http://www.nursesforreformblog.com The blog for Nurses for Reform, a growing pan-European network of nurses dedicated to consumer-oriented reform of European healthcare systems. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:49:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yesterday I had an article published in the Daily Telegraph, discussing the future of the NHS and how NFR believes the process towards achieving better healthcare for the UK population should be started. To read to complete article click here. I also urge you to take time to read the comments.  It ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/03/10/nurses-for-reform-in-daily-telegraph/ There has been a lot of publicity recently about the poor care given to patients by Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust It has been found that patients were routinely neglected, left to die and “cared” for in appalling conditions.  For me though, one of the interesting and appalling things about this is that ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/03/09/more-damning-nhs-failure/ This is a fantastic article by my friend and colleague Stephen Pollard welcoming David Cameron’s announcement that the Conservative Party, if they win the forthcoming general election, will allow public sector workers to run the services that they work in as co-operatives.  In truth this project will probably start in education ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/02/23/towards-a-more-co-operative-society/ In line with public choice theory economics, I have long believed that health systems driven by greedy vote motivated politicians will have the opposite effect of their professed consequences. It is in this context that one expects to read articles like this. Billions spent and nothing to show for it. A million ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/02/14/socialised-healthcare-%e2%80%93-the-great-engine-of-inequality/ Ladies and Gentlemen, in 1948 the British government put a leaflet through the door of every household. It said, in black and white, that: “the NHS will provide you with all medical, dental and nursing care. Everyone – rich or poor – can use it.” Today, we live in a country ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/02/09/this-house-would-rather-be-unwell-in-britain-than-america-nfr-speech-to-oxford-union-on-4-february-2010/ Now this could be a really interesting opportunity to get some meaningful and sound reform of US healthcare along much freer market lines. When recently asked if inviting Republican Party leaders to the White House meant that President Obama was going to start from scratch, he responded: “I think that what ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/02/08/a-chance-to-revive-obamacare-along-market-reform-lines-nfr-does-hope-so/ Last week, I spoke against the NHS and whole idea of socialised medicine at an Oxford Union debate. Against me were the usual political class types including Andrew Lansley MP (Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Health), Kevin Barron MP (Labour), Norman Lamb MP (Liberal Democrat) and that doyen of ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/02/08/nfr-has-lots-of-fun-with-the-political-class-at-the-oxford-union/ As this fabulous paper against the medical monopoly makes clear, state monopolies initially set up to protect standards in the name of public interest invariably degenerate into the total and utter reputational shambles that they pretend to oppose. It is with this in mind that I recently noted this story .  You ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/01/31/state-medical-monopoly-drags-the-standing-of-doctors-to-new-low-now-even-the-gmc-is-embarrassed-by-the-decision-of-one-of-its-own-panels/ Following this post the Daily Mirror published this rather good article:  Apart from making the mistake that NFR is in anyway allied to the Tories (that is offensive!), it helps to get some important history out in the public domain. Intellectually, the NHS and the welfare-warfare state does have some ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/01/27/now-lets-not-be-nhs-nazi-link-deniers-%e2%80%93-or-tories/ While it has long been apparent that vast swathes of the trade union movement promote private healthcare as a benefit of membership – remember this - and indeed many of the movement’s leaders have long avoided state healthcare, NFR passionately believes that trade unions are important in civil society. As voluntary ... http://www.nursesforreformblog.com/2010/01/26/why-a-new-government-should-help-to-further-expand-trade-union-aligned-private-healthcare/