Pay More Tax to save the NHS?

The NHS is a grossly inefficient operation sadly which doesn't operate in the economy's interests in many ways. I don't think it is as simple as throwing money at it. They import far too much staff rather than train staff in the UK. Those imported staff have financial interests in other countries so export a lot of their wages. One third of doctors in the NHS are born outside the UK for example. We can't just accept this as normal as it does huge financial damage to the UK. They also import far too much PPE and other products which could be easily produced in the UK and in fact in many instances cheaper. Then you have their vehicle fleet and lots of other issues in how they operate. There is also far too much management in the NHS.

The NHS needs structural changes. If you throw money at it then it will likely import more staff, import more products creating more a trade deficit and borrowing and just add to our problems which then means the NHS becomes an even greater burden on the UK economy. There are lots of politically correct roles in the NHS which we simply can't afford. They are paying agency staff huge sums which is money going to agencies as well as higher rates of pay for those agency staff. If they are relying on agency staff that should be seen as an emergency situation only and fast tracking NHS employed staff training.

There is such a huge amount of waste in the NHS and what seems like a complete absence of good management skills despite the high wages management get. We need a lot of roles re-examined in the NHS to see if they are actually worth having or couldn't be combined with other roles to save on staff numbers. The NHS is such a huge part of the UK economy that just by sorting it out would have huge positive effects elsewhere in our economy especially manufacturing and service industries.

That's not going to fix anything, it needs to be reformed.

That's £40m you'll never get back.

I would be willing to pay more tax to save it but only if the NHS got rid of all the money wasting they do. As someone who works within it, i was so shocked by how much money is wasted

I think the problem is that we now have too many people in the country.

NO, I would not pay more.

They need to stop wasting money, become more efficient and stop giving free medical care to all and sundry who don't even live in the UK.

It doesn't matter how much money you chuck at it, it would still be the same, the influx of migrants in the last ten years ect...are the cause of this problem

I haven't been to see a doctor in over twenty years and don't take any medication, l definitely Don't want to pay more tax

Blimey, we wouldn't have these comments on the other (Marxist) deal website!

I wouldn't as I don't believe the money would filter through to the proper channels , it would be swallowed up in some pointless scheme, admin costs or consultancy fees and surveys that tell us what we already know.

Yes definitely we need free medical services available for everyone

I would yes, if they reformed it. Everyone should have free NHS healthcare at the point of service.

If our useless, corrupt government weren't wasting our tax money on pathetic schemes to send a few hundred migrants to Rwanda, the NHS would have money to save it, and that's just one example.

I've had to use the NHS a lot recently because of serious medical issues, and I can see failings, but for the most part it was brilliant, and the staff are angels.

What's the alternative, an American style system, were people people are dying, and going bankrupt to try to stay alive?...no thanks, that's going backwards.

My partner works for a company that provides crates and delivery cages to the NHS. When a delivery cage is broken, there is the possibility of fixing it for a small fee. He told me that rather than doing this, they opt to discard the delivery cage and pay for a new one! All the small things add up to stupid money. A lot of people within the NHS have management experience, but no on the frontline experience. I feel that people who work their way up should be moved into these positions with extra training as they see the issues and are best placed to fix them. Why can't this happen? Get rid of the clueless and inefficient bigwigs who don't do the difficult jobs, are more penpushers than anything, reduce the amount of them, and use genuine experience. God forbid a porter working his way up! I used to work for a massive multi-billion pound company, I started off at the very bottom and worked my way up. I learnt how things run from experience. The company used to take on business management degree managers straight from university, and so many of them failed as they didn't have a scooby! As for the prescriptions for paracetamol, stop, just stop! I have arthritis and have waited a year for an appointment to see a consultant, I will then, probably, wait again for the operation. I have been prescribed a strong painkiller for once a day and paracetamol 3 times a day. I declined the paracetamol as I have a conscience, but was told I couldn't purchase enough at a time to sustain me. True, but I can visit the shop more often. I have to take a lifelong medication, which entitles me to free prescriptions, I can't fathom how I can have all my medication free because one of them is free. I continue to pay my monthly prepayment fee. I strongly believe in charging the public for missed appointments, charging the public for nuisance visits, people who are drunk or on drugs on the weekends and falling all over the gaff and requiring ambulance help rather than them helping those who are in REAL NEED. Yes, the NHS is poorly managed, but some general public need to take responsibility with contributing to wasted resources. As for pay strikes, I have to be a little controversial I'm afraid. Junior doctors are on low wages because they are junior, they know what they are getting into and they know it will improve. Any junior positions in lots of industries are on low wages, its not a forever thing. My 18 week wait which turned out to be a 50 week wait to see a consultant would have been shorter if consultants weren't striking because they can't live on the starting pay of £125k per annum. I would love to have half of that! I don't have sympathy I'm afraid!!

Its more about good management than raising buyer costs I think.

Thanks for all your replies and opinions

I work for the nhs and have done for over a decade. As been said before there is so much wastage. Oh and charging us an absolute bomb out of our wages for car parking and just like everyone else cant find anywhere to park,even in staff car parks,great after a 12hr shift. Then have to add at least an extra 3/4 hr on each end of your shift because you cant get off the car park... they have there own nhs supply chain,where they order only their supplies from.. so so much money wastage. As staff we have to do training on reviewing how to improve our working and providing them with cost effective ideas,yet after submitting ideas,nothing gets actioned... would i pay more tax... NO,they get enough from me!!

If we were more thoughtful of our use of the nhs and be grateful for what we get free compared to other countries we probably wouldn't need to. I would pay more of the alternative was having to pay for the service but I truly believe the problems stated on this page could be dealt with if the will was there.

I wish people would stop saying the NHS is free, the billons that are pumped into it and wasted are tax payers money funded by direct taxes such as income tax, corporation tax and national insurance and indirect taxes VAT, Duty, RFLs, climate levy etc We have potholes because all the tax the motorists pay gets used elsewhere.

The NHS needs to be run like a business as one, not separate trusts etc

I don’t want to pay more tax because it doesn’t need the money it has enough.

The lack of care has also gone down hill and I get so angry when the staff want more money.

I’ve been awake all night in pain again since 2021 my symptoms are getting worse and no health professional actually cares. I’m now working from home to try and keep my job because no one wants to help me so when the junior doctors go on strike again am I going to care about them no because no gives a toss about the people who actually pay their wages and there enormous 20.6% rising to 23% in April employer pension contribution so they can retire earlier than the rest of us - they quite frankly need to get a reality check on how the rest of population work and live and what they’re paid and how the system actually works do they want folks on minimum wage paying more tax because they want £30 a hour + increased pension contribution because if the wages go up then that goes up too and I’m getting really annoyed the media don’t bring this to the general public’s attention

Average Joe didn't need to pay more tax. The uk needs to deal with tax dodgers. I live in a tax haven. Don't believe those that say the iom, and the channel islands aren't tax havens. They are. The loop holes need closing so that tax dodgers can't dodge but pay more taxes which will help the NHS.

Don't think those living in tax havens are rich. There's loads of money in these places but like the uk it's only the elite that have it and lots of poverty just well hidden.

Just stop feckin voting tory

Pretty sure that big US firms have been eyeing up UK for dismantling the NHS in favor of private health companies. I think its was a crazy idea to have the NHS but now we have it it is a treasure and should be saved. Its a British institution. Not perfect for sure but damn its the envy of so many countries. I would pay a little more to improve it even if it is others who benefit. Life isnt about how much I get out of the system for me.