Robinson speaks of two-tier health service – ‘wealthy stay healthy while rest wait’ - video Dailymotion

Robinson speaks of two-tier health service – ‘wealthy stay healthy while rest wait’

Transcript

00:00 And that brings me to my own personal experience. One such waiting list that I was placed on

00:04 several years back, where my GP had initially told me that I would have an 18-month wait.

00:09 The 18 months came and went, 19 months, 20 months, 21 months, and when I became aware

00:15 that the consultant carried out work in the private sector, I queried, merely out of interest,

00:20 how soon I could be seen. Could I attend next Thursday, was the answer from the consultant's

00:26 PA. Could I attend next Thursday? So the take-home message for me was that the wealthy can stay

00:34 healthy whilst the rest of us just have to wait. But the right to health should belong

00:39 to everyone. But it also showed me that the capacity within the private sector is one

00:46 that should be grasped. The use of private hospitals and providers across the British

00:50 Isles and further afield is critical and looks like the only short-term option. This should

00:55 not just be focused on surgery, but the full suite of professional skills and services

01:00 needed to reduce the current backlog. I accept that there have been games in recent times

01:05 with the ongoing development of dedicated elective sites, including regional daycare

01:09 centres and overnight stay centres. However significant, further expansion is required

01:13 if we are to see better progress in dealing with waiting list backlogs. We must maximise

01:18 outcomes from additional investment. Continuing with the same level of small contracts with

01:23 independent providers cannot deliver the tangible progress that we crave. The Department of

01:27 Health must be seizing opportunities to forge larger national and global partnerships with

01:31 NHS in other parts of the UK and independent providers to crack down on waiting lists.