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NHS deteriorates...
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Well, it has been on all the news channels here in the UK lately, so what does everyone think?
I think the NHS is very much falling apart at the seams. It is a black hole that sucked up £800million but only become worse.
I think the NHS is very much falling apart at the seams. It is a black hole that sucked up £800million but only become worse.
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More operations, delivered quicker.
A lot of the debt problems are to do with the ludicrous internal market, not helped by toothless PCTs.
I love the way people always whine that the NHS is getting worse. I'd love to know how the heck they work that one out.
If the NHS is working (that is, looking after patients) better than it used to be, then it's all that counts.
Of course that doesn't mean that money can be frivously thrown out of the window, but allegations that the NHS is not managed as well as it should are only secondary to the service it provides. I'd much rather have a wasteful NHS that offers good service than a finanically efficient NHS that neglects patients.
The public sector is intrinsically wasteful, bureaucratic and obsessed with redtape. And while abolishing the NHS would be one albeit extreme solution if we’re going to have an NHS it should be at the very minimum financially prudent. The more the NHS wastes the less it can spend on really important things. And a wasteful NHS that gets itself into debt means cuts at some point. The NHS in its present form is untenable anyway, perhaps if it does start to acquire enormous debts politicians will start to explore sustainable alternatives – which is eventually inevitable.
I think some of the allegatuions against them are harsh. I think it was harsh of them to think of (i'm not sure if im 100% on this correct me on it if not) putting a stop on smokers using the health service because they increase there risk of cancer and its your fault. It may not have been the exact story.
I do agree that the service counts more though.
They've done too many operations! How evil is that! Talk about wasting money! Disgrace!
If an experimental new cancer drug that doesn't work on everyone with the same effectiveness anyway is denied to a woman, then the NHS is accused of 'sentencing people to death' and of postcode lottery.
And if they give people unlimited drugs and care without concern for the cost, they're wasting money in an unacceptable manner.
Better do away with the whole lot and get health insurance like the do in the US. Since it works so well there...
And what's even more amazing during this slow collapse is that British average lifespan has gone up and infant mortality down :eek2:
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-111.pdf (p8 if you're interested)
If it were run more efficiently, it could be leading the world as a healthcare system! It SHOULD be with the Cash, and the Potential....
So much wated mind.
You also have to ask how you, as individuals, can help. It might be worth asking yourself if you really need to see a GP, really need to go to A&E etc because there are a number of people who go to A&E with ludicrous problems - like mild sunburn.
As for services, the NHS hasn't ever delivered so many different services. Access to these services has been getting faster since Labour came in - with no-one waiting in A&E for 48 hours like they did in 1997, no-one waiting two year for surgery after waiting one year for an outpatient appointment and two year for the x-ray [for example].
It's not perfect, there are some serious quality of care issues, I worry about the standrard of some of our nursing care at times, I really worry about the competances of our managers at times but the difference now is that we actually want to do something about it and believe that we can. That never used to be the case.
As for politicians directives (which I believe lie at the centre of our financial issues), well the sooner they treat the NHS like they do the Bank of England the better.
But having said that MSF works in France because they dont help those at the very bottom of society.
I thought it was supposed to be really good, or is it all falling apart?
Sir Nigel Crisp was responsible for some of the mistakes in the last few years. But let's remember who's also in charge of the NHS - yes, Patricia Hewitt, a minister that inspires as much confidence as a dripping tap. Mistakes have been made at local and national level. What I say to those responsible for finance in the health service is, get a grip or hand over to someone who can.
I dont know, maybe im wrong.