Magic Bullet

It appears that a lot of the hospital problems are caused by bed-blockers who are that bit too frail to return to their homes yet. I would like to see my village (for example) clubbing together to buy a house which could be offered rent-free to a carer couple in return for looking after two or three local people in such a position, supervising their rehabilitation back to independent living. Probably a daft idea, but that's my pennyworth!

I spend time in an EU country that has. Reciprocal agreement with UK. I have to show my EHIc card to get treatment the same as nationals but this still involves a small fee that nationals pay 5-10 € for a consultation and €30 for a and e plus a percentage of other costs, blood tests, X-rays etc. Then any other costs for my treatment are billed to the UK. Some elderly and low income nationals are exempt. We are also expected to look after our own health and are given copies of our records.

If my card is not valid I have to pay the full costs. I have to show my card before treatment and if taken by ambulance and the ambulance people ask for my card.

For nationals this is generated by ID cards that have all their details and numbers on the chip on them and you are expected to carry it. . But in the UK there is up roar if ID cards are mentioned so you have to expect fraud and miss use.

There was an article on radio today where a surgeon had posted on his facebook page that official contractors had quoted nearly £850 to supply and fit a black out blind in a room. One of the matrons went to Homebase, bought one which did exactly the same job for £23 and got it fitted for free. Perhaps if the "managers" actually did their job and ensured the NHS got value for money rather than just accepting quotes there would be more money to spend on nurses.

Whilst a different organisation, I knew someone who worked for what was then British Rail. They were given a yearly budget and towards the end of the financial year he told me they would scrabble around trying to find something to spend the money on in order to ensure the budget wasn't cut. I wonder if the same mentality exists with some NHS managers.

While I do agree with what you say VQ, the reason the health and social care service is in the state it's in is because funds are stretched too thinly and priorities being miss-managed, not that there's isn't enough money in the first place. In the main this is because there are a) too many people in this country especially those not entitled to be here and who use the services b) people are not taking responsibility of care for themselves or their families and c )there are too many chiefs and not enough indians.

The NHS was never set up to cater for nearly 70 million people (there are probably more than that in the UK and figures are being fiddled). It was not set up to give boob jobs or other cosmetic surgeries or treat self inflicted conditions bought on by being obese or starving yourself, over indulgence in drinking, smoking or taking drugs neither was it set up to change people's sex, kill the unborn or fertilise the barren.It was set up to cure or alleviate the diseases of the day and treat injuries.

The elderly are being ignored by their own families who think the state should pick up the bill and whenever there are cuts,it never seems to be with management.

I was a medical secretary in an acute hospital and my experience is operations cancelled, not enough nurses on the wards, long 12 hour shifts, patients discharged too early to relatives often unable to cope, cleaning outsourced, outpatient appointments often cancelled 3 times, long waits for appointments, patients not turning up for appointments thus wasting a slot that could be given to someone else, our managers constantly changing with new ideas, changing the way we work, locum doctors costing a lot, staff with not a good enough knowledge of our language, lack of social care and nursing homes closed resulting in "bed blocking" and so on and so. My experience is medical staff giving their all under extreme pressure to give patients the best care they deserve. Nearly all the medical staff I came across were dedicated, hard working, conscientious people, often working much longer than their contracted hours. As for mental health care ..........appalling. Bed cuts, units closed, too much reliance on drugs as a quick fix, mentally" ill joining the homeless, "community care" severely lacking in many cases, social workers overburdened with work often leading to burnout. This Tory government needs to remember they are there to serve ALL the people, ALL the community, not just those who are fortunate to be able to afford private care.

I think it is vital to remind people that when the NHS works well, it is absolutely fantastic. We have just been to A & E at Warwick Hospital and received quick, efficient and thorough treatment. After a night on the Observation Ward, my husband was sent home and within three hours mobility aids to help him recover were delivered to our home.

I think we (as a country) need to look at the gross amount of wastage in Foreign add, and how much of this money is spent.

Similarly in the NHS, I have just been reading about one NHS trust spending over £800 on a set of window blinds, which were available in Homebase for £23. Also paying locums up to £4000 per day's work.

It seems some of the management teams may have degrees, but they don't have much common sense!

I agree with all the comments about healthy living and personal responsibility but I would like to return to ginni42 point on 10 February. Our government is responsible for maintaining and improving the NHS and we need to hold them to account to do just that and stop blaming others. We more than anyone will need a vibrant 'healthy' NHS and so we should, I believe, start to take action by writing to our MPs and learning what the true situation is so that we don't fall foul of xenophobic anxiety.

How is it that we have all been so hoodwinked? I was brought up and educated to be a critical thinker and it amazes me that so many just believe everything they read in newspapers without taking on board who owns the newspapers.
Our Welfare System belongs to us--we have paid for it over and over again. That is why it is called National Insurance.
Greedy people have been selling it off under our noses for decades. Google the full list of MPs who have links to Private Health Firms. Seventy of them--all parties. Look how Tricky Dicky Branson has trousered and profiteered from the best bits-and he doesn't pay tax on it. We need to take back control of every bit that has been sold off. This is why everyone is so frightened of Jeremy Corbyn especially the media. Whether you like him or not he is fighting for our NHS. Remember what Aneurin Bevan said "The Tories are lower than vermin". We have to have someone on our side for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Let's stop sending aid abroad and focus on our social care, I think the NHS would benefit hugely from that. Let's also stop people entering the country if they don't have medical insurance.

Remember what Aneurin Bevan said "The Tories are lower than vermin".

I'm not quite sure how you think that's going to go down with the many Tory supporters/voters on here, blueskies!

