Some good things should result from this awful *Covid* experience. Where would you like to see improvements ?

I think working from home will continue to be an option for many when the pandemic is over, along with other flexible ways of working. My DD has been working from home much of the time since last March although she has had to go in to work for some activities when the Orchestra she works for had work going on, such as supervising aspects of recording sessions. She would not want to work from home all the time though as she misses seeing colleagues etc but she likes the flexibility it affords, along with not having the commute.

Less business travel would be good for the environment as will less commuting, but working from home can be stressful for some, especially if they have limited space for a home office.

Meetings being held online all the time reminded me of a mug I saw with the slogan 'I've just survived a meeting which could have been an email!' I so nearly bought one for DD as she often complained of unnecessary meetings. I think businesses will become smarter now they know things can be done differently.

The number of people losing jobs and the many now reliant on food banks will hopefully stir reviews of the welfare systems in the UK. Having to wait weeks for benefits, when applying for universal credit, is unacceptable. It has always been so, but now that the experience has become so much more widespread I hope there will be an appetite for changes to be brought. People on benefits can no longer be accused of being lazy or unemployable as so many are losing their jobs, especially in retail in the high street, which has been decimated as people go online to shop. I hope the government will bear that in mind.

There's lots but I'll start with something very simple ....no longer shaking hands with people or hugging people we don't love , valuing people's personnel space and washing hands frequently
Infectionss such as Flu, stomach bugs and simple colds have gone down. The measures have had a positive effect on many illnesses which I hope people will carry on with.

Many years ago, the Health Authority in this area employed both the hospital and community nursing staff so it was all one budget and worked really well.

After one of the countless reorganisations that changed so they became two separate entities. I have always remembered how well that worked and have long thought that all medical, nursing and social care should come under one umbrella. Unfortunately, that is very unlikely to happen because of the contracts that doctors were given in 1948 to keep them on board for the new NHS. That is not a criticism of the doctors, by the way, just an observation.

However, I can see huge advantages in having nursing and social care being being one unit. Being completely radical, unless people wish to pay for private care, I see no reason for agencies to subcontract to the NHS. Currently, if home care (not nursing) is required, the carers come from private organisations. According to financial situation, clients may, or may not, have to pay for that care.

Of course, that is yet another can of worms. Should people have to sell their homes for social care, or should taxes and NI contributions be increased to pay for free care? I don’t have an answer to that one but, others might.

Of course, that is yet another can of worms. Should people have to sell their homes for social care, or should taxes and NI contributions be increased to pay for free care? I don’t have an answer to that one but, others might.

You could always ask a Scot

listened to people commenting on young people and saying what a raw deal they have had, social life gone for a burton, of course its a shame but all age groups have suffered in different ways, my husband and i are in our 70s , and , like most have not seen grandchildren for ever, who knows how much longer we have left, youngsters have their lives in front of them and there really is no excuse for some of their behaviour , selfish springs to mind,

You’re describing the Welsh health system Tweedle24, except that here it also includes all primary care services, including the GPs (still contractor status rather than employed though). Experiments are being run now to manage health and social care as a unified service, and it will probably come quite quickly. What’s a real problem is the lack of people who want to work as carers in the community, and that jeopardises the system working effectively because discharging patients from hospital is very difficult when no care is available.

I think that government interference is a huge problem in the NHS. Most NHS managers started their careers as clinicians, so they do know what they need to do to improve systems, but are constantly buffeted by political whims and direction changes (which is a huge contributor to the bureaucracy to meet the requirements placed on the service to produce information).

Fundamentally the issue is funding, the NHS is full of people at all levels who are trying very hard to do their best, as demonstrated through the pandemic. It’s convenient to politicians to blame local managers, and many of the public blindly believe them without seeing that as the smokescreen it is. My wish for the future is that politicians stop blaming the NHS and start supporting it properly.

I would like to see our NHS properly managed and funded! I worked as a senior nurse in the NHS before retiring and my career spanned just over 30 years. Both my parents worked their entire careers in the NHS, my Mum as a nurse and my Dad as a biochemist. If they were alive today, they would be horrified at what has become of our beloved NHS! The cuts to services and staff over the years have been utterly detrimental! ?
The NHS has always had its problems, but it has never been in such dire straits as it is these days! I myself have been a patient in hospital a few times recently, and I am far from impressed with the care and treatment I received! ?
I could write a book on my grievances about the NHS, so I will stop right there! I don't know what the answers are, but proper management and funding would certainly be a step in the right direction!

Casdon That is interesting. Perhaps England should take some advice from Wales.

You are quite right about funding but, sadly, with such a huge organisation, there will always be mismanagement of finances and resources.

I was talking last year to someone who works for the NHS, supplying equipment to hospitals and community services. She said it grieves her to see how expensive are items which could be bought much more cheaply from a local store or supplier. When I was a ward sister, if I wanted a small item, like for example, a couple of clipboards for patients’ notes, I could pop next door to the local stationers and buy them with petty cash. She said this is no longer allowed. I would have to fill in forms, which would go through several departments before arriving in the central depot where, it would be packed up and transported to its destination. Then it would signed for and delivered to the ward. This is madness in my opinion.

What a wonderful opportunity to imagine Utopia you have given me Gangy5.

NHS - total reorganisation, including GPs. dentists, A & E, nurse training, hospital administration.

I would like to see far more home trained nurses and doctors so that we don't have to rely on poaching trained professionals from other countries. I would also like to see a return to on the job training for nurses - having to have a degree means very many people with the compassion and practical skills needed for nursing don't even get a look in.

