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Margaret McCartney: Charging patients won’t solve the NHS’s problems

BMJ 2017; 356 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j611 (Published 06 February 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;356:j611

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Re: Margaret McCartney: Charging patients won’t solve the NHS’s problems

Until 10% of GDP is spent on healthcare in the UK [like in the rest of Europe] we are going to struggle. Charging foreigners or charges for GP are virtually irrelevant. We need a shed load more money, more hospitals and more staff. George Osborne's politically motivated austerity tactics as well as causing an anti-government, anti EU backlash have left huge investment deficits that are going to have to be paid sometime. The cyclical recovery is occurring despite the best efforts of government, now taxes will have to go up.

Competing interests: No competing interests

06 February 2017
simon d price
GP
Sunnyside Surgery
Clevedon BS21 7SA