What is really wrong with the NHS?

Video Description

Is the NHS really in crisis because of money — or because we are asking the wrong question altogether? In this video, I argue that the central failure of the NHS is not underfunding alone, but the way illness itself has been turned into a consumer product. Chronic conditions now dominate healthcare, patient demand has exploded, and pharmaceutical profits shape treatment pathways, often at the expense of prevention, patient agency, and genuine cures. I explore why GP consultations have doubled, how medical intervention can itself create harm, and why lifestyle-based prevention is systematically sidelined. I also ask the question no politician wants to answer: who benefits from a system that manages illness rather than reduces it? This is a political economy critique of healthcare, not an attack on doctors or patients, and it challenges the idea that simply spending more money will necessarily fix the NHS. Let us know your thoughts by voting in our poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxWf194il6b58cJm9k4s0ZTp2WFMDmiPN5 00:00 What’s really wrong with the NHS? The question nobody asks 01:35 Why the usual NHS debates miss the core issue 03:05 What this video is not about (A&E, emergencies, maternity, end-of-life) 04:45 Why pressure keeps rising despite funding increases 06:10 Demand shock: GP consultations per patient doubling 07:25 Chronic conditions now dominate NHS activity 08:40 How healthcare became a consumer product (the Patient’s Charter shift) 10:05 Over-testing, over-treatment, false positives and a self-reinforcing loop 11:30 Medical harm and iatrogenic admissions: the hidden demand driver 13:05 Case study 1: statins, prevention, and profit incentives 15:10 Case study 2: type 2 diabetes—management vs reversal 17:05 Case study 3: cancer “cured” but treatment continues—why? 18:55 The political economy: GDP, pharma profit, and policy silence 20:05 What an alternative NHS would prioritise (prevention, agency, outcomes) 21:05 The reforms needed: regulation, honest efficacy, prevention over pills TRANSCRIPT A transcript for this video is available at: https://www.taxresearch.org.uk IF YOU WANT TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ISSUES IN THIS VIDEO If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions, here. https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06/20/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp/ HOW TO SUPPORT US Please consider donating: https://ko-fi.com/taxresearch ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’. This video was edited by Thomas Murphy. RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social OR ON MY BLOG: http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/ HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS Subscribe and get notified of new videos released. INTRODUCTION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060 PLAYLISTS: The Wealth Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD Ecenomics https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4 Britain https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10 Tax https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY MMT https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX Money https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m Climate Change https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ USA https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H Labour https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw The Trump Administration https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx #NHS #HealthcareCrisis #PublicHealth #PreventativeCare #ChronicIllness #BigPharma #HealthPolicy #PatientCare #MedicalOvertreatment #HealthInequality #PublicServices #PoliticalEconomy #GPs #NHSReform #HealthcareCosts #PatientAgency #Wellbeing #HealthAndSociety #PharmaceuticalIndustry #CareNotProfit #HealthPrevention #SocialPolicy #UKPolitics #MedicalEthics #HealthJustice #SystemicFailure #PublicInterest #HealthcareDebate #HealthOutcomes #ReclaimTheNHS