After a few days of running a temperature and feeling absolutely dreadful we noticed a huge lump. I continue the story in this video…
My Easter Surgery Present – what the hell is happening to our NHS?
About Steven Webb
Steven Webb is a Zen Buddhist meditation teacher, former Mayor of Truro, and host of the Stillness in the Storms and Inner Peace Meditations podcasts. Paralysed at 18 and reborn through a “dark night of the soul” at 40, he now guides millions worldwide (including one of Insight Timer’s most popular sleep practices) to find peace without perfection. By day, he’s a Truro City Councillor and Lib Dem candidate, advocating for dignity-first policies and community energy projects. Oh, and he once towed a replica helicopter 500 miles in his wheelchair to fundraise for Cornwall Air Ambulance.
“The breath knows how to breathe. Our job? Just allow it.”
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8 Responses
YOU ARE AMAZING AND IN THE USA THE SYSTEM IS ALSO BROKEN HERE YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD OR BEING TAXED FOR NOT HAVING HEALTH INSURANCE IT IS THE ROOF YOU GIVE UP OR YOUR FOOD
It’s just crazy. I don’t have all the answers and it is easy to point out where the problems are I realise this. But to carry on down the same route of a broken system like yours just seems completely ludicrous to us. The insurance is on on the cards yet but it will be.
Good points, but I don’t entirely agree. Not for profit organisations can actually improve the NHS. The commission system is broken, too many non producing managers. Added to this you have a system which is ruled to heavily by the unions. I know this because we have proved it. Private for profit will never ever work, as costs increase people, patients will be left behind. To repair this broken NHS structure will take a brave Government who have a social conscience. And that is not this Government.
Yes totally. Non profit is fine as long as it can be subject to same accounting and transparency as public sectors otherwise they will be able exploit it.
No profit should be made out of services, in the ideal world no profit should be made out of the NHS at home but that’s unrealistic and a crazy utopian idea. Products need to be manufactured, medicines need to be developed therefore profit needs to be part of that system.
But to have services run by a private sector and the private firm cannot be part of the freedom of information act therefore able to do anything they like is just simply wrong.
Hi Steven, I live in the United States and you are so right in saying that our health system is totally broken, so I was interested in what you had to say about the NHS. It has always been my thought that the NHS was to be looked upon as a model for us to strive for. It sounds like that is no longer true and your system is going down our broken road.
I became involved with trying to change our health care system after my son passed away. He was born with chronic illnesses and developed others as he grew up. Having been in the medical field for 30 years as an RN and later a Physician Assistant, I was aware of how dismissive and what little regard had been given to our most vulnerable patients, our little ones. My son was left undiagnosed for eight years then misdiagnosed, mistreated, had unnecessary surgeries and procedures, and was given harmful drugs. As he got older and had constant pain from his many difficult surgeries and his illnesses, he was ‘red-flagged’ as a drug seeker. He eventually took himself off of all narcotics after he found out his wife was taking them. His body reacted violently and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance where they saved his life and was in ICU for a week.
It was after that that he came to live with me because he wanted a better life for his wife. By that time his primary diagnosis was ‘failure to thrive.’ He was no longer able to swallow food. He had a permanent G-tube but the canned predigested food gave him constant diarrhea. He went from a somewhat healthy 220 lb. to an emaciated 107 lb. with all of the physical suffering and severe mental decline that goes along with starvation. He died at 30 yrs. old. I was with him and I thank God for that.
I began a nonprofit called ‘Making Change 4 Children’ to try to turn things around in this country to make it easier for the children with these problems and their families.
Thank you for sharing your insights on healthcare in your country. I would be interested to hear more.
Thank you for your comment.
I would love to talk to you one day about the two systems. You have had a wealth of experience just like myself. I’m sorry to hear that he died and what happened to him and like you say it was a good thing you were there.
It’s important to point out we have the equivalent to the Republicans in power at the moment and they are trying to privatise as much of the NHS as possible and it simply does not work. The NHS is still amazing, it should still be seen as something to aspire to but if the private companies keep taking bigger chunks out of the services, this government is doing it so it isn’t going to stay great for long and I can see the difference already.
Contact me.
The hospitals are going the same way as the railways.
Profit driven hell. Train passengers bear the brunt due to exhorbitant prices. They have a choice. Go in a car? Cycle? Uber?
This doesn’t work in the hospitals as patients don’t have other options. We can’t all nip off to Bupa or whatever.
There does need to be a change but I struggle to envisage if and when that might happen.
When it breaks down completely like Carrillion did.
At least no one died when Carrilion went bust.
Yes, unfortunately, you’re right. And it is only when it goes too far when things go wrong do they realise.
I do believe in choice. However, services should not be profitable.