UK health reform bill passes final hurdle in Parliament - expected to be signed into law by Easter - Polidicks

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17447992[/url] [quote=BBC News][b]Conservative and Lib Dem ministers have "banged" the table at a cabinet meeting to mark the impending passing of the NHS reforms into law, No 10 has said.[/b] The Health and Social Care Bill, for England, has had a difficult passage through Parliament but was finally passed by the House of Lords on Monday. The government hopes it will now get Royal Assent and become law by Easter. Meanwhile, Labour have failed by 82 votes in a final bid to delay the bill's progress. The party called a Commons emergency debate on the issue, but in the subsequent vote was defeated by 328 to 246. The motion said MPs should not consider planned NHS changes for a final time before an assessment of the potential risks to the health service is published. [b]'No purpose'[/b] For Labour, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham appeared to concede the passage of the bill into law was now going to happen, adding: "The only hope that I can give to people worried about the future of the NHS today is that this might be the end of the bill, but it is just the beginning of our campaign." But Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told the Commons: "The truth is, this is political opportunism dressed up as principle. This is a debate for no purpose." MPs will now consider the amendments to the bill agreed by the Lords on Tuesday. The legislation would abolish Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts and give much greater control over care budgets and commissioning decisions to GPs and other health professionals. The bill has been the subject of a prolonged battle over the past year - with professional bodies representing doctors, nurses and other NHS workers resisting the changes. There has also been criticism from several leading Liberal Democrats of Conservative Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's plans. But the prime minister's spokesman said there had been "cross-party banging" of the table at cabinet to mark the imminent Royal Assent for the legislation. [b]'Two-tier service'[/b] He added that it would become law before the Easter Recess, which starts next Tuesday. But unions said they would not relent in their opposition to the bill once it becomes law. "We will continue to campaign hard to try and mitigate the worst excesses of this bill," said Unison general secretary Dave Prentis, adding that ministers were ignoring the "groundswell of opposition" to the proposals. "Patients will have a two-tier health service and where they live will determine the healthcare they receive." Members of Unison, which represents more than a million public sector workers, held a minute's silence outside Parliament in protest at the changes.[/quote]

When the royal collages of nurses, midwives, GPs, surgeons, radiologists and many more are all against it, the medical professionals, it shows that there's clearly something flawed with it.

god fucking damn it

[QUOTE=Terminutter;35219994]When the royal collages of nurses, midwives, GPs, surgeons, radiologists and many more are all against it, the medical professionals, it shows that there's clearly something flawed with it.[/QUOTE] Clearly the government are above the peasants and know better.

The votes were 328 to 246, a majority of 82, or the difference between the number of Labour MPs and Coalition MPs :v: the only immediate thing I think the NHS should reform is the service is provides to smokers and stupidly fat people, they shouldn't be a burden on everyone else.

I can't see how the Lib Dems can ever hold any credibility after this term in "Government"... First tuition fees and then this?? Plus a whole bunch of other ridiculous things. Nick Clegg has absolutely ruined he only viable alternative

[QUOTE=RO;35220518]the only immediate thing I think the NHS should reform is the service is provides to smokers and stupidly fat people, they shouldn't be a burden on everyone else.[/QUOTE] erm no, that's stupid [editline]"man"[/editline] well, depending on what you mean by "reform" people shouldn't be denied healthcare for bad decisions that are not necessarily entirely their fault.

[QUOTE=RO;35220518]The votes were 328 to 246, a majority of 82, or the difference between the number of Labour MPs and Coalition MPs :v: the only immediate thing I think the NHS should reform is the service is provides to smokers and stupidly fat people, they shouldn't be a burden on everyone else.[/QUOTE] In theory, the extra taxes put on cigarettes are supposed to cover the NHS burden, but I would like cigarettes to be taxed a bit more, as they aren't exactly paying for themselves at the moment. As for stupidly fat people, the issue generally lies in lack of education, I'm afraid. Generally, if you educate people more, they won't be so fat, unless they are unlucky enough to have a genuine genetic issue. I'd like reforms in certain areas like nursing, as you've gotta do a college degree for it these days, and I honestly can't see what was wrong with the training course and on the job training that happened several years ago - sure it was less of a career, but nursing should be an occupation done because of care, as opposed to a career move designed to leave you loaded. I know several people who would make amazing nurses, but cannot do it, as they aren't able to afford college courses, when the old, free training would have let them become nurses and help solve the lack of nurses issue.

