This would only mean that people would be deprived of free medical services and they would have to spend more on private hospitals.
The lifestyle factors which add to the cost of the NHS bill are the choices people make about their diet and exercise. Obesity, alcohol and smoking are the three main factors because of which there has been an increase in the number of patients that the NHS has to treat. According to statistics, one in every four adults is obese and this figure is most likely to double in the next 40 years. Moreover, in light of the statistics, alcohol abuse is contributing 3 billion pounds to the NHS bill every year (Campbell and Gupta 2009).
The main objective of the NHS was to tackle diseases, however, their functions have increased and so have the expectations of the public. The public now expects to get consultation from the NHS; they also expect that the hospital would provide facilities related to mental health which means psychiatrists, vaccination programs and even maternity services. If the functions have increased along with the expectations, the NHS should receive a big budget or sufficient budget through which they can satisfy and cure more patients. .
Getting a general appointment is difficult to get at the NHS, which is why more and more people visit the emergency department. Many of the cases are of an urgent nature, however, others are because of the long term health problems that the elderly have. This has made the department busier and the current staff finds it hard to cope with so many patients. The budget cuts and the downsizing have made matters worse. .
The biggest factor is perhaps the rise in cost; the energy costs are rising, the cost of advanced technology is rising and so are the costs of services. To survive with budget cuts and give patients the same services as before has become a problem for the NHS. This is becoming an economic disaster for the hospital and if no radical changes are made, then the sustainability of the NHS would become a problem.
