Not really. I am the first to attack the Conservative government and their appalling policy of crippling austerity to fund the Establishment and all concerned, normally at the expense of public institutions like the NHS. However, I can't away from the fact that (having worked in it for 12 years and now in a job actually trying to help them maximise efficiency and savings) that the NHS is poorly run and has massive cultural shifts to make to become better. There's amazing people in their saving lives and improving patient life dramatically but the powers that be in most Trusts are clueless and have no idea of the millions of pounds that can be saved by just using resources more effectively.
In terms of my dad this is just another example of near sighted decision making. Basically, you are alright (if that term is even applicable to him anymore) this week so on the one week out of 52 we made a monitor intervention into your life the "stats" showed no reason to have brain surgery to overall improve your quality of life long term. That's the decision process that exists both clinically and culturally across the organisation.
Add on top the ludicrous decisions made by the Conservative government as it overtly looks to privatise the NHS (as you say FA defund something to make it look like it doesn't work then sell it on as not fit for purpose in it's current state) and we have quite a recipe for disaster.