Anyone who wonders how the NHS can almost treble its phenomenal budget while its service grows worse on many measures should read The Guardian this morning for an example. The 2004 GPs’ contract – Stuff Their Mouths With Gold II – meant their pay soared to an average £120,000, but that for just a £6k salary sacrifice they could opt out of those antisocial shifts. A stupidly good offer, which nine out of ten accepted.
So, as our GPs hit the golf course, the NHS often has to fly in doctors from overseas to provide cover*. The problem is, if you drag Germans straight off the plane and send them straight to a home visit, mistakes are made. This is how David Gray, a 70-year-old who spent a lifetime of taxes building the NHS, was killed by its shortcomings.
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