Opinion: The NHS Reforms, How Do We Get Young People To Care?

by
Duncan Bruce (@duncanqbruce) and Gaby Davies (@binarysolo)

"The NHS will last as long as there are folks left with the faith to fight for it", so said Nye Bevan, but from a young person's point of view, why should we care about the NHS reforms? It's a serious question, and one that we encounter almost every time we canvass a student household or talk to a young person about the bill.  We begin talking the NHS from the prepared briefing sheet, and watch as their eyes begin to glaze over, clearly thinking "I don't care" or "When will this person leave?"

So why do we fail to connect? Partially it's to do with terminology; let's face it, when you talk about PCTs, Strategic Health Authorities and GP Consortiums you may as well be speaking Klingon for all most people care.  Another reason why the NHS tends not to be a key topic for young people is that most of them haven't yet had the need to use it seriously. They haven't started families yet, or have frail parents that need medical care, so the NHS seems like a distant service that many take for granted and presume will just be there waiting when they need to use it.

Of course the irony is that the proposed changes to the NHS may impact on young people more than others. It will be young people who have to deal with the new competition in the NHS, and it will be young people who discover that while the coalition government is claiming that "choice" is the main aim of the new system, in the end, the decisions made by hospitals under the new privatisation plans will simply boil down to which provider is cheaper.

Young people may find it hard to care if they haven't relied on the NHS before, but the majority of them will discover just how important it is in the future. If the reforms happen, it will lead to the NHS becoming a free market with profit prioritised over patient care. The bill is dangerous; the start of a slippery slope to total privatisation, and it is also, at a time when every penny of public funds is precious, a waste of money.

So how can we make young people more aware of the changes to the NHS? And more importantly, how can we inspire them to get involved with the campaigns and to take a stand against these changes? Take a look at this:

Can you imagine anything more confusing? It looks like a technical readout from the Death Star rather than a workflow. If we are going to get students and young people engaged with these issues then we need to break the NHS reforms down to a much more simple level. This is not because young people can't understand them but because they will more often than not want clear and concise facts and none of the traditional party political rhetoric.

So here are three tips for canvassers to follow when talking to young people or students"

1) No talk about the "reforms". The word might also be used to refer to welcome efficiency improvements rather than these destructive proposals, so the term 'privatisation' might better represent the NHS bill. Also, don't use a confusing graphic like the one above.

2) Break it down for them simply - most will what to know core facts; what the bill does and why people are against it - but don't be condescending.

3) Play down Labour - when you say 'Labour are against it' most will simply think Labour are against it because the Tories and the Liberal Democrats are for it, instead be clear about the reasons for the Labour Party's opposition and mention that respected NHS organisations are also against it, such as The British Medical Association (BMA), The Royal College of Nurses, The Royal College of Paediatrics, The Royal College of Practitioners, and so on.