Education - another complete overhaul.
I would like to see the age for compulsory schooling raised to 6, and proper preschool education (preferably in separate purpose-built premises rather than attached to existing school buildings) for children between 3 and 6 that values their unique qualities and capacity to play over the need to get them ready for school.
At the other end of the scale I would replace GCSEs with a broader school certificate which could incorporate some exam results, but would mainly be of a narrative nature.

Town centres - redevelopment of town centres into mixed developments with housing, shops, offices, entertainment venues, schools etc all in close proximity. This would reduce the need to commute.

Community -an end to the divisions in our society. Everyone should be valued for who they are.

Laurensnan

And if you don't let me hug people in your brave new world I don't want to live there.

SuRu

I think that the triple lock pension should be abolished and other non-means tested benefits for older people e.g. fuel allowance should be abolished. Money saved could be spent reducing national debt and investing in new industries and training young people.

The big problem with means testing benefits for older people is that those of us who went without expensive overseas holidays etc. to pay into our pensions ans save for our old age so as to ensure we are not a burden on our kids will be penalised for it, yet those who earned the same or more during their working lives but spent it as they went along (which they had every right to do) will get subsidised by the taxpayer. There is no natural justice in that. If benefits in old age were based on lifetime earnings, then okay, but it is wrong that those who have saved and gone without when younger should be penalised now for having done so

Breaking news

RIP Captain Tom Moore

You’re right Tweedle24, some nonsensical things do happen. There is no local freedom, because everything that is purchased for the NHS has go through a procurement process at Regional or National level, which is intended to be cheaper, but often isn’t. - audit requirements!
On a similar topic it always upset me that the NHS in an area couldn’t support local business by for example buying fruit and vegetables from local farmers when in season, or getting items printed by local companies - the Regional and National contracts didn’t allow that to happen.

You’re right though, there is always a risk of mismanagement both locally and politically, particularly of such a very complex organisation.

There are far fewer people using A&E because theydon’t want to be exposed to COVID. This makes me think that many people use the facility just because they can’t get a doctor’s appointment immediately. Let’s hope these people understand what A& is really for.

There are tree times as many billionares in the UK since the "CRASH". Time to take some of that back.
Much higher taxes for the rich; the end of offshore tax havens, and take the money and do the following:
1) Spend £350 million per week more on the NHS as promised
2) Give all NHS staff and immediate £1000 bonus, same for Drs, nurses and porters.
3) Start an independant commission to look at the governments utter failure to deal with the pandemic, and to prepare for the next one. Staff the commssion with experts from New Zealand or Japan where they know what to do.

I'd like to see the high streets filled with independent shops and businesses that aren't crippled by high rents and rates. Be great to have some choice and to see some new businesses thriving.

I am not going to go into the ins and outs of what I would like to happen as it would fill a book, but I would like to see regional government addressing peoples' real and local needs, and leave Westminster to deal with the overall, bigger picture of the nation's face and position globally. I really do not believe they are capable of doing both internal and external governance.

I'd like people to make more use of the high street shops that are left. When shops are sitting empty, councils aren't getting rent/council tax, which means there is going to be even less money than usual to cover our services, therefore our rents and taxes will go up to cover the shortfall.

I'd love the UK to restore social care to the NHS.
Margaret Thatcher and her Government privatised social care and her legacy has left the elderly frail and people with serious and long term disabilities at the mercy of profiteers.
Councils with a lack of funding put social care out to tender for a cheap deal whereas the emphasis should be on the quality of care.
I hope the pandemic results in a more caring, compassionate society which enables people in need of care to be looked after properly whether they live at home or elsewhere.

Get rid of GCSEs and trust teacher assessment. External exams at 18.

Poppyred

Cutting degree courses from 3 years to 18 months would seem sensible all round. Most students seem to only have one or two lectures a week and paying ludicrous amounts of money for the privilege!

Did you do a degree yourself Poppyred? If so you seem to have forgotten it is not about the classroom teaching of school but much more about personal learning which is taught and guided in lectures, seminars and tutorials; the last sometimes being one to one. If there is one thing we need our new adults to be good at it's knowing how to acquire new knowledge when there is a change in what we need.

Thank heavens the scientists who have produced the various vaccines did not have someone running higher education who sees it as you see it.

Now if you were to suggest changes in further education we might be getting somewhere or even changes in all education - appropriate to what is possible and what is needed - to include online education as a way of expanding tuition.

One of the good things which could/should result from this awful Covid experience is stopping silly little mantras from politicians. What, exactly, does Build Back Better mean? Fairly obviously it means whatever the hearer wants it to mean and is therefore meaningless.

If politicians would read and understand the recent Marmot report entitled Build Back Fairer and then use that mantra, it would mean something. A fairer system is what we need for the future in my opinion.

Obviously we would have to get rid of this government for that to happen.

tinyurl.com/22vgjat2

Lilyflower

I would like to see freedom valued.

What does that mean?

We tend to value the good of all over the freedom to do exactly what you want whereas the USA seems to be the one country where individual rights are valued above the public good.

I would not like us to become like the USA.

My friends and I have noticed how much cleaner everywhere is. I hope this extra attention to hygiene outside will continue. On a personal level I’m going to continue washing my hands every time I arrive home and when in Spain, no double ‘mwah-mwah’ air kissing. I’ve gotten quite used to just greeting people with a simple ‘hello’ now, (here and over there) and actually prefer it.

Nah - we’ve all gone back to hugging here. No one does that silly elbow touching. Guess if and when IT comes back via overseas travellers we will have to stop hugging and kissing but meanwhile ....