NHS Waste of money and resources

These same NHS failings were being talked about before the Tories ever came into power, so of course it’s not any one political party to blame, I don’t blame Labour for it.
The NHS has to stop being the political football it has become and needs to become a cross party effort now.

Of course they are! And you have to understand that the Torys massively expensive top down reorganisation didn't contribute to the cost problems at all. That the number of GPs leaving the profession isn't their fault either. Nor are the increasingly long waits at A&E, or the missed targets for cancer treatment. But don't worry they know how to solve all these problems, their friends are circling and waiting the chance to cherry pick and privatise.

lemongrove This government's failings go far beyond the NHS, though the state of the NHS and the social care system now is considerably worse than when it came into power.

Well I can quite see why you are saying that lemon and bless them they’ve only been in power 8 years so it’s really really mean to think they have any responsibility at all for anything to do with the NHS. Some posters are just so mean about the Tories aren’t they?

Oh, ‘ the Tories’ ‘the Tories’ ‘the Tories’.......time to put another record on.
The failings of the NHS are myriad , gross wastefulness on the purchasing of supplies front from administrators, too many people wanting too many procedures due to a rocketing population here, health tourism etc etc.
This is far too complex a problem to keep banging on about one political party.

The 'thing to pull socks on' is a really simple contraption. My DP had one when he had his hips replaced. Anywhere that sells medical 'aids' should have them.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=aid+for+pulling+on+socks&oq=aid+for+pull&aqs=chrome.5.0j69i57j0l4.9564j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I think the NHS is struggling for two reasons.

One is that the tories want to privatise as much as they possibly can of it so they are running it down to a point where they can say that public ownership isn't working any more and it would be better off being 'efficiently' run in the private sector (and we all know how that works out, don't we?)

The other is related to the first. The tories, ever since Thatcher, have insisted that the national economy is like a household economy (even though, I suspect, they know that's not really true). Most people seem to have bought into this lie so it is easy for the tories to convince the populace that the country is just not taking enough money in taxes to be able to 'afford' the NHS. This is nonsense. We have a sovereign currency; we can create as much money as we like; where do you think the £345 billion in quantitative easing came from? Where did the £1.5 billion bribe for the DUP come from? Where are we going to find billions from to buy our way out of the EU (£300 billion I've heard mentioned)? That doesn't come out of yours and my tax yield, nor, as is popularly supposed, is it all 'borrowed'. Money spent by the government comes back to it by way of taxes.

I suggest that you read this:

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2018/05/27/its-time-centre-ground-politicians-stopped-peddling-dangerous-economics-that-could-crush-the-nhs/

First, spending has always to come before taxation, and not the other way round. If it did not the money to pay tax would simply not be available. To, therefore, ask where the tax comes from before doing more spending is to ask the wrong question as to funding.

Second, spending creates the capacity to pay more tax. The reasons should be obvious and yet apparently they are not. New government spending is, of course, someone's income. It is not poured into a black hole to be lost forever more. That means that some comes straight back in tax. And yet more comes back because the recipient of the extra income also spends, and so tax is paid, and so on. It is quite likely that over time new spending pays for itself.

And have a look at Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). Which isn't really a 'theory' but an explanation of how 'money' actually works.

GillT57, please will you tell me what are those "things for pulling socks on"? My old friend was on the phone last night and told me of the very problem. She cannot bend to do so.

There seems to be two separate issues being discussed.
The main issue raised is the wakefulness of hospital equipment/mobility aids. If some trusts are able and willing to recycle the vast majority then surely ALL hospitals and issuers of said aids should find a way to do the same? It seems absolute madness to chuck stuff in skips!!! I am sure I watched a programme about this very problem, maybe Matt Baker hosting??
The idea of paying for hospital food sounds like a minefield. There are far too many variables for this to work IMO. Not everyone has £5 a day to spend on food or spends that in the real world, I know I don't! Each person has different dietary requirements. There would be no guarantee the food would improve! My recent experiences of hospital food hasn't been wonderful, especially at the children's hospital.
I had to supply food for dgd because the food was so bad! She's a wonderful eater, but screwed her nose up at the bland processed slop served up masquerading as food!!!
Food at the adult hospital was no better.
Yes the NHS is struggling, no I don't know how to save it.

theres also the issue of patent. If some things are still under patent the NHS is not ALLOWED to repair it themselves, having to pay the supplier to do it.

