Our bloated NHS - it’s beyond ridiculous now.

My observation as a mostly retired HCP was simply that there are not enough staff of any type within the NHS. Clinical staff end up doing a lot of things support staff could help with if only there were support staff, admin staff are rushed off their feet, and senior managers are trying to juggle far too much and don't last long. The NHS only works at all because most of the staff give 120%! Many of the lower grade clinical staff, support staff, specialised non clinical staff, are poorly paid and don't feel valued either.

My mum was treated in a clinic in Cyprus by an English speaking German doctor who was married to a Cypriot. (not that that has anything to do with our NHS)

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Urmstongran

Okay, Andalusia offers translators pre-booked. (I took my friend there wasn’t anyone to translate in the health centre on the morning I attended).

The NHS though:
Arabic
Chinese
German
Gujarati
Hindi
Italian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
French
Russian
Spanish
Tamil
Turkish
Urdu

You forgot Welsh ???????

Every notice etc here is translated into Welsh even though Welsh speakers are bilingual.

From my local hospital website:

If you would like this information in another language,
large print or audio format, please ask the
department to contact the patient information team
[email protected]. Please
note: We do not currently hold many leaflets in other
languages; written translation requests are funded and agreed
by the department who has authored the leaflet.

It seems Spain has better translation services than the UK. Hmm ...

Urmstongran

Re ‘underfunded’. I think not. It’s just that we don’t spend the money wisely. It needs targeting better. Any managerial position containing the words ‘diversity’ or some such ought to be scrapped. We can’t afford such nonsense. The NHS has lost its way, big time.

I really don't know why people bother to argue with you, Ug.

You're clearly an expert when it comes to NHS funding.

Urmstongran

And get rid of all translators. That would either make the health tourists go somewhere else, learn English or make sure they are accompanied by someone who does speak English. In France & Spain they don't pander to such nonsense as having every piece of health information in 15 languages.. we are just bonkers.

Funny that, I was given a translator in Spain.

Whitewave - I was going to mentiion your point about privatisation. This has been on the minds of the Tories for a few years. Like the American health system.
That's how the pharmaceutical companies have become so wealthy
There's more to it than staffing of the NHS

I mean in hospitals. Which is where I worked.

Okay, Andalusia offers translators pre-booked. (I took my friend there wasn’t anyone to translate in the health centre on the morning I attended).

The NHS though:
Arabic
Chinese
German
Gujarati
Hindi
Italian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
French
Russian
Spanish
Tamil
Turkish
Urdu

This is much more informative
Professionally qualified clinical staff*

Professionally qualified clinical staff make up over half (53.1%) of the HCHS workforce (621,962 FTE) in December 2020. This is 4.2% (25,032) more than in December 2019.
^692,466 Headcount in December 2020. This is 3.9% (25,972) more than in December 2019.

* This group includes all HCHS doctors, qualified nurses and health visitors, midwives, qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff and qualified ambulance staff.

Then there are the unqualified health care assistants, cleaners, porters, kitchen staff and all the others who keep a hospital running.
digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/december-2020

Urmstongran

Getting personal again growstuff I see. It never takes you long to fire from the hip. My Spanish gets me by (bars, restaurants and shops). If I needed medical appointment I would ensure I was accompanied by a Spanish speaking friend (I’ve done that in the past). What I wouldn't expect is to turn up and expect the Spanish system, paid for by Spanish taxpayers, to facilitate my poor language capabilities. Unlike the UK system ... a colleague in the Bookings Office for out patient appointments said letters were sent out “and if you need a translator please contact this .... number”. Beggars belief.

Why would you do that? Three hospitals in Malaga offer translation services. I expect many of the GPs speak English too.

PS. I've never seen anything translated in my own GP's surgery.

I am aware the nhs and its staff are struggling to cope these are difficult times but it’s been deliberately broken, Sell it off, run it down. Get business in. Apparently Richard Branson /Virgin runs our local hospital. Who would believe that.

A new system won’t help the poor, they will still be poor, but unless they find a system similar to that in nearby European countries, which does seem to work, probably because they pay more into it than we do ours, it will make it worse fir all of us. Sad isn’t it.

