Austerity kills people

The stark reality of a decade of austerity is laid bare, and the truth told. Austerity kills people. For the first time since the beginning of the 20th century, the improvements in life expectancy have ground to a halt.

This is the conclusion of the latest Health Review of England, published by the Institute of Health Equality.

Let's not beat about the bush. This is politics. It is the result of a decade of the most brutal right-wing Tory rule in the United Kingdom - and it is set to continue. The needs of Brexit means that for all the promises made by Boris Johnson in the general election, austerity is set to continue.

The poorest are being made to pay, not just for the cost of the financial crisis, but also now for Brexit.

"From the beginning of the 20th century, England experienced continuous improvements in life expectancy but from 2011 these improvements slowed dramatically, almost grinding to a halt."

Of course, it is difficult to demonstrate the direct causal link between austerity and the changes in population health. But it is difficult to conclude other than that it has been the major factor. Austerity has increased poverty for many and has put our health and social care system into crises. This cannot be without impact. Or, as the report states:

"austerity has adversely affected the social determinants that impact on health in the short, medium and long term."

The saddest aspect of all is that this will be carried through with great cost to the lives of our children. First the coalition government and then under the Tories alone, this damage has been done, and it need not have been if the warnings of the Marmot report had been acted on.

Savage cuts - 70% since 2009/10 - to central funding of local authorities have affected their ability to provide services vital for the nation's health. This has had the greatest impact on the poorest areas.

Austerity kills people. It is a waste of lives and it is unsound economics. An unhealthy population is an unproductive one and increases the burdens on overstretched health and social services.

Prioritising people in nursing care.

There has been in recent years concern that care in the NHS has not been sufficiently 'patient centred', or responsive to the needs of the patient on a case basis. It has been felt in care that it as been the patient who has had to adapt to the regime of care, rather than the other way around. Putting patients at the centre of care means being responsive to their needs and supporting them through the process of health care delivery. Patients should not become identikit sausages in a production line. The nurses body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has responded to this challenge with a revised code of practice reflection get changes in health and social care since the previous code was published in 2008. The Code describes the professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives. Four themes describe what nurses and midwives are expected to do: prioritise people practise effectively preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. The

Ian Duncan-Smith says he wants to make those on benefits 'better people'!

By any account, the government's austerity strategy is utilitarian. It justifies its approach by the presumed potential ends. It's objective is to cut the deficit, but it has also adopted another objective which is specifically targeted. It seeks to drive people off benefits and 'back to work'. The two together are toxic to the poorest in society. Those least able to cope are the most affected by the cuts in benefits and the loss of services. It is the coupling of these two strategic aims that make their policies ethically questionable. For, by combining the two, slashing the value of benefits to make budget savings while also changing the benefits system, the highest burden falls on a specific group, those dependent on benefits. For the greater good of the majority, a minority group, those on benefits, are being sacrificed; sacrificed on the altar of austerity. And they are being sacrificed in part so that others may be spared. Utilitarian ethics considers the ba

The Thin End

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