[hnbad]

The UK's healthcare system isn't failing, it's being failed. There's been a constant cycle of defunding the NHS because it is bad and the NHS becoming worse from a lack of funding. The obvious end goal is full privatization once the system becomes defunct enough for that to be sold as a "tough but necessary" decision. There is also very blatant lobbying from US healthcare firms in the UK as they would seek to expand into the UK once they no longer have to compete with the NHS.

It's effectively self-imposed austerity, which has been demonstrated to produce worse outcomes than investing in public services instead. There's an obvious conflict of interest at play as politicians (in the UK especially thanks to its governmental system) rarely have to rely on these public services as they can easily afford private alternatives.

There's also the factor of Western corruption. In Germany for example the health minister during the early pandemic owned a significant stake in several pharmacies while at the same time pushing for and implementing a mask subsidy that created massive profits for pharmacies handing out masks at or below cost. These ties are often legal despite the obvious conflict of interest.