mahmood : ‘I voted against the bill when it was last introduced in 2015. I’ll be voting against it again. As a Muslim, I have an unshakable belief in the sanctity and value of human life. I don’t think death is a service that the state should be offering"

He has clearly breached the cabinet guidance - fortunately a couple of others have called him out on his nonsense

Streeting is what you end with when "just get the Tories out" is the only game in town.

Starmer needs to start acting like someone who has a whopping great majority and truly wants to put the UK back on track. He's had his 6 months' grace and done a few bits. But he needs to realise when he can afford to say "shut up" to the 85% of farmers who are simply lying or parroting lies because that's what they've been told - so he can move on.

As for farmers - if they threaten to leave land uncultivated or withhold produce... that's been a farming MO for centuries. It can always be dealt with.

He’s had his 6 months’ grace and done a few bits.

Erm the election was on 4th July.

Feels like longer.

OK he's got 8 more weeks - do we think the current trajectory is ambitious enough?

With that majority?

absolutly.  It’s utter nonsense from streeting.  A weeks palliative care will be a similar cost to assisted dying  take it a month early and save the NHS money!.   He is a devout christian and is objecting for personal religious reasons but inventing fake secular reasons to object.  It’s  the tactic often taken.  Just this one is a new one and the most nonsensical I have seen and as you say cost should not come into it.  I expect to see this line parroted by Care not Killing now

A gp friend has suggested it might cost the NHS more because the legislation requires both the doctors to explain the palliative care options in detail, and because they have to sign a legal document this might be done more thoroughly than it is now… he’s suggestions the cost would not be the NHS providing the means to end your own life, but rather that by making it an option that people suffering will ask about - that demand for better palitive care may increase.  Its an interesting take - oppose this bill as it will make it harder to gloss over the thing we say means we don’t need the bill!

More Streeting nonsense!

GPs will be offered financial incentives to discuss with specialists whether patients can be treated outside hospital, under radical plans to cut NHS waiting lists.

Doctors will be given £20 each time they consult a specialist either by phone or email under the so-called advice and guidance (A&G) scheme, to see if there is an alternative to hospital visits and treatment.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/05/cash-incentives-for-gps-under-labours-radical-plan-to-cut-nhs-waiting-lists

This will create an increase in costs via the administration of the scheme and cost GPs time in doing that administration.  I'll bet the cost in time to the GP for the admin is greater than the £20 gained.  It also assumes that GPs are sending folk to hospital unneeded which is nonsense - GPs do not have the diagnostic machines nor always the detailed knowledge.  It provides no extra cash for the extra staff and training to do more outside the hospitals

The £80m cost of paying GPs for doing so will be taken from existing hospital elective care budgets.

So less money for hospitals and no overall increase in budget

does he really think GPs send folk to hopsitals when its not needed?

ministers will also unveil upgrades to the NHS app to enable patients to choose providers, book appointments in more settings and receive test results.

So all patients are going to be able to book private providers increasing costs hugely, patients will be able to book unneeded tests increasing costs

Social care provision is not even going to be looked at for another year.  Social care is the key component here and the major reason for hospital logjams

So… there’s a cost to speaking to a consultant to check on the best pathway… so GPs to be recompensed for doing so?

will be able to book unneeded tests increasing costs

Unlikely. Your GP will be able to refer you, and then you choose where the exam takes place. Some Trusts do this already. There might be a lunchtime slot near your work you can take, rather than “the system” assuming that close to home mid morning is best for you.

I’ve used our Trust’s system a few times, and most times it’s been about choosing a slot and site within their Hospital system, or at a local medical centre… but once it offered a super prompt ultrasound at a privately run unit in a mill mostly full of offices and hospitality… on that occasion it made it possible to move to the operation quicker to have a tumour removed (in one of the NHS hospitals the Trust runs).

Everything Streeting ever says is, at the minimum, tinged with "and the private sector will play a part".

Unfortunately he is more of a danger to the NHS than many of his Tory predecessors. He has wanted this job and these opportunities for a long time. He's not there just to use it as a way of scoring political points and moving on. He's bought and paid for by private healthcare.

