Jonathan
Arnott MEP discusses his
views on the NHS.
Through my roles as UKIP PPC for Easington and as an MEP for the North
East of England, I have recently received a large amount of emails and letters
regarding the NHS and how I would deal with the issues surrounding it if I was
elected as an MP.
Like many others, I am passionate about the NHS and in UKIP we realise
that at this time it’s the NHS itself that needs emergency care and nursing back
to health; mainly because it has become a political punching bag and politicians
have been too busy bickering amongst each other to actually address the
issues.
UKIP believe that the NHS must be properly funded, but we also believe
that it must also be refocused. The focus must be lifted from bureaucracy and
red tape and be placed firmly upon patient care. I want privatisation reversed
and the NHS protected as a public service. I want the NHS properly funded, and I
don’t want to see this funding sliced off by profit-making
companies.
UKIP pledges an additional £3 billion for the NHS every year; an
affordable sum that can be paid for by funds we would save by withdrawing from
the European Union.
We will insist this money goes to frontline resources; real doctors,
nurses and care workers, not middle management, or social media
managers.
We would also ensure that no new PFI schemes would be taken out, this ill
thought out Labour/Tory lead stealth privatisation policy has crippled hospitals
with debt and will continue to cause catastrophic issues for the NHS in the
future. We would also encourage Trusts to buy out existing contracts whenever
possible.
Another potential threat to the NHS is the proposed Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement currently being discussed by the US
and the European Union. Through my role as an MEP, on Tuesday the
24th of March, I had the
privilege of voting on TTIP. Although I am not a member of the relevant
committee (IMCO), I volunteered to take the place of another MEP who was unable
to attend on that day. Naturally, I voted to support the exemption for the NHS
and other public services from TTIP; this motion was carried. I also voted
against the Investor-State Dispute Settlement, but sadly was outvoted by 22-17.
Given the result of that vote, when we came to vote on the whole draft
opinion, which supported TTIP, I felt therefore that I had to vote against.
This vote was also lost, by 20-18 with one abstention. The issue of TTIP will
eventually come before the whole European Parliament, where I intend to continue
voting in the same way.
Some of our policies involving in the NHS are:
– Keep the NHS free at the point of delivery
– £3bn more invested in to NHS directed to frontline services
– Dementia funding £130m per year – £650m over Parliament – double Tories pledge and in line with what Alzheimer’s Research UK say they will need
failing establishments than CQC
– Merging health and social care is a priority to enable more joined up integrated patients management
– Elderly social care funded with £1bn per year
– Hospital Parking charges scrapped £200m which we would find from tackling health tourism which costs up to £2bn per year
– Scrap tuition fees for medical students (on a means tested basis). Train nurses on wards and reinstatement of SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) to encourage more home grown medical talent.
– £3bn more invested in to NHS directed to frontline services
– Dementia funding £130m per year – £650m over Parliament – double Tories pledge and in line with what Alzheimer’s Research UK say they will need
failing establishments than CQC
– Merging health and social care is a priority to enable more joined up integrated patients management
– Elderly social care funded with £1bn per year
– Hospital Parking charges scrapped £200m which we would find from tackling health tourism which costs up to £2bn per year
– Scrap tuition fees for medical students (on a means tested basis). Train nurses on wards and reinstatement of SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) to encourage more home grown medical talent.
You can read our full health policy at
http://www.ukip.org/ukip_launch_nhs_policy
