The NHS - Is it that bad?

[Sancho panza]

Well I'm thankful for the NHS it's always been there when I needed it
Does it have problems yes
But I'm not sure that the answer to its problems is an open cheque book as some would think.
It seems to me that it's top heavy with administrators and pen pushers whose only job is to justify their own jobs.
If I won the euro millions and in a fit of generosity decided to give my local hospital 100 million does anyone think the money would be spent on front line services more drs or nurses, I seriously doubt it.
Somewhere in the region of ten billion pounds has just been wasted on A failed IT system.

The NHS is great but it could be so much more

 

[tim2000s]

One very simple way to reduce NHS costs would be to use its buying power properly. As a single entity it could and should be able to negotiate amazing rates on volume purchases. Instead, this is done at PCT or CCG level, and therefore the costs are different in different parts of the country. A somewhat daft approach if you ask me.

 

[JTL]

One very simple way to reduce NHS costs would be to use its buying power properly. As a single entity it could and should be able to negotiate amazing rates on volume purchases. Instead, this is done at PCT or CCG level, and therefore the costs are different in different parts of the country. A somewhat daft approach if you ask me.

Yes we need some tougher approaches to buying.
The companies supplying stuff are on a winner and would surely not want to lose that business so I think hammering down some prices wouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Nyadach]

Very much so! It's a joke how they can't afford this and that and have a budget that's just crazy. With the sheer scale of the NHS, and looking at the research resources they have, and the research on meds in this country which is done on tax payer funding before licensing out of medical companies. We could quiet easily in fact produce pretty much everything we need for next to nothing. An insulin pump, hell you can cobble one together with parts off Maplin and get change from £50 (I've built a home grown very rough one for the sake of it to scare my DSN with, and no it doesn't work properly...yet). And the NHS is paying £75 a time for a 1cm bit of wire with glue and plastic on it for a CGM sensor?! Come off it, they have buying might, they are a national organisation which could setup a production wing and make this stuff itself. But that's really another argument. Realistically though with the current level of NHS funding, with self manufacture and better buying they could easily up medical staff pay, provide the best for all and get more kit out of people, and improve things by far by just having better buying procedures. Snag there though is it's not a pretty thing to say politically, so much easier to say "we're going to give the NHS this much money which could build x hospitals" which is then eaten up by manager and new silly expensive meds.

 

[jaywak]

It's not a free service as a lot of people say, all working people pay a national insurance contribution, the only problem would be if it was a private company a lot of people could not afford the premium so lets all be thankful they can keep it that low.

 

[JTL]

It's not a free service as a lot of people say, all working people pay a national insurance contribution, the only problem would be if it was a private company a lot of people could not afford the premium so lets all be thankful they can keep it that low.

May I just correct something ... we can not they can.
It's our NHS it's our money it's our government. it's not an imaginary there's.
Politicians need reminding daily that they work for me ... work for yo ... we employ them.
I'd like to see some big changes in politics ..... hundred and fifty grand a year wages expenses to be worked out paid on productivity.

 

[Bluetit1802]

National Insurance contributions were initiated to cover the costs of social security benefits and retirement pensions, not the NHS. As the name suggests, it was intended to be compulsory insurance for future need in the event of sickness, unemployment and retirement.

 

[jaywak]

Who do the NHS look after then? sick people I believe.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Who do the NHS look after then? sick people I believe.

Paid for out of the tax fund, not the NI fund. Still the tax payer's money though

 

[Pipp]

Who do the NHS look after then? sick people I believe.

Or the worried well?

 

[eddie1968]

I had prolonged treatment in the Intensive Care Unit and the High Dependency Unit several times and to me the NHS saved my life on several occasions and can only give it a good report. The day they try to foist health insurance on us will be a doomsday scenario so be warned, several political parties have it in their not so public agenda.

 

[poohtiggy]

I had a problem since before Christmas with a sore throat and earache. Saw my GP on 16th January had a pre op 22nd was admitted last Tuesday 27th for an overnight stay (because I live alone) went to theatre that same afternoon and was home again by 10.30 next day. Thankfully everything was fine and nothing nasty found just reflux.
The staff were lovely but we're literally chasing their tails the whole time. I was in the short stay surgical unit and it was literally one in one out the whole time, so constant changing of beds, preparing patients for theatre, giving meds taking patient readings and on and on.
This was my local hospital which has been criticised this winter for under performing on targets. They are doing a wonderful job it's the 'higher up' s that need to get their act together, I have no complaints over my treatment, our nhs is still second to none

 

[Lamont D]

It's not a free service as a lot of people say, all working people pay a national insurance contribution, the only problem would be if it was a private company a lot of people could not afford the premium so lets all be thankful they can keep it that low.

It's just another tax!
It all goes into the public purse. The same as income tax and vat and all the other tax avoidance scheme ( for the very rich and multi nationals) names you can come up with.

 

[tim2000s]

@JACKTHELAD I don't know where you got 150 Grand salary from. MP salary is a little over £67k. PM gets paid £142k. Expenses are for running an office, travel, etc. Whilst some took the mick, most don't and I'd suggest that in most cases it's a hiding to nothing in terms of jobs.

Yes they get paid more than the living wage, but it's by no means a way to get rich and do nothing.

 

[JTL]

@JACKTHELAD I don't know where you got 150 Grand salary from. MP salary is a little over £67k. PM gets paid £142k. Expenses are for running an office, travel, etc. Whilst some took the mick, most don't and I'd suggest that in most cases it's a hiding to nothing in terms of jobs.

Yes they get paid more than the living wage, but it's by no means a way to get rich and do nothing.

What I'm saying is their pay should be around a hundred and fifty grand plus expenses.
Not it's that already.

 

[JTL]

May I just correct something ... we can not they can.
It's our NHS it's our money it's our government. it's not an imaginary there's.
Politicians need reminding daily that they work for me ... work for yo ... we employ them.
I'd like to see some big changes in politics ..... hundred and fifty grand a year wages expenses to be worked out paid on productivity.

...........................

 

[tim2000s]

@JACKTHELAD Apologies, misunderstood your post

 

[JTL]

@JACKTHELAD Apologies, misunderstood your post

The wages on offer at the moment don't really attract people who need the money. so we end up with hobbyist part time politicians and a lot of millionaires who haven't a clue how I live and manage.
Milliband is a millionaire lawyer .... he doesn't need the money or the job.
The chancellor is the fifth Duke of of the money tree or summat he doesn't need the money or the job either.
These people take these positions for their own ego's
At a hundred and fifty grand a year plus expenses I think it would attract more proffesional people and they get paid for turning up and performing like the rest of the planet not sitting in board meetings where their real money is made.
Something has to change.
We need professional qualified people wanting to do this job.
I find it a bit of a joke that some Eton schoolboy is this week the head of the nations health .... with no qualificatiuoins and even less knowledge.
Next week there'll be a reshuffle and now the guy is head of the prison service or education .... again unqualified.

 

[Sancho panza]

Whilst I agree with some comments posted here the original question asked was the NHS is it that bad, now obviously politics was going to rear its head it seems that this thread like another earlier is in danger of just drifting off into political diatribe. I know it's an election year so perhaps a general political thread would be appropriate.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Couldn't agree more.