Is the NHS hanging on by a thread?

Throughout the years, the NHS (National Health Service) has been through many struggles and doubts but has always managed to pull through. It will soon be rejoicing in 70 long years of hard work. The question is: will the NHS survive to see 100 years? And just how much would our country be affected if it collapsed? Tamsyn, Tabassum and Victoria investigate.

The NHS first opened in July 1948 just after World War 2 had ended. It was a source of happiness after such hard times; people were in desperate need of healthcare but most people could hardly afford it after the bombs destroyed many people's wealth. Before WW2, citizens had to pay for healthcare. The Labour party felt very strongly against this and campaigned for free healthcare available for all, which has now changed the course of British healthcare.

The NHS’s first hospital in Manchester, the Trafford General Hospital, is still standing however it’s struggling to cope - just like many hospitals in the UK. The NHS is funded mainly from general taxation and National Insurance contributions, with all major decisions controlled by the government. The general public have been very angry these recent years as even though their money has been going to the NHS, they are unsure what is happening with it. There are more debates everyday on whether the NHS should be forgotten or people should be forced to pay more to help the NHS survive.

The public are becoming increasingly worried about the future of the NHS and are nervous of the cost of future lifesaving treatment. An anonymous source says that when they were in a tricky situation, thanks to the support and kindness of the NHS, they were able to get through and didn’t lose any money in the process. If they had had to pay they would probably be financially unable to support themselves later on as payment for healthcare can become extremely expensive.

Recently, we have seen many events that the NHS have had to struggle through and they have had to adapt quickly to changes. A recent example is the collapse of Carillion, where many people were forced to leave as their income came from this company.

The NHS were also suddenly short of staff and had little time to recover before Brexit also started to force foreign workers out of the country. New rules stated that all workers from outside the EU who had been living here for less than 10 years needed to earn at least £35,000 a year to settle permanently in the UK or else they will be deported. In addition, a student from the NHS said that they are worried about the future of the NHS because many people will have to pay for their student courses so less people will be able to afford it. This will massively affect a shrinking NHS.

Media reports say that Brexit may destroy the NHS which means patients cannot get help if they are from poorer backgrounds. Jeremy Corbyn tweets: “The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it. Be in no doubt that there are those folk. I am one of them.” Jeremy Corbyn is trying to explain that the NHS needs people with faith in them as they may face problems in the future. However, the government have been criticized as they don’t have enough money to give the NHS for their equipment and wages.

As reported by the BBC, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “We have put money in, that was asked for in that review, and we've actually put some extra money in, in the spring statement and the budget last year to deal with this. You keep talking about the money but actually what you also need to look at is how the NHS works."

The NHS is currently celebrating their 70th year. Unfortunately, they are becoming overcrowded because of Britain's steadily growing population. Many people have been in need of help only to be told to wait for hours to even be seen. However, many have also been positive that the NHS could find more ways to rearrange their money to make things easier to afford.

Through a recent survey carried out at St Marylebone C.E School, it’s evident that many people are unaware of how much we help the NHS. The NHS is one of the few free National Health care services in the world, but is this suddenly becoming clear to the government that we are too fortunate to have that privilege?

All we can do now is hope that the government looks deeper into this case and the NHS can continue their work without any worries or economical struggles.

By Tabassum, Tamsyn and Victoria