Like most formerly ‘gold-plated’ pensions, the NHS pension has been watered down over the years; since 1995, in fact. But although it’s not what it was, it’s still at least silver compared with the base metal of most other workplace pensions these days. It used to be the case that if you worked in anything government-related, a local authority, the civil service or in days-gone-by a nationalised industry, the pay might not have been the best, but they’d certainly reward your years of service with more than a clock or gold watch. The sad thing is that most of those opting out are not consultants worrying that they might breach the lifetime or annual allowances. It’s actually those likely to need a pension of any kind the most, who simply can’t afford the contributions. Surely it’s common sense that not paying them enough now is kicking all sorts of problems down the road?
“NHS is off the table and stay out of our elections, UK prime minister tells Trump”
In the real world, large chunks of the NHS are already sort-of privatised. In Gloucester, many cataract operations are carried out by a private company; which, yes, has cut waiting times considerably. In Oxford, three GP practices are now owned by a private company....
