PES Manifesto

Who uses public services?

Published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 10:26
by carl0s (849 views and 0 comments)

I think we can identify four distinct "stages" where people make the most use of public services, particularly in regard to welfare and education services. They are not necessarily sequential. Firstly, from childhood to early adulthood, people need free-at-point-of-use education - its important that this is not only of academic quality, but also that the environment results in a decent formative experience. Secondly, families with a young child need a lot of support, from the birth through to free childcare. Thirdly, people with illness at any time in their lives should not be thrown back on the resources of the family, as the fear that this engenders will act to the detriment of general public health. And lastly, people who have finished work will need a future where they aren't worried about subsistence living. That way, younger people can look to the future with a degree of confidence.

If I'm stating the obvious here, then apologies. But for all four of these stages, there is no indication that private schemes or private insurance can adequately and securely provide for individuals. Private involvement at these times always involves public provision at some stage - for example, someone with health insurance always goes to their local hospital in an emergency. My belief is that public hospitals should not be charging their patients for care.

By combining health and social services for these different groups it should be possible to treat everyone as they should be treated. For example, why not have doctor's surgeries in community centres where retired people can socialise, as well as being treated or examined? Why not combine mother and baby groups with welfare and child health services? This also should reduce the sense of isolation felt by those in non-paid employment.

We need to move away from the idea that people have to drive to various places in order to use different public services. Then we can work towards reducing the alienation which is often at the core of the demand for "less government" - the demand which often simply moves money from welfare and education into policing and military.

Tags: childcare, elderly, health, pensions, public services, welfare