Rishi Sunak holds emergency talks with NHS

It should not be beyond the wits of them to put their heads together and find some, even temporary, solutions. But if all they focus on is the strike action and how to look tough, nothing will be achieved.
The problems with delayed discharge is lack of care packages, so think "outside the box" reopen any possible sites such as recently closed nursing homes or put people into hotels. Offer care jobs at a good rate for a specified period of time, say two years with training given, at above minimum wage with flexible hours and maybe some sort of on site childcare.
If that doesn't find enough staff then ask if any of the migrants in the detention centres have caring experience and allow them to help out, while giving them accomodation in the same hotels.
They need a brainstorming session with nothing off the table.

It’s interesting ghost Labour are describing this meeting as a “talking shop” when only very recently Keir Starmer said he intended to talk to the NHS!

They could have listened to Any Answers and learnt something from people who actually know what needs to be done
Oxygen Thief’s the lot of them.

Ilovecheese
The only time they can think outside the box is when they’re awarding obscene contracts to crooks.

He reminds me of a keen school boy, but not really developed beyond that level.

I doubt much will come of this meeting. It's a Tory attempt to look busy.

Some good ideas there, Ilovecheese. I think they should bring in some 'brains' from outside the NHS to join in these talks. Above all else, they should come to some sensible conclusions and act on them as quickly as possible. Talking alone is no good.

Well - all I can say is that the government is consistent - in the 'too little, too late' approach - that simply doesn't work. Where will they suddenly find the care settings, carers etc.???

Much of the NHS woes have come from the incompetent managers who are meant to run the health service. The government keep giving the funding but don't lean on the bosses to produce results quickly.

Why have they not suggested using their funds to open up convalescent hospitals to free up the wards?
Or that the Nightingale units or similar are re-instated to take the overflow at critical times.
Or tell the government that more care homes are needed? Or that more staff are needed for the hare-brained scheme that said everyone should be cared for in the community? Not everyone can be cared for in the community - MH units are needed for the many people whose MH issues mean they simply cannot cope in the outside world whether temporarily or permanently.
That care homes are not run as money making schemes for their investors to the detriment of their residents?
That a GP service is run at every A&E/Urgent care unit when the surgeries are closed for walk-ins.
Whatever they find to talk about - it cannot be allowed to be just talk -they actively need to put proposals in place in hours or days if needs be. They managed a pandemic on not much notice so it can be done!!

swampy1961, I'm sure that the extra funds could be found - but not the trained staff.

Hetty58

swampy1961, I'm sure that the extra funds could be found - but not the trained staff.

Perhaps we need to revert to the theory that some people are good at caring but not at the studying and employ them for the care of people.
My elderly grandmother had a long stay in hospital following a stroke when I was a child - the Nursing auxiliary staff (as they were then ) were professional, diligent and caring towards the patients in their care allowing the nurses to get on with their jobs and run the wards.
My DH had a 7 day stint in hospital last year due to cellulitis/sepsis and the nurses were run off their feet trying to be all things to all the patients including serving up meals and personal care of the patients which could be have been done by auxiliary staff while they did medicine rounds and paperwork. When the time came for my DH to leave - because the nursing staff were so busy - it took 6-7 hours for the prescriptions and paperwork to be sorted when there were apparently some 17 ambulances desperate to offload their patients and get back out on the road. But couldn't because the wards were full!!

My local NHS trust is employing specially trained paramedics to respond in cars to non-life threatening 999 calls, thus treating people in their own homes wherever possible and freeing up ambulances for life-threatening situations such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, strokes and uncontrollable bleeding. Seems a sensible use of resources.

I think many of the woes of the NHS can be traced back to the creation of local trusts and the disastrous PFI contracts introduced by the Blair government. There seem to me to be far too many expensive chiefs and not nearly enough Indians. Give the NHS whatever sum of money and they’ll waste it. Wholesale reform is needed.

There are no silver bullets any more, because they have all already been fired. All the ‘quick fix’ solutions have been applied. Short term funding is not the answer, how can it be when there are no staff to fill permanent vacancies, let alone temporary roles above core staff in levels?
The problems are not about the management from within the NHS, they are everything to do with a service which has been starved of funding for over 10 years. Unfortunately it will take as long to rebuild as it has taken to dismantle, because until there are enough clinicians of the training and calibre needed, demand will continue to outstrip supply, and that’s how long it will take to fully train and provide experience for them.

Nightingale wards for discharge patients could work as a temporary measure. They were possible in the pandemic so why not now?

Did anyone see a pharmacist, Jay Patel on the news. I thought he looked quite animated so as a guess I imagine there’s some sort of deal to use pharmacies as the first port of call. This is common practice in Greece for example.

Ali23 its staffing them.

Ilovecheese good ideas for that.

Pay care workers a wage that will attract those back gone to work in any old job that pays a living wage and young people entering the job market. but still time for training needed..

Ilovecheese has some excellent suggestions. Nothing will be enough to relieve this winter though.

I think unfair to have been constantly urging RS to take an interest in this and then cavil and carp when he does so.

Where is Jeremy Hunt?

Ali23

Nightingale wards for discharge patients could work as a temporary measure. They were possible in the pandemic so why not now?

They didn’t work in the pandemic, not enough staff, and they won’t work now with even less staff. NHS staff shouldn’t be looking after people who no longer need NHS care, the resource needs to be put into social care provision so that people can be discharged as soon as they are medically for.

Whitewavemark2

He reminds me of a keen school boy, but not really developed beyond that level.

I don’t care if Rishi Sunak reminds people of Andy Pandy or even Loopy Loo.
Again a really bright player with formidable academic achievements, just keep talking down the Uk it’s really helping … not.

ronib

Whitewavemark2

He reminds me of a keen school boy, but not really developed beyond that level.

I don’t care if Rishi Sunak reminds people of Andy Pandy or even Loopy Loo.
Again a really bright player with formidable academic achievements, just keep talking down the Uk it’s really helping … not.

Opinions might differ😄

I'm glad the man understands a balance sheet, and feel we would have been better off if he had won the leadership contest first time round, but he simply seems to lack genuine compassion. he seems unable to grasp the levels of suffering.

Most of the cabinet (if not all) are academic high achievers, but that says nothing about their levels of emotional intelligence, empathy, compassion or even their ability to function in the workplace they have chosen or to understand the task at hand.

Crossed posts there Wyllow, I’m slow!

Great minds, nightowl!