Outsourcing cervical smear testing

I agree. I've never worked for the NHS, but wherever I have worked, outsourcing has led to a decline in standards, as well as meaning lower wages and worse conditions for the contractors - if it could be done as cheaply in-house it would have been.

That's bad when it is cleaners or IT services being outsourced; but when people's health (and lives) are at risk it is disgraceful - particularly as the UK is the 5th richest country in the world.

Doodle dog, this happened in the Republic of Ireland but I agree with you. Actually, I think all services should be direct services rather than doing things on the cheap. I’m happy to pay more.

Another thing. There doesn’t seem to be a career ladder for either doctors or nurses and we the taxpayer end up paying agency rates for essential staff not just emergency cover.

Some outsourcing is because the NHS do it so badly. There have been several scandals over the reading of cervical smear slides and in each case the work was being undertaken in-house by the NHS.

It is not the outsourcing that is the problem, it is the checking and inspection procedures set up by the NHS to make sure the work is being done properly.

Government and Local Government consistently cut corners by not setting up proper monitoring systems. It is an ideal way to cut costs without anyone noticing. If things go wrong it is the outsourcing or the contractor who are blamed. Never that the contractors work was not properly supervised.

The irony being that when I paid for private blood tests to try and discover what was going on with my health, my doctor would not accept them. They told me how did they know the laboratory I used was off the same standard as the one they used. This was for a blood test that is available in this country, but that the NHS wont do. I was desperate for answers and paid alot of money. All to no avail. It seems though the NHS will use other laboratories when it suits them.

Apologies, didnt realise this was ROI. Although I dont know in that case if the NHS does outsource.

Sounds to me as if the dotor was trying to brush you off. Unless the tests were analysed by a foreign lab he could not know about, I am sure he could easily get information on any British Lab.

As well, if you had gone to reputable private provider to get the tests done - BUPA, Spire etc, he must realise they would not use sub standard laboratories.

Monica- it was Spire. I just dont think they were happy I had gone down this route. As it was luckily the test discovered something I hadnt known about but was able to treat myself. I was really desperate and that is the only reason I ever went private. I could not afford it usually.

I would change your GP, if you can. DH changed which GP he saw after one dismissed his symptoms as 'normal at your age' (excessive sleeping). He was 60. He saw anothe GP a few weeks later who diagnosed Type 2 diabetes on the spot with a tiny desktop gardet the other GP would have had as well.

I do now have a different GP Monica. They are a bit more sympathetic. Im not saying my other GP was bad, I had very good care from them for a long time. Occasionally, we had differences of opinion on my condition, but unfortunately my condition is not understood by many GPs it seems.