The NHS & Its Changes

We hear people talking about the NHS and they can always find something to criticise. I am sure that Aneurin Bevan could find that he had made mistakes, for example not including the dentists and the pharmacies. 

But, god forbid that we should not be grateful for what he did especially because he was Welsh and because when we watch American programmes and they talk about their medical poverty, we should cheer and thank god for Aneurin. 

When we went through the COVID pandemic, I remember vividly how we all stood outside on a Thursday evening and clapped for all the NHS staff who were working so hard and putting their lives at risk for those who were ill.

Since then I have heard horror stories about how people are treated in hospitals with waiting lists and staff shortages and so on. I have to say that I have never been treated badly in hospital and I have always been grateful for the NHS and all that it has achieved all these years. What Aneirin Bevan set in motion all those years ago has saved millions of lives.

In recent times , attitudes have changed towards NHS staff. When they were needed urgently for instance during the COVID period, we respected them. Now we have a huge turnaround:

“Nearly three-quarters of accident and emergency staff experience violence and aggression daily or weekly according to a survey highlighting the ‘appalling’ abuse of NHS workers”

 The waiting areas are so busy, overcrowded and understaffed, patients feel ignored and they want to take it out on the poor staff. Another point to be made is the amount of racism invective the staff receive. The NHS is serviced by many qualified immigrants and it would collapse without them. The abuse has now become a normal part of life on the frontline for the staff. They feel very upset as they are only trying to help the patients and they go to work expecting to be assaulted or intimidated.

“The Guardian recently found that violent incidents recorded by 212 NHS Trusts in Britain rose from 91,175 in 2022-2023 to 104,079 in 2024-2025, the equivalent of about 285 cases reported every day.” These are shocking statistics but things are changing in 2026. Government and employers of NHS Trusts are trying to change attitudes and, of course, waiting lists are dropping and patients are feeling more hopeful.

The problem we still have is staff shortages. There are fewer foreign doctors and nurses as this country and our hospitals have become hostile environments. They do not feel welcome anymore due to racism and anti-migrant rhetoric. Politicians like Farage do so much damage to our own people as they constantly attack immigrants. 

Many of these people protect the NHS and Farage and his lot are trying to destroy it. We do not want private medicine. We want health care available to all of us, free at the point of contact. In 2010, it was a great year for us and the NHS.

We can work towards having that again. Obviously we need more funding but the money is arriving to fund our health care. Little by little we will get there. We can only work on stopping staff shortages if we stop anti- migrant attitudes by other patients and the top managers make it very clear that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.

We have a problem of how we perceive the NHS at the present time. This is the way danger lies as these perceptions are incorrect now. In the past under Tory governments, there have been brutal cuts to services and jobs. There were workloads overnight and understaffing during the day. Before that time,14 years ago there were no waiting lists over 18 weeks, no 12 hour A &E waits, and no waiting an hour for an urgent ambulance. Over 90% of cancer patients started treatment within two months. Everyone could see their GP within 2 days.

Under Starmer and now Burnham, things are already changing for the better and people are getting proper treatment for their health.

In the recent past, there have been hospitals where they have had bullying and sexual harassment. What has been found is that where there are bad hospitals they have often been sited in areas of deprivation. There have been horror stories in the past. A Mental Health department was unlawfully sedating a vulnerable patient and then he was waiting for 22 hours and then killed himself due to neglect by the mental health team.

Of course this is not a common occurrence. There are wonderful mental health teams all over the country.

There are all types of training with nursing but it all has to be paid for by the nurses themselves. Many years ago they had nursing grants. So it is harder for them nowadays. The second problem for training is that Private healthcare steals nurses trained by the NHS. They do not offer training themselves.

Since Aneurin Bevan the NHS has changed beyond recognition. With all the changes in science over the years they have been able to provide so much exciting healthcare, such as hip replacements etc. . The National Heart Hospital had the first Heart transplant in 1968 and prescription charges started in 1952. 1972 CT scans were started. 

In 1979 the first bone marrow transplant took place. Due to Covid the largest vaccination programme was set up and was very successful. We need to be proud of the NHS with all the amazing changes in science and in technology. Everything that has been done has been free except for prescription charges. Having your local doctor for free started in 1958. 

Yes, we have gone through hard times in healthcare as it has become more expensive but it is still there for us day in day out. In 2024 we had the lowest level of satisfaction but now there is an increase in satisfaction as people are much happier with the service.

I have always been proud of the NHS. It is the jewel in the crown of our country. We will always have it supporting us and making us feel better day by day.