[QUOTE=Terminutter;35220714]In theory, the extra taxes put on cigarettes are supposed to cover the NHS burden, but I would like cigarettes to be taxed a bit more, as they aren't exactly paying for themselves at the moment. As for stupidly fat people, the issue generally lies in lack of education, I'm afraid. Generally, if you educate people more, they won't be so fat, unless they are unlucky enough to have a genuine genetic issue. I'd like reforms in certain areas like nursing, as you've gotta do a college degree for it these days, and I honestly can't see what was wrong with the training course and on the job training that happened several years ago - sure it was less of a career, but nursing should be an occupation done because of care, as opposed to a career move designed to leave you loaded. I know several people who would make amazing nurses, but cannot do it, as they aren't able to afford college courses, when the old, free training would have let them become nurses and help solve the lack of nurses issue.[/QUOTE] I like to think that fat people know why they are fat and how they can stop being fat, they just CBA. Of course this is england so maybe some people are really that stupid.

[video=youtube;yPLcZ5Rk3Lg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPLcZ5Rk3Lg&feature=related[/video] A tribute to all those who will get shitty healthcare service during the Torytanic.

I hope the changes are for the better - that is whatever the changes are. The two-tier system sounds a little scaremongering - I don't think healthcare will be based on where you live because if a new disease comes around it'll spread like the plague.

[QUOTE=Chopstick;35223678]I hope the changes are for the better - that is whatever the changes are. The two-tier system sounds a little scaremongering - I don't think healthcare will be based on where you live because if a new disease comes around it'll spread like the plague.[/QUOTE] There is way too much scaremongering in my opinion, the whole "they're privatising the NHS!" is absolute bullshit and it makes it harder for me to tell whether what they're [i]really[/i] doing is all that bad

Yep, fuck this, I'm moving to mars, It's the only true way i can ensure i can get injured and not worry about paying for healthcare/having my spine removed instead of my leg plastered.

Kind of unrelated but I think the biggest problem with people gaining weight here is the fact that everywhere you turn in the street there is a Greggs, KFC, Mcdonalds or god knows what else, selling cheap finger food. I guarantee this country would be nowhere near as fat if you were forced to sit in a cafe somewhere and eat something only moderately bad for you rather than being able to go and get your entire daily calories in a bag and scoff it down in 15 minutes, then crave more 30 mins later. I started to put a bit of weight on when I first moved into the city and started my degree because it was so easy to go and get some snacks and a Starbucks every morning, go to Greggs for dinner and get some energy drinks on the way back, maybe go to Greggs at the end of the day too. Luckily I'm somewhat concious about that kind of stuff so I completely cut it out and started cooking my own meals every day. On the other hand I have seen a few people go from chubby to morbidly obese over the course of 1-2 years simply by going and getting a pile of unhealthy snacks every morning, then getting a pizza or fish and chips every dinner time, then another snack break between lunch and the end of the day, 5 days a week for 60-70 weeks total.

[img]http://www.e4.com/media/5F5C19BB-A6ED-4F31-BE34-BA6A137274E4_extra.jpg[/img]

For better or for worse, Lansley still should've been sacked.

[QUOTE=RO;35220518]The votes were 328 to 246, a majority of 82, or the difference between the number of Labour MPs and Coalition MPs :v: the only immediate thing I think the NHS should reform is the service is provides to smokers and stupidly fat people, they shouldn't be a burden on everyone else.[/QUOTE] lmao targeting behavior you personally find reprehensible and disguising it as "health" i'll take you seriously when you target every self-destructive behavior people participate in. good luck!