A look at our NHS since 1997

Englands fast track two week wait already starts as soon as there is a suspicion of cancer, not at disgnosis or confirmation. And it is universal. NI is not. Scotland has its own system which is perforning okay

But sure throw money at reinventing the wheel rather than admit that England has an existinv systen that already works well!

Just like the Blair years when fortunes were spent at scrapping and reinventing systems rather than tweaking them

That is what the last link suggests happens in Wales as well, as does the long post I’ve just posted.

As far as emergency care, there has been a fundamental change in how potential patients view the provision. My daughter is a student paramedic and she states that around 80% of calls do not need an ambulance but end up with one attending for a variety of reasons, often by exaggerated claims of patient condition etc to the 999 call handlers, either purposely or driven by desperation through not been able to access care in the GP system. That’s apart from those seemingly unable to self-regulate (drink, drugs, obesity, plain fecklessness). But they attend with good grace because otherwise cases in genuine need could fall through the gaps.

It seems notnana that what you are actually doing is disagreeing with the reports by trying to say that Wales is pulling down the whole thing.

I am afraid that you are entirely wrong. It isn’t the case and if you disagree, I suggest that you supply counter evidence, as I am simply listening to opinion otherwise.

If you run a shop and your neighbour's shop has an efficient invoice system do you
A: purchase the invoicing software they are using as it works, perhaps even the upgraded system based on what did and didnt work for your neighbour
B: Do things differently, spend a fortune on IT nerds to build you a bespoke invoice system from ground up, with all the teething troubles that were already ironed out by the company A. used. End up with a vaguely similar systen to A after tonnes of unnecessary expense and pain, claim you invented working that way.

Mostly Bs: vote labour!

lowdownnhs.info/analysis/comment/embarrassing-nhs-figures-postponed-till-after-polling-day/

Mental health contracts being given to American companies.

lowdownnhs.info/private-providers/american-firms-scooping-up-mental-health-contracts/

The flu season will soon be upon us

lowdownnhs.info/news/call-for-action-to-avert-corridor-care/

I believe that it doesn't matter how many billions of pounds are poured into the NHS, by whatever political party, it will make no difference to health outcomes. It has become such a mammoth money pit that it is hard to see the wood for the trees. At the inception of the NHS, it was believed that with some initial generous pump priming money, the health of the nation would be improved and costs would lessen. That never happened. As technology increased , more and more treatments became available and expectations of health care soared. Can we honestly say the health of the nation improves as healthcare budgets increase? The NHS has become about sick care and until there is a radical rethink about going back to basics and promoting wellness, things will go from bad to worse. @ExperiencedNotOld , you make a very good point about all the misuse of the ambulance service. This is just one example of where money simply haemorrhages out and no one can stop it.

Liz46, they're the best against what you read about other places.
I would say that seeing as I worked there It's right though.

Having been carted off to A&E several times in the last few years I can honestly say that the para-medics and ambulance staff are wonderful - professional, caring and entirely admirable.

And then you arrive in A&E......and it all goes downhill from that moment on.

And as for the orthopaedic ward my OH was on - there is another thread about this. He was allowed to dehydrate - and that was just he first of his woes. The "care" was a disgrace.

The NHS has a huge problem with communication. The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.

At the inception of the NHS, it was believed that with some initial generous pump priming money, the health of the nation would be improved and costs would lessen. That never happened

It did happen. Life expectancy for men and women improved by about 10 years over the period 1950 - 2015.

I have no doubt that, if I looked for them, you'd find that mortality rates have improved, too.

If this doesn't indicate improvements in the health of the nation I'd be extremely surprised.

Yes, technological and pharmaceutical improvements are driving up costs as they keep alive more people who would otherwise have died, but I'm sure you don't advocate letting the weak and sick go to the wall?

The NHS does promote wellness but with budgets cut to the bone how do you expect it to be able to run massive campaigns to influence people's behaviour?

I agree that there should be controls on waste, though so far we are getting anecdotal evidence from posters rather than evidence from properly conducted studies, but money invested in the provision of healthcare doesn't fall into a black hole. It pays people's wages and it supports the private companies which supply the NHS (everything used in the NHS is sourced from the private sector) so circulates in the economy. Which is a Good Thing. And if some of it didn't go to private health providers and get creamed off as profit it would be an Even Better Thing.

@MaizieD, my apologies, my phrase was ambiguous: what I meant was that although the health of the nation did improve, the COST of the NHS never lessened. I certainly don't advocate letting anyone 'go to the wall' but I do believe that there needs to be a really intelligent re-think of promoting wellness at the heart of NHS strategy, as opposed to bolt-on campaigns.

Of course the cost never lessened, there are more of us now!

As I have an 'academic' DD who has worked on all sorts of initiatives with the NHS to promote healthy eating I'm bound to disagree with you about the lack of thinking about wellness ?

OP, you forgot to mention that when Labour last left government, they left a note saying there was no money left so, unfortunately, the next Government had to go about addressing that. I have always found that, whichever party was in power, I have always received good service from the NHS.

Lucky you! The standard waiting time for a GP appointment in my area is now four weeks. It's pot luck which GP you get - it could be a locum and, almost certainly, not the one actually "treating" you, so they're unfamiliar with the case. The practice has had at least one vacancy for the last year, which can't be filled.

I wouldn't be alive today, if we had the same care as in 1947. Most people with cancer would have a much shorter life expectancy too. Is that what you really want GrannyLaine?

I would say the statistics about how many people smoke show that "promoting wellness" has had some success.

Too many people not knowing or wanting to take responsibility for their own basic first aid. The nanny state

Too many people rushing into the country and taking advantage of a health sevice which costs them nothing and to which they have never contributed

Closure of cottage hospitals and convalescent homes

I agree about "cottage hospitals" and convalescent homes, but I don't agree that we have people rushing into the country to take advantage of a health service which costs nothing and to which they have never contributed because it's not true.

I don't agree that people don't take responsibility for their own first aid either. I actually think people are more likely to Google symptoms and treat them themselves than previously. Greater awareness of symptoms means people are more likely to seek medical advice earlier, which is a good thing.

My GP practice has fewer GPs than it did ten years ago, despite a bigger list. The problem is recruitment rather than having to see people who don't need treatment.

@Growstuff 04.26 where did I say we should have the same care as in 1947? What a ridiculous idea. My point is that the whole NHS needs a massive re-think to meet the changing demographic today, rather than simply pouring in more and more money. Of course there are wellness initiatives but are they are they reaching those who need them most? I would think not?

It's had two rethinks since 2010. What do you suggest?

The changing demographic is more elderly, who survive longer, but not necessarily with better health. What do you suggest?

Which people do you think "wellness" initiatives should reach? To be honest, I can hardly log on without having something about "wellness" (whether it's eating more healthily, getting more exercise, sleeping more, etc) popping up on my screen.

"Wellness" is a multi-billion pound/dollar business.

qizqueen, wrong again on so many levels...but as she never comes back with any evidence or to discuss it's not worth answering...

* maizie* that’s why I didn’t answer. No point.