You are lucky to be able to afford health insurance, most elderly can’t

With the greatest respect WWmk2 you don’t know anything about my finances. I have no savings at all. Zilch. We live totally off our monthly pensions. I’d therefore be in the bracket that can’t afford afford any health insurance then.

volver

Urmstongran

And get rid of all translators. That would either make the health tourists go somewhere else, learn English or make sure they are accompanied by someone who does speak English. In France & Spain they don't pander to such nonsense as having every piece of health information in 15 languages.. we are just bonkers.

Is that right now?

www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=941358

Did you actually read my link Urmstongran ?

Urmstongran

Getting personal again growstuff I see. It never takes you long to fire from the hip. My Spanish gets me by (bars, restaurants and shops). If I needed medical appointment I would ensure I was accompanied by a Spanish speaking friend (I’ve done that in the past). What I wouldn't expect is to turn up and expect the Spanish system, paid for by Spanish taxpayers, to facilitate my poor language capabilities. Unlike the UK system ... a colleague in the Bookings Office for out patient appointments said letters were sent out “and if you need a translator please contact this .... number”. Beggars belief.

Haha! See you're in abuse mode! Doesn't take much.

Glorianny

I just wondered about Boris's promise of more nurses and Googled it.
I came up with this
A progress report published today shows that overall total nurse numbers now stand at 327,907, as of December 2021, compared to 300,904 in September 2019.
www.gov.uk/government/news/government-over-halfway-to-delivering-50000-more-nurses-by-2024

But if the OP is right that means there are only about 120,000 doctors
I'm investigating that.

127,959 full-time equivalents in England - according to the NHS.

Getting personal again growstuff I see. It never takes you long to fire from the hip. My Spanish gets me by (bars, restaurants and shops). If I needed medical appointment I would ensure I was accompanied by a Spanish speaking friend (I’ve done that in the past). What I wouldn't expect is to turn up and expect the Spanish system, paid for by Spanish taxpayers, to facilitate my poor language capabilities. Unlike the UK system ... a colleague in the Bookings Office for out patient appointments said letters were sent out “and if you need a translator please contact this .... number”. Beggars belief.

Urmstongran

And get rid of all translators. That would either make the health tourists go somewhere else, learn English or make sure they are accompanied by someone who does speak English. In France & Spain they don't pander to such nonsense as having every piece of health information in 15 languages.. we are just bonkers.

Is that right now?

www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=941358

Urmstongran

Re ‘underfunded’. I think not. It’s just that we don’t spend the money wisely. It needs targeting better. Any managerial position containing the words ‘diversity’ or some such ought to be scrapped. We can’t afford such nonsense. The NHS has lost its way, big time.

I assume that you understand that the Tories intend to privatise health?

You are lucky to be able to afford health insurance, most elderly can’t.

That's funny another place says
Provisional figures show that as of January 2021, there are a total of 123,813 doctors and 301,491 nurses working in the NHS.
Somebody's pinched 20,000 nurses!
www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-nhs-doctors-and-nurses-in-england#:~:text=Provisional%20figures%20show%20that%20as,nurses%20working%20in%20the%20NHS.

growstuff

And how much do you think those "top brains" would charge to dismantle the system and start again? Wouldn't they contribute to the allegedly bloated top management?

Well - it doesn't take a top brain or a lot in management fees to tell the government the bleedin' obvious surely?

There are a load of Grasnetters on here who could sort it out for them in an instant.

Re ‘underfunded’. I think not. It’s just that we don’t spend the money wisely. It needs targeting better. Any managerial position containing the words ‘diversity’ or some such ought to be scrapped. We can’t afford such nonsense. The NHS has lost its way, big time.

Urmstongran

And get rid of all translators. That would either make the health tourists go somewhere else, learn English or make sure they are accompanied by someone who does speak English. In France & Spain they don't pander to such nonsense as having every piece of health information in 15 languages.. we are just bonkers.

And what percentage of its budget does the NHS spend on translators?

How's your Spanish these days?