The NHS is on the rocks and needs fundamental reform to get back to health

Work stoppages have left the NHS on sick leave

It was obvious that NHS strikes would harm patients – and now we have evidence.

One million hospital appointments and surgeries have been canceled due to the work stoppages, figures expected to be released this week.

1

That is a shocking number. But the stories behind these numbers will be heartbreaking.

Think of the older Brits stuck at home, unable to go for a walk in the park because they are waiting for hip replacement surgery.

Or the worried father nervously waiting for a cancer scan and being told to wait another week.

NHS waiting lists are already at a record high of 7.68 million. That’s one in seven of us.

These crippling work stoppages only further lengthen the painful queue.

The British rightly love our NHS.

But patient goodwill is a two-way street.

The bond between sick people and NHS professionals has been hard won but could easily be lost.

Without this the NHS will be in an increasingly fragile state.

Its doctors and nurses are the first hands that touch us when we are born and often the last that we feel at the end of our lives.

But many families will be wondering how it can be right for consultants, some of whom earn around £127,000 a year, to strike for higher pay while patients are struggling to pay their bills.

Many cannot even see a doctor, which is financed by a record high tax burden.

Our NHS is in sick bed. Fundamental reform is needed to restore it Health.

A punishable insult

Legal aid is intended to ensure that everyone receives a fair trial. But it has to be proportionate.

We are astonished to learn that the murderers of innocent Sven Badzak were paid £400,000 to fund their lawyers.

Her victim’s mother has now received a fraction of this compensation. Just £11,500 to be exact.

It raises serious questions, not just about the way our legal aid system works, but also about how we value life.

Inside every day this countryThousands of pounds are wasted on questionable pet projects.

The public service is filled with diversity and inclusion officers, all paid for by taxpayers.

So it seems like an insult to me that Sven’s grieving family received such a paltry sum from the Criminal Injury Compensation Board.

Sven’s mother Jasna spoke about her son’s death with great eloquence and bravery. She deserves more.