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Sustainable Healthcare

“The NHS needs to facilitate healthier living if we want services to remain free. Sustainable healthcare: for the planet, the people and the public purse.”

2. How does it fit with Compass’ core beliefs of equality, solidarity, democracy, freedom, sustainability and well being?

Equality: 90% of complementary therapies are private. Solidarity: Create local jobs for local people. Listen to people who are ill who repeatedly ask for another approach. Healthcare democracy: an NHS where we don’t have a say in the services available? Freedom: to make choices we want, free from bullying and intimidation. Sustainability: for the planet (increase plant-based, reduce oil-based medicine), for people (improve health, reduce side-effects), for the public purse (£2bn spent on adverse reaction of prescribed drugs). Wellbeing: A whole systems approach to healthcare.

3. How does it build the institutions of social democracy, like social groups and collective and cooperative forms of ownership and control?

Across the UK community organisations and charities have been providing healthcare support which has not been available through the NHS. Groups like MIND supporting people to come off valium, a carers centre offering respite and an environmental group working with disaffected young people to plant trees and engage with life.

Let’s invest our healthcare budget in ensuring the viability of these organisations and their endeavours as they provoke healing responses and under-pin the good health of our nation.

4. How much will it cost or raise and where will any cost come from?

In “Securing Good Health for the Whole Population” (2002) Derek Wanless estimates that by 2032 if the population is not engaged with its healthcare the NHS will cost £30 billion more than if we are engaged.

12,000 people in the UK are hospitalised due to normal use of painkillers, and 2,600 die each year. Mid-range estimates suggest this costs £251m in hospital care and co-prescribing.

Let’s invest in approaches which reduce the need for painkillers and other medications which keep so many people disengaged from themselves, their communities and society.

5. Which groups in the electorate are likely to support or oppose this measure? Is there any polling evidence you have on this?

74% of the adult population support complementary medicine being widely available on the NHS (MORI)

74% of the public would choose complementary therapies if available through the NHS (Radio 5)

87% Scottish GPs felt a holistic approach was essential to providing good health care. 7% felt current organisation was conducive to such care.

Professor Ernst “We have come to the conclusion that a belief in these forms of alternative medicine exceeds the tolerance of an open mind. We should start from the premise that … irrational treatments cannot work.” Sense About Science and HealthWatch will object.

6. Is there a place or country where it’s worked? Please provide some information.

In Northern Ireland 700 patients were referred by their GP for non-drug treatments. Following the pilot, 80% of patients reported an improvement in their symptoms, 64% took less time off work and 55% reduced their use of painkillers.

A gardening project at Montpellier Secure Recovery Service in Gloucester (all-male, low-secure mental health unit) found “ecotherapy and cooperative working may have benefits for other groups, including people with physical health problems and other marginalised groups such as those under the responsibility of the probation service.”

7. What are the three main arguments in favour/against it?

In Favour
Improve health
Engage communities in health and local sustainable businesses
Ensure the financial viability of the NHS

Against
Science can’t yet explain how non-drug treatments work
Re-engineering the NHS again (expensive and a hassle)
Lack of regulation and control

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Wellbeing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.