NHS

Population increases, too, Primrose

Cutting spending from average 4% of GDP to 1.2% doesn't look like out of control spending. It looks like cutting NHS spending.

Personally I would like to see the NHS taken out of politics altogether or at least run by a team of specially selected MP's from all parties.

My little GD was quite poorly with tonsillitis over Christmas. The GP closed on 22nd December (re-opened on 2nd January). Walk in centre (who would have normally provided antibiotics) has closed down. Pharmacist advised urgent need of antibiotics so we had no choice but to go to A&E. How ridiculous is that?

Absolutely Gillybob the NHS should be above party politics, and I’d go further and say that the body who should run it ought to be mainly those with a medical qualifications.

Oh, goodness! Back to the days of the Hospital Boards and Matron in charge!

I was working in a Sheffield hospital when the Hospital Boards were abolished in the early 70s. The layers of admin that took their place were quite eyewatering...

Mind you, that particular hospital, the former Union Workhouse, is now, ironically in view of its origin, luxury apartments...

The same with the Union workhouse in York, Maizie, where we stayed last year for a few days. Amazing flats, near the city walls. Union workhouse to hospital to flats.

And the guest house we owned, so I have found out, was built as a union workhouse for orphan boys in the early 1900s.

www.theweek.co.uk/90878/nhs-faces-watershed-moment-say-hospital-bosses

No MazieD not back in time. Forward.

If politics was taken out of the NHS then all parties would work together for the greater good instead of point scoring against each other.

Personally I would like to see the NHS taken out of politics altogether or at least run by a team of specially selected MP's from all parties.
gillybob I have thought that for a long time - it is too precious to be used as a political football.

ITV News:

The number of cases admitted to hospital is seven times higher than at this time last year

So how can we expect any hospital to cope with 7 times more patients than they normally would have? It would be impossible.

Do we really expect a department that normally treats (for example) 100 patients to be able to suddenly accommodate 700?

Gillybob, have you seen that Chris Williamson has resigned from the Labour front bench as he mentioned a plan similar to yours.

"Williamson's resignation is connected to his recent comments about a possible plan to be launched in Derby to charge significantly higher council tax to owners of properties in the top tax band, in order to protect other residents from any rise. This was misrepresented by the Conservatives' official Twitter account as a large rise for all residents.

In fact, it was a very good 'for the many' idea designed to protect those who need it - and was in any case a local issues rather than party policy. The idea was also not news, having been announced in September."

Not necessarily for the NHS, but it could have helped with care.

"I stand by the idea, which was designed to make use of rules set by the government and aimed, supposedly, at giving more power to local authorities to raise their own funds and manage their own budgets.

However, the fake-news furore raised by the Tories meant I risked being a distraction from the important work that Jeremy has to do. I felt it was better to step down rather than let it drag on. I also hope to be focusing as a back-bencher on a couple of new issues around the environment."

Shame, really, as he's good.

Another sad tale. A friend's brother has today had confirmation (he's been in hospital since 22nd Dec) that he has bowel/stomach cancer. He's been sent home to wait for a call from King's London (50 miles away) to tell him when they can schedule surgery.

But this is what happened to my relative 12 years ago ninathenana. Once in, after successful surgery, he got 2 hospital acquired infections and an avoidable embolism.
I am pleased to say that he is fine now (well, he was last time I spoke to him, fingers and toes crossed).

Corbyn tweeted that patients waiting in A&E today for longer than the accepted practice is the worst ever.

Because there are seven times the numbers of patients perhaps?

Or the A&E departments are understaffed by 2200 consultants, 10% shortage of nursing staff. The highest shortage of beds. The biggest cuts ever over the past few years to social care.

I agree - there needs to be improvement - but did anyone foresee a 7x increase in admissions over last year? Even full staffing would be inadequate.

That’s all our age and older clogging up the system because of no social care I reckon. I also suspect that because of the way GPS work now, it means that you are forced to go to A&E rather than being able to contact a dr.

I really do think we all knew that the very large 'baby-boomer' generation was getting old Jalima. I imagine you did, I certainly did so why didn't the government?

whitewave GracesGran I was at a U3A meeting the other day and much of the chat was about people's health, their OH's health, what treatment they were having (good as far as I could ascertain) and how the NHS had 'saved their OH's life' or given them excellent care.
I don't think many of the people chatting are 'on their uppers' and I think older people need to pay a contribution as we no longer pay NI.

There was some more jolly chat as well, I should add!!

It was also the replacement of NHS direct with 111 that has caused more people going to A & E because there are less qualified people answering the calls, a cost cutting exercise which has ended up costing more, not less.

cheese that’s right. I’ve had cause to call 111 twice for what should have been for a doctor a very straightforward question, but both times I was told to go to A&E

We have never had a very positive experience with 111 although we haven't used it very much.

ie Speak to someone, wait for a call back from a nurse who decides you need to speak to a doctor, wait ages for a call back, who then decides you need to go to A&E, which is what you were trying to avoid - but might as well have gone there in the first place.