Lamb: charge “rat-arsed drunks” for A&E treatment

Let’s not accuse Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Health, of gently slipping out his latest policy proposal – that patients needing emergency NHS treatment after becoming drunk or incapacitated by drugs would be charged:

“If you get rat-arsed on a Friday night and get taken to A&E where you are foul and abusive to staff, is it right for the taxpayers to fund your life-saving treatment?”

The Guardian reports that, “The proposals are understood to have strong support from Sir Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem leader.”

Perhaps the more significant aspects of the proposals, though, are contained here:

The paper also included a plan to give people money to buy their own healthcare. Expectant mothers could get direct payments worth hundreds of pounds to buy the services of an independent midwife. People with poor mental health or long-term medical conditions could also be provided with cash for counselling or therapy. … Other proposals included direct election of local health boards and greater integration between health and social services.

There’s further coverage in The Times, and at ePolitix.co.uk.

Read more by or more about .
This entry was posted in News.
Advert

Post a Comment

Lib Dem Voice welcomes comments from everyone but we ask you to be polite, to be on topic and to be who you say you are. You can read our comments policy in full here. Please respect it and all readers of the site.

To have your photo next to your comment please signup your email address with Gravatar.

Your email is never published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Please complete the name of this site, Liberal Democrat ...?

Advert

Recent Comments

  • Mick Taylor
    @ColinMurphy. Yes and you could close all the tax loopholes and greatly reduce the huge number of pages in the tax codes that take a highly qualified accountant...
  • colin murfin
    There are numerous untried ways to generate more tax Heres a few 1. Change NIC for employers to a tiered system like PAYE ie 0% for low paid 200% for hi...
  • Ernest
    I agree. We need to explain the bases of liberal democracy. To build a fair,free and open society with the values of liberty, equality and community and to w...
  • Tim
    It just isn't true to say we used to tax the rich more. The richest 1% now pay more than twice the proportion of income tax that they did in the 1970s. Although...
  • David Raw
    For recent recruits to the party, Lib Dem MP Alan Beith played a leading part in establishing base rate changes to be under the Bank of England....