They need to bring back a basic care nurse level - there are lots of people who would like to work as a nurse but do not want or cannot afford to take a degree course first. We constantly hear complaints about patients being left without food/drink/in dirty bed linen - these were all tasks the SEN nurses would deal with previously as part of their job role. Beds are being blocked because there is simply nowhere else for recovering patients to go to - they may not be ill anymore but they are also not ready to go back to their homes. We need an in-between solution - carers in the community are not the answer as they are run for profit and 15 minutes per call is nowhere near enough time to look after someone newly returned from hospital. What would relieve a lot of the pressure on A&E departments would be if GP's held drop in sessions as well as scheduled appointments - so many people are forced to go the A&E because they cannot get to see their GP.

Ana

One time it's all 'Hope not Hate' the next it's 'The Tories are Hated', now we are ' Lower than Vermin.'

Hmm.

Sorry Ana. Bevan said "The Tory Party". Yes I do understand that it is difficult to have ones value judgements and beliefs challenged but surely none of us need protection from the truth...or do we. It is comfortable to remain in ignorance and let others do the worrying but I prefer to know what is going on. By the way I have a friend who always says if you have any anxieties tell my mother. Mother worries for England and she will do it for you and then you can relax.

I approach this thread with trepidation as I certainly don't know how to fix it but, like many of you, I have my own pet hates and some theories. I think the NHS is awash with money BUT it is very badly disbursed and mismanaged. We constantly acknowledge the excessive top heavy and overpaid administrators. What does ANY ruling party do about that? NOTHING. We recognise the foibles of bulk buying and contracting out repairs and cleaning. Again......NOTHING. These same or similar common sense problems are being aired daily and have been so for years. Again......NOTHING. My own pet hate are the conferences and meetings that go on daily up and down the length and breadth of the country and achieve very little other than huge bills for accommodation, meals and travelling expenses. They used to be called talking shops but now I hear them referred to as networking. I would ban them all immediately for a trial period of six months. My other troubling issue is the many good and competent members of staff who are suspended on full pay. Now I have nothing against the system here. Rules are there for a reason but the time it takes for the staff in question to be exonerated or charged beggars belief. In the interim presumably someone else is being paid as a substitute for the missing staff member. Might even be agency - who knows. Scary. I have personal experience of those last two points, by the way. Truthfully I think the whole service needs thoroughly re jigging from top to bottom but I really don't think that will happen nor do I know if it's possible. The system and staff seem so institutionalised that I'm not sure it's fixable. As a positive (oh yes!) mostly, at my point of need, I have been fortunate enough to have been helped incredibly. On that happy note coffee feels desirable..........

And exactly how many years ago did Nye Bevan say those words, blueskies? I'm sure we can all find quotes damning one party or another.

While the health service did come into existence under a Labour Government, its foundations were a cross-party creation - the NHS White Paper which paved the way for the system was published by a Tory health minister (Henry Willink).

So whatever Bevan thought of the Tories is neither here nor there.

I'm not sure what/who you mean by 'it is comfortable to remain in ignorance' - it may well be, but I wouldn't know about that.

Well said vampire queen you couldn't have put it any better. All the different parties that have governed this country have never done any thing but our taxes are going to a garden bridge if it gets built.?Grrrrr
Yes we all need to take responsibility for ourselves and our health.

Holly100 is right, the NHS doesn't need money it needs to manage the money it has. Why does it not have a purchasing department? Why do we read about other projects going way over budget. Who signed the contracts without clauses to stop this, or stop late delivery, etc. We, you and me, paid aboug 90 billion on an unuseable it system. Who was not managing this for the NHS? Commercial companies have to manage their spending or go bust. The NHS is financially sloppy and it's my money and your money they are giving away. Have you read that the NHS paid an American drug company significantly more for drugs than anyone else. This bad financial management is costing you and me not only our money but good health care.

Should say some of our taxes

For some reason my post was deleted as I was typing. Ana: Aneurin Bevan founded our NHS in 1948. There is an excellent DVD which you can get from Amazon or your library if it is still open --The Spirit Of 45. My discussion group watched it and they are still talking about its message. If you are interested there is also the NHS Action Party which has lots of information. So much information and so little time but we have everything to lose.

I agree Ana a quote from a Labour politician made a heck of a long time ago means nothing at all.
It wouldn't matter which political party was in charge of the NHS, it still needs overhauling in so many ways.

And I don't need a history lesson, thanks blueskies!
Nor do I appreciate being patronised...

I imagine Blueskies that most of us here know when the NHS was founded.
As other posters have said upthread, the NHS at the outset was treating a much smaller population and only carried out a tiny number of procedures, it was never envisaged ( how could it be?) what it would be like 70 years later.

I agree with Granimimi, we need to be told the truth about what is a healthy diet - not all this crap about eating low fat. Ever since the public were advised to eat low fat and lots of carbohydrates people's weight has crept up and up, resulting in an obesity crisis and all the related health problems, eg diabetes

We also need to stop wasting 12 billion a year on foreign aid!

Every time I see an article on the tv about the NHS, I notice how many nurses, doctors etc are all doing admin work, on the phone, on the computer. Hardly any on the actual ward, all gathered round the reception desk. I am not exaggerating. I think nurses cannot carry out "nursing" any more as they are too busy with paperwork/admin. Just a thought, but why can't the NHS have office staff to deal with reception etc, completely separate,so nurses can get on with looking after people. I understand a certain amount may have to come down to the nurses but I'm sure they did not sign up to be administrators. No wonder morale is low. It probably would not save any money but at least nurses would be nursing, therefore providing a better service.