By God SR, Have you opened a Pandoras Box with this post!
I think we all acknowledge that the state is the worst employer, in that they have no idea what they are doing. So that would begat the idea the maybe private enterprise should try?
On the other hand I fully accept thst helathcare is a public requirement - that possibly health insurance is the way to go, but for those inbetween the two systems?
One thing I am sure of is that ex-politicians should be barred from any employment that affects the operation of governmnet - which would mean they never "work" again, which might not be a bad thing!
A very very complex subject and one on which you are to be congratulated on starting!
The following comments should be of great interst - and I will be back once I see them!
I love the notion that NHS hospitals are accountable to the public. I complained about my hospital and absolutely nothing happened.
Right now, the NHS hospitals aren't accountable to the public, they're accountable to the politicians.
I long for the day when I can go into a clean, helpful hospital because they know that I can tell my friends not to go there because it's so terrible.
Incidentally, what do you think trade unions do except lobby politicians on behalf of their members who currently enjoy a monopoly on provision, allowing them to do whatever they please in terms of how hard they work for patients?
As a Weegie would say, "gonna nae dae that". Not in Scotland leastways.
Recently, we have heard the orifces of Westmidden procrastinating on the need for cuts and for the downsizing of public services. Not much of a mention of ," the NHS is safe in our hands" these days from the "true blue unionists, eh? Rather more is said along the lines of "rationing", utility and "we canna afford it".Aye, the time honoured "we" is a useful prefix when Westmidden politicos engage in togetherness with the great unenlightened us eh? Particularly when said politicos are on a minimum of £65k a year plus expenses, plus perks as in, private health care provision. So it's back to rationing, austerity and utility because we're skint then.Nope we can't afford the poor and needy these days. We can't afford a duty of care either, apparently. But hang oan a minute. 1945 was a vintage year of rationing and of tightening our belts; of being skint even. Yet during those times something was proposed and put into pratice in 1947 when the country was even more skint and even deeper in debt, The provision of universal care for all was an ideal come true.
So now other ideals of progress, of policy and of dogma rule in Westmidden where the privateer is king of all he surveys
...and Westmidden honorables, not short of a few bob in pursuit of their agendas, utter we're skint.
ah well, as a Weegie would say, "it's only an excuse".
The sole purpose of privatisation is profit. Nothing whatsoever to do with improvement of service or efficiency.
Surely by now we should be aware of that.
This is a wedge being driven in to de construct the NHS solely to benefit capitalists from the public purse and if allowed to happen will be the price we pay for apathy.
As far as Scotland is concerned, while it may not be directly effected for now, the election of any unionist government will see the same reforms filtering in.
This is the American model of healthcare - a model where its citizens can be seen on the streets struggling through their days with horrible cancer tumours. Do we want to see the same here?
Something has to be done SR. Going into my local hospital is like being back in the 3rd World. People wandering in off the street roaming around the wards looking for their relatives. Queues along the corridor for access to the one female toilet ( one toilet for a hospital catering for thousands of visitors a day). Ward staff standing around in groups chatting to each other or on the phone ignoring visitors who wander around aimlessly. Regular tannoys that are regularly ignored warning everyone not to smoke in the grounds and to use the gel before entering the wards. I had to stand in front of a nurse and stop her to find out where my relative was. I won't bore you with the cleanliness issues and stories of basic care not being carried out due to 'health and safety'.
Like in the old Soviet Union when you have no competition then there's no requirement for hospitals to improve. Where are you going to go ? Imagine the improvements if GP's checked the statistics for each hospital and sent us where we would get the best care. The travel costs involved are negligible when compared to the cost of an operaton and the better health outcomes achieved.
RM, you're describing Ninewells to a T for me. Announcements are made on entry to wash your hands. Nowhere to do it. No gel anywhere. I walked all the way from the entrance to Ward 23 and had to ask where I could wash my hands. It's appalling.
What also concerns me is that anyone can wander in and out at any time and without question. No wonder infection is rife. Nobody pays attention to visiting times etc.
I would have thought the system we have would be enough for various hospitals to compete with each other but it seems not.
Do we want to go down the road of privatisation though?
SR " Do we want to go down the road of privatisation though?"
Not privatisation no. But allow GP's to select which hospital you go to according to the criteria of patient care, cleanliness, survivability etc. I'm not sure what else we can do now that the NHS has obviously thrown in the towel and just given up. Decades of statements about improvements being made , lessons learned etc are obviously not heartfelt. Going on as we are is not an option.
We're we supposed to be able to pick which hospital we wanted a few years ago RM? It never happened here. Then again, most people pick the one nearest home for convenience purposes, although Edinburgh is also chosen for cardiac.
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12 comments:
By God SR, Have you opened a Pandoras Box with this post!
I think we all acknowledge that the state is the worst employer, in that they have no idea what they are doing. So that would begat the idea the maybe private enterprise should try?
