All of us, no matter our age, want our lives back
Philip Dunne’s lengthy pitch for the introduction of Future Fit proposals as the way forward for future health services in Shrewsbury, Telford and Mid Wales, made only two references to what we all know has undermined the provision of an effective health service – the lack of funding – and the reality of an ageing population, which many of us have been aware of for decades.
He refers to the proposal to build a new hospital between Shrewsbury and Telford which “proved to be prohibitively expensive”, but was that from another expensive PFI costing?
Similarly, he believes that the £320 million “investment” to introduce “the preferred” Future Fit will “secure high quality sustainable acute health services” in Shropshire. But how does the £320m compare with NHS’s own costing?
Some years back I pointed out to Philip that, as a student in the early 60s, I heard a BBC discussion which confirmed that in the second decade of the 21st century, the population would require good, age-related health services as “end-of-war” children reached their 70s. He said he was not aware of that discussion (hardly surprising: he was only five in 1963), while my point was that our national politicians had those facts some 50 years in advance of today… and all have ignored them.
We are now in the second decade of the 21st century, and the lead political party in government for 18 years, the Cons, has not yet confronted the reality of our current social situation.
Philip admits that “we have seen the consequences of indecision over the years”.
We have not only “seen” those consequences. Many have suffered because of them, plus too many having died.
We need truth based on facts. All of us, no matter what our age, want our lives back.
Malcolm MacIntyre-Read, Much Wenlock
