LABOUR’S consultation on English NHS reform has become the subject of mockery after being flooded with apparent spam after it was revealed to be publishing responses in real-time.
Hundreds of suggestions were put forward in the hours after the consultation was officially launched by ministers on Monday.
Billed as “the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth”, members of the public will be able to share their views online via change.NHS.uk until the start of next year.
But the exercise appears to have been seized on by mischief makers, with suggestions including free cinema tickets on the NHS, while another contribution widely mocked on Twitter/X said there should be a maximum BMI score for nurses.
Just checking in on the NHS ideas for change project… pic.twitter.com/fhOARGV6xo
— Kate McCann (@KateEMcCann) October 21, 2024
Another suggestion included a proposal for one’s income tax rate to be set at the same rate as a person’s body fat percentage.
One post saw a man share his experiences living with Trimethylaminuria, a rare condition which makes those affected smell like fish.
On Monday, NHS England’s national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis was asked about previous public engagement activities, such as the public poll which saw Boaty McBoatface emerge as the winning choice for the naming of a polar research ship, but it was vetoed and named RRS Sir David Attenborough instead.
He told Sky News: “I’m really confident that patients and staff often have the solutions to problems.
Just checking in on the responses to Wes Streeting's public NHS consultation pic.twitter.com/5pHTXPFffN
— Calgie (@christiancalgie) October 21, 2024
“I visit many, many health organisations, whether it’s in general practice or in hospitals, every week and I’m always struck that staff and patients have ideas, they have great ideas.
“Our job is to capture them, to test them, and where they work, to ensure that we roll them out as quickly as possible.
“So I’m very confident that there will be a lot of great ideas coming out of this listening exercise.”
Responding to a suggestion from a journalist from The Sun to have a "Wetherspoons in every hospital", Health Secretary Wes Streeting tweeted: "Great idea, but sadly vetoed by the Chancellor during Budget negotiations.
"Thanks also to the person who suggested I be fired out of a cannon to raise money for the NHS. No."
It may be the Government has produced a form of "engagement bait" to boost the prominence of the consultation because such exercises usually fail to attract the interest of the general public.
