Hopefully today is the dawn of a new era for the NHS after years of cutbacks and stealth privatisation. We need shorter waiting lists, more cardiologists, more and better vascular surgeons, more ophthalmologists, less broken equipment (friends have recently encountered broken MRI equipment and "field-of-vision" equipment, and where I go for amputee physiotherapy has a broken cable gym and treadmill
P.S. If the usual suspects want to report this thread feel free as I split the blame for my amputation three ways (long term diabetes/an incompetent vascular surgeon/government cuts leading to excessive delays in appropriate treatment)
Written by
MichaelJH
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Successive government of all colours have tried to put the NHS 'right' in the recent times. The usual sticking plaster is more money which is the magic remedy people think will work. Sadly it hasn't and wont. The NHS has unfortunately outlived its 70 year old model and is no longer fit for purpose in its current form and the recent pandemic coupled with an ever increasing population has found it out. Nonetheless in spite of this it is capable of delivering a first class service by dedicated and professional front line staff using up to date equipment, but it is let down by its structure, inefficient support services, and bad management, many of whom have never worked outside the NHS and don't know what it's like 'outside', especially in the private sector and not necessarily just the health sector. As an example where would that ten billion pounds squandered on a centralised computer system abandoned 10 years ago been better spent? So in spite of the rhetoric by the outgoing government,the incoming one and any future governments about 'fixing it', my belief is that it will, at best, stay as it is, it's simply too big and cumbersome to drastically overhaul its structure and culture to provide a better, more efficient service, and that also comes with too much political baggage.
Ten billion? I remember it as 14 billion on that computer project! I entirely agree with you, and I cannot see this government being allowed by its union masters to sort it out.
I totally agree with your post and I have thought for a long time that the NHS is too big and difficult to manage. However I have had excellent care as has my husband. My only gripe would be about dental care.
It will probably take decades to put the NHS back on track! It's not a case of funding, it's a case of mismanagement of funding that makes it what it is today!
Those who lean left say it's underfunding, those who lean right say it's mismanagement. But look at health care costs in other countries. In the US costs are substantially higher due to the share taken by the insurance companies. Privatisation is not the answer!
The UK is right in the middle of the international pack as regards its spending on the NHs and numbers of medical staff.
We need to ask ourselves that if the NHS is so great why has no other country copied it.
The answer is that despite many amazing staff it is a very inefficient organisation and as the services is "free" many take advantage of it and call on it for frivolous things or don't take care of themselves expecting others to fix the medical problems they have caused. These relate to the fact we are one of the fattest societies in the world and right up there as regards Drug and alcohol abuse.
Pouring yet more money into such an organisation is no answer as it will swallow any amounts you care to shovel in.
So some degree of private involvement and a huge shake up seems to be some of the answer
What an unhelpful thing to say. Just because you have had a bad experience, don’t tar them all with that brush. Mine is excellent and so is my 99 year old mother’s GP.
I’ll add I need a blood test, 4 weeks from being told it is needed to actually being able to get an appointment.
When I had problems with my wound from my surgery it was two weeks before I could be seen.
Only way to book an appointment is on line, they refuse to book by telephone or in person. The only way to get attention within a fortnight is to go to A&E. Illness seems to need to be booked in advance …
I worked in the NHS 1965-2012. I have seen good days, and bad days. I hope that the future of the NHS is strong enough to weather any storms ahead. I cannot fault the care given to both my husband, and myself in recent times.
I've seen the "dawn of a new era" many times in my 76 years. There have been no cutbacks as a starter. The NHS has never received as much funding. If you doubled it tomorrow they would want more next year. They have more doctors, more nurses and more employees generally than ever before but STILL cry out for more. No government can solve it's many problems without serious tough decisions. They must be told what to do and not asked because "our NHS" pleases itself. I won't hold my breath!
I'm not sure it's a funding issue Michael. In my opinion it's a management issue. Thankfully, the new lot are saying they are going to look at that too 🤞.
Totally agree it’s the whole structure of the NHS that isn’t working, it needs new initiatives, more specialised centres that can work quickly and efficiently on turning over operations quickly. There’s so much time wasted waiting for blood test, waiting for x ray, it needs a total revamp ! It’s dated and inefficient even though it has billions of pounds thrown at it … the answer is not money!
If posts about football, barbeques, hot weather and even fairground rides, all of which are specifically against the guidelines, are allowed to remain on the main forum Michaels post, which is not against the guidelines as politics isn't mentioned within them, is perfectly valid and so are responses to it.
I do not think that the new government will make any difference to the NHS. At a minimum nurses, physios, OT's etc take 3 years to train, doctors many more years, so nothing will be a quick fix. You can not increase bed numbers without the infrastructure and staffing for those beds. The local community hospitals and rehab homes should never have been closed as these provided an excellent "half-way house" between full hospital care and managing alone. They also freed up hospital beds for acute patients.
Also science and technology provide advances in healthcare all of which cost money and in some cases allow us to live longer, which is a problem in itself for the NHS, both directly because of often age related illness and social care costs
Labour in 1997 on improved the NHS considerable (some 85000 more nurses, over 32000 more doctors, reduced waiting lists, improved outlook for many cancer patients and heart disease patients etc.
However he inherited a good fiscal position and had money to spend. Largely because of the last govt. (Johnson im particular) money is scarce. The national debt has almost doubled since 2010 to 2.3 Trillion on which we pay interest. Debt interest this year is expected to be £89B which around half the NHS budget which is £166B. We are still borrowing more.
So don't expect any dramatic improvement in NHS care similar to the Blair years
Money isn't the issue. Efficiency is. If it was a private company it would have gone bankrupt years ago. Conversely, if it was RUN like a private company it would thrive!
No I'm not talking insurance scheme. I'm talking about the funding available being used in a much better manner. Everybody quotes USA as a negative alternative. Go to France, Germany Sweden, Denmark et al. See what they do. I appreciate that money is essential but only if it isn't wasted!
I hope that you are right and there is a reset which improves things. I think it is a very difficult situation to manage and I wish them the best of luck in their efforts. It won’t be a quick turnaround unfortunately.
This is a political post not heart related. But since uou put it here have no delusions this government is just as bad. They ate interested in 1 thing and 1 thing only. The deluded people that voted for Labour has Garenteed going to war with Russia Keir Starmer is a war Monger. Don't get me wrong nobody should have voted for Conservatives either. We needed a shake up of the whole system and have a brand new party in the seat of PM .
Nothing is going to improve in the NHS whilst these 2 parties are in power.
Well done to all those that voted Labour and put the final nail in the coffin.
I expect not everyone will like my opinion. But it's just that my opinion and I am not going to get into a debate about it
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