Sunday, 14 February 2016

We need Consensus on the Welsh NHS>

Maybe the NHS staff in Wales deserve an apology from the Tories,  after a major report said the health service was no worse in Wales than elsewhere in the UK.the first minister has demanded.

Though in reality he means his government deserves one.


Carwyn Jones said the OECD report "nails the lie that the NHS in Wales is being out-performed by England". 


However the  Welsh Conservatives pointed out the OECD had not looked at waiting times. Which is a major concern.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt have ruthlessly and consistently attacked Welsh Labour in the House of Commons over its handling of health services in Wales.
On numerous occasions, the pair have publicly denounced the Welsh Government’s record on the NHS, with Mr Cameron controversially describing Offa’s Dyke as the “line between life and death”.
Mr Hunt claimed patients in Wales received a “second class” health service, even describing the state of the NHS in Wales was “a national scandal”.



First Minister  Jones claimed David Cameron and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had "denigrated" NHS staff in Wales to gain political advantage.


He said the UK government should examine its own record on health in England.

 Welsh Labour will use the report  to present a positive spin on the Welsh NHS at a time the English Health Secretary is caught up in a heated contract dispute with junior doctors in England.

So ther eis no Border of Death as Cameron claims but this does not let the Welsh Labour government  off the Hook and if they were tp go into Opposition  it would not be long before they started attacking the state of the Welsh NHS even if in reality Nothing had changed.


As the cabinet post in Westminster and Cardiff Bay  are handed  out after a reshuffle . I bet every potential minister is praying.

"Please not Health"
 This report may put a end to the "Our Health service is better than yours" or rather "our Health service is not as bad as yours" claims but the problems are still there

In England Jeremy Hunt attempt to convince voters he can improve the Health service there has led to Junior Dr's going on strike.

Whilst in Wales we are likely to see all sorts of promises  on waiting Times being reduced by employing more Doctors and Nurses.

But could the best thing for the NHS  after the Election be a consensus on the Welsh NHS taking it out of the political spectrum for now and all Parties joining together to work out what is the best response to the problems of the Welsh NHS .

It will not happen of course there's to much Political capitol to come out from the NHS and lets face with it be responsible for nearly half the Welsh Budget.

Indeed it will probably eclipse all the other issues, and we have many more things to discuss in the run up to May including where we foresee the Assembly going.

The argument is that the electorate  are not interested in Constitutional matters so we will have debates and promises on the Welsh NHS and maybe Education as well.

As i said maybe we need consensus on the Welsh NHS not treating it as a political football . There are so many more things we need to address which are being overshadowed .



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