It won’t make much difference. GPs manage risk. For 95% of presentations it very easy to determine if the patient needs to goto hospital or be treated by the GP. The real problem at them moment is that GPs are the ones deciding how NHS budgets are spent and many are happy to see more of that spent on them. It’s a massive conflict of interest

A recent poll suggested Streeting will be voted out at the next election so I imagine meanwhile he'll be working his socks off for the private healthcare sector to guarantee his future job/payoff.

A recent poll suggested Streeting will be voted out at the next election so I imagine meanwhile he’ll be working his socks off for the private healthcare sector to guarantee his future job/payoff.

100%. I struggle to believe Streeting is a Labour politician.

Calling him a Labour politician feels absurd.

100%. I struggle to believe Streeting is a Labour politician.

Calling him a Labour politician feels absurd

All of these damned Labour idiots have worked on the principle there is a shortage of money in the state so we have to get the private sector to make the good stuff happen. They swallowed the deranged Tory pills.

It's doomed, flawed and illiterate.

The biggest dead end in political thinking is being delivered by the likes of Streeting and co. Pure fish-hook.

Some days I'm convinced these dopes have been put in place just make it easy for Reform.

Taking bets on who goes first Streeting or Reeves?

Everything Streeting ever says is, at the minimum, tinged with “and the private sector will play a part”.

Just like the Dental sector has become a raging success...

The private sector for health is extractive and exclusive, serves profit not health.

It never ceases to amaze me the lack of pragmatic thinking in Starmer's awful cabinet.

Yeah, I haven't seen anything different in what Streeting is saying to the message coming out of Starmer, Reeves and most of the rest of the cabinet. He is totally consistent with the Governments message of subsidising private profit above service provision. He may be a little easier to dislike because of his demeanour in interviews, but he is not delivering a different message, so singling him out seams a bit hypocritical for those who have been arguing in favour of this direction in the last 6 months.

I just saw this on sky.

The health secretary also said he believed that "political correctness was able to get in the way of going off the perpetrators of these serious crimes."

Musk talk.

The health secretary also said he believed that “political correctness was able to get in the way of going off the perpetrators of these serious crimes.”

I'm not wanting to defend Streeting but I'm pretty sure the Rotherham report said the same thing,  though in more PC terms.

So all patients are going to be able to book private providers increasing costs hugely, patients will be able to book unneeded tests increasing costs

This is the thing. The role of tests isn’t to diagnose, it’s to rule out or rule in the clinical diagnosis. Doing tests without a clinical diagnosis is bad practice.

I’m not wanting to defend Streeting but I’m pretty sure the Rotherham report said the same thing, though in more PC terms.

Indeed. As I recall, this was one of the main take-home points of the report. And obviously the one that all the racist shitbags seized upon.

Private hospitals will provide NHS patients in England with as many as a million extra appointments, scans and operations a year as part of the government’s drive to end the care backlog.

The move represents a significant expansion of the independent sector’s role in helping the health service tackle the long waits for treatment that built up under the Conservatives.

Keir Starmer unveiled the NHS’s growing use of private healthcare in a major speech on Monday in which he set out his new elective reform plan to address a waiting list for planned care on which 6.4 million people are waiting for 7.5m treatments.

Private operators will receive an extra £2.5bn a year in government funding, taking the total to almost £16bn, if they deliver the uplift in care and treatment the prime minister outlined. The initiative is a key element in a plan intended to ensure that patients no longer have to wait more than 18 weeks for non-urgent hospital care by spring 2029.

so yes - exactly what I said - this is further privitisation of the NHS in england.  It represents extremely bad value for money, its damaging to the health service in total.  the only person who is actually going to gain from this is Streeting when he gets his payoff.  Thank god he has nothing to do with NHS Scotland

After the 2nd vote has passed in the commons for Assisted dying Streeting is still speaking out against it.  HOw long can he remain in post?  Its clear he intends to wreck this

Posted by: tjagain

↑

After the 2nd vote has passed in the commons for Assisted dying Streeting is still speaking out against it.  HOw long can he remain in post?  Its clear he intends to wreck this

It's a conscience vote. Like all MPs, he can continue to vote how he chooses on this issue.

So long as he remains in the minority, I don't care. There's plenty of other reasons to hate him.