I live in Buckinghamshire and now, well on the way to recovery, have had all my aids and equipment collected from home and returned to the supplier. As far as I can understand, they are cleaned and re-issued.

Food is medicine. There's no point in giving people expensive priceedures if they arent getting food because they havent paid for it.

That would be a false economy. People wouldnt heal. Theyld get bed sores and they wouldnt fight off infections

The NHS should charge people in hospital for food costs. After all if they were at home they would be paying out for food. I would think between £8-£10 per day would be reasonable unless they are nil by mouth.

I remember reading of a scheme
In Norway where prisoners worked in a workshop repairing and servicing items such as wheelchairs, crutches etc. This was seen as a worthwhile scheme on many fronts- the items could be repaired and tested for safety etc and reused either in Norway or sent to Developing countries. The prisoners were performing a useful
task for society, not doing anyone else out of a job and learning transferable skills. I thought this was a good idea.

Sometime in the not too distant past there was a news article about this very thing . The reason is because it costs more to collect , clean and maintain equipment than to buy new ones . This throw away society affects the NHS too.

a physio or OT on MN ran through the costings of the staffing that would be needed to properly clean, service, repair & approve returned zimmer frames (which can cause horrific impailing injuries if they've been inappropriately used and structurally comprimised, eg carers putting their foot in the non load bearing bar at the front) and it made sense to not re-issue them.

However IMO they SHOULD still collect them to get them appropriately recycled if theyre not going to re-use

Hope results are good news Luckygirl.

I was at a hospital today for a scan. This might seem like a small thing but I noticed that the paper towels were very thin and you needed at least 3 to do the job.

When the nurse was preparing to put in a canula for me, he washed his hands (for which I am grateful!) but he pulled at the towels 10 times, each time with more than one towel coming down. This must go on over and over again all day every day. The cheap towels look like a false economy.

When my dad died his equipment was all taken back by SS including a commode , but when the grandkids break or sprain ankles etc they won’t take the walking aids back at the hospital but they are useful to keep and have been lent out to other parents
My charity shop sells wheelchairs, walkers etc and I sent others in the van to Syria
There is always a better way than the tip

When I was in hospital a while ago , there was a Chinese woman in the bed opposite whose family ran a restaurant. They brought in Chinese takeaways for her meal every evening! When the other patients stated getting envious, they brought in food for the rest of us!
Reminded me that in Italy it used to be the case that the family were expected to provide food for patients in hospitals.
Sorry I know this thread isn’t about hospital food but it did get a mention earlier.
It’s also the case where prescription medicines, even if completely unopened are chucked out and can’t be returned.

Shortly after my husband died, I had a letter saying that the items he`d had were being collected. I was surprised at them wanting the raised toilet seat back, but they did, so we had to buy another, because my daughter needed it as well. The only things they didn`t ask for were the grab handles and the extra doorstep. All the items were loaned for my husband`s use, but by the time he died we were all making use of some of them.

I was at a family party last week and one of my cousins, who is an accountant who has worked in and around the NHS for many years was absolutely scathing about the NHS financial management.

He considered that its buying policies and failure to properly control its invoicing, leaves it wide open to fraud, of the petty kind and that proper financial management could lead to up to £1 billion being made available for clinical services.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least. When my SIL died last year, we had no problem returning the equipment to Millbrook (who were very efficient in collecting it) but trying to hand back massive supplies of boxed dressings which had only been delivered days previously proved impossible. The utter waste in the NHS is still scandalous.

Gave ours to local Charity run Care home - in which my Dad spent his last few months.. but we kept the wheelchair as not getting any younger my Mum , me and OH!

lollee I tried to explain earlier that many patients are on specialised diets- low sodium, low potassium etc. If their meals are supplied by the hospital they can be carefully monitored. However quite a few patients are resistant to changes in their diet, they comply at present because the food is supplied to them. If they were charged they might well decide to buy in unsuitable food which would further damage their health.
I don't think anyone with a child with special needs deliberately chooses to subject their child to a long journey. They do seek out the very best in schools for their child as I think you will agree they are entitled to do. Perhaps you should be grateful to this child's family for providing you with an income.