This is another stunning report, like the diary from the Accident&Emergency doctor two few weeks ago.
I'm not interested in the blame game, I'm convinced most people in healthcare were and are working in good faith and just don't have time or mental space to reflect on what is going on. I'm more interested in what this trend means for the near future. I haven't heard such stories from other countries but cannot imagine that other western nations are not seeing the same trends. I suspect the UK is just a bit ahead of the curve.
It looks like healthcare in the UK and probabely the rest of the western countries is really collapsing and just one epidemic away from total (catabolic) collapse. How will this look like? I'd like to hear what the commentariat thinks.
My two cents: Very soon (1-2 years) many people will not be able to get the healthcare they need. Triage will be necessary and I wouldn't be surprised if people in the workforce and youngsters will get priority over the elderly. That will mean a nasty old age for quite a few boomers who will be in despair over the shattering of their expectations in a life-phase where they can't do anything about it any more. In many countries euthanasia will be legalized. Alternative medicine will florish. Perhaps we will get a two tire system (as per JMG's suggestion a while back in a different context) where the top 20% or so of society still has acces via medical docters starting private clinics (so they can manage their own workload) which means that good healthcare is still available if you can pay for it. Life expectancy will drop sharply.
Re: NHS collapsing
I'm not interested in the blame game, I'm convinced most people in healthcare were and are working in good faith and just don't have time or mental space to reflect on what is going on. I'm more interested in what this trend means for the near future. I haven't heard such stories from other countries but cannot imagine that other western nations are not seeing the same trends. I suspect the UK is just a bit ahead of the curve.
It looks like healthcare in the UK and probabely the rest of the western countries is really collapsing and just one epidemic away from total (catabolic) collapse. How will this look like? I'd like to hear what the commentariat thinks.
My two cents:
Very soon (1-2 years) many people will not be able to get the healthcare they need. Triage will be necessary and I wouldn't be surprised if people in the workforce and youngsters will get priority over the elderly. That will mean a nasty old age for quite a few boomers who will be in despair over the shattering of their expectations in a life-phase where they can't do anything about it any more. In many countries euthanasia will be legalized. Alternative medicine will florish. Perhaps we will get a two tire system (as per JMG's suggestion a while back in a different context) where the top 20% or so of society still has acces via medical docters starting private clinics (so they can manage their own workload) which means that good healthcare is still available if you can pay for it. Life expectancy will drop sharply.