On the other hand I fully accept thst helathcare is a public requirement - that possibly health insurance is the way to go, but for those inbetween the two systems?
One thing I am sure of is that ex-politicians should be barred from any employment that affects the operation of governmnet - which would mean they never "work" again, which might not be a bad thing!
A very very complex subject and one on which you are to be congratulated on starting!
The following comments should be of great interst - and I will be back once I see them!
I love the notion that NHS hospitals are accountable to the public. I complained about my hospital and absolutely nothing happened.
Right now, the NHS hospitals aren't accountable to the public, they're accountable to the politicians.
I long for the day when I can go into a clean, helpful hospital because they know that I can tell my friends not to go there because it's so terrible.
Incidentally, what do you think trade unions do except lobby politicians on behalf of their members who currently enjoy a monopoly on provision, allowing them to do whatever they please in terms of how hard they work for patients?
I think many of my readers are stunned WFW. I was.
I do hope it's discussed over the blogosphere though.
Joseph, anyone who questions the politics of the NHS know that no person is accountable to their patient.
There are still excellent and honourable medics in our NHS but they grow older, wearier and more despondent.
As a Weegie would say,
"gonna nae dae that". Not in Scotland leastways.
Recently, we have heard the orifces of Westmidden procrastinating on the need for cuts and for the downsizing of public services. Not much of a mention of ," the NHS is safe in our hands" these days from the "true blue unionists, eh?
Rather more is said along the lines of "rationing", utility and "we canna afford it".Aye, the time honoured "we" is a useful prefix when Westmidden politicos engage in togetherness with the great unenlightened us eh? Particularly when said politicos are on a minimum of £65k a year plus expenses, plus perks as in, private health care provision.
So it's back to rationing, austerity and utility because we're skint then.Nope we can't afford the poor and needy these days. We can't afford a duty of care either, apparently.
But hang oan a minute. 1945 was a vintage year of rationing and of tightening our belts; of being skint even. Yet during those times something was proposed and put into pratice in 1947 when the country was even more skint and even deeper in debt, The provision of universal care for all was an ideal come true.
So now other ideals of progress, of policy and of dogma rule in Westmidden where the privateer is king of all he surveys
...and Westmidden honorables, not short of a few bob in pursuit of their agendas, utter we're skint.
ah well, as a Weegie would say,
"it's only an excuse".
The sole purpose of privatisation is profit. Nothing whatsoever to do with improvement of service or efficiency.
Surely by now we should be aware of that.
This is a wedge being driven in to de construct the NHS solely to benefit capitalists from the public purse and if allowed to happen will be the price we pay for apathy.
As far as Scotland is concerned, while it may not be directly effected for now, the election of any unionist government will see the same reforms filtering in.
This is the American model of healthcare - a model where its citizens can be seen on the streets struggling through their days with horrible cancer tumours. Do we want to see the same here?
It is a failed system in all but it's publicity.
Something has to be done SR. Going into my local hospital is like being back in the 3rd World.
People wandering in off the street roaming around the wards looking for their relatives. Queues along the corridor for access to the one female toilet ( one toilet for a hospital catering for thousands of visitors a day). Ward staff standing around in groups chatting to each other or on the phone ignoring visitors who wander around aimlessly.
Regular tannoys that are regularly ignored warning everyone not to smoke in the grounds and to use the gel before entering the wards.
I had to stand in front of a nurse and stop her to find out where my relative was.
I won't bore you with the cleanliness issues and stories of basic care not being carried out due to 'health and safety'.
Like in the old Soviet Union when you have no competition then there's no requirement for hospitals to improve. Where are you going to go ? Imagine the improvements if GP's checked the statistics for each hospital and sent us where we would get the best care. The travel costs involved are negligible when compared to the cost of an operaton and the better health outcomes achieved.
That's it in a nutshell I think wisnaeme.
Indeed RA and that's the worrying factor in this. It will filter up here of unionists get into government.
I don't want to see the same here.
RM, you're describing Ninewells to a T for me. Announcements are made on entry to wash your hands. Nowhere to do it. No gel anywhere. I walked all the way from the entrance to Ward 23 and had to ask where I could wash my hands. It's appalling.
What also concerns me is that anyone can wander in and out at any time and without question. No wonder infection is rife. Nobody pays attention to visiting times etc.
I would have thought the system we have would be enough for various hospitals to compete with each other but it seems not.
Do we want to go down the road of privatisation though?
SR
" Do we want to go down the road of privatisation though?"
Not privatisation no. But allow GP's to select which hospital you go to according to the criteria of patient care, cleanliness, survivability etc.
I'm not sure what else we can do now that the NHS has obviously thrown in the towel and just given up.
Decades of statements about improvements being made , lessons learned etc are obviously not heartfelt.
Going on as we are is not an option.
We're we supposed to be able to pick which hospital we wanted a few years ago RM? It never happened here. Then again, most people pick the one nearest home for convenience purposes, although Edinburgh is also chosen for cardiac.
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