I met representatives of the local NHS management today to hear how they are getting on with the changes planned for the local NHS. They reported that all was going well.
I asked that as the service is reorganised, could they put the interests of patients first? There have been disturbing national stories of poor treatment, especially for elderly patients. It is important that local NHS hospitals continue to deliver and maintain high standards of care. Patients should feel welcome on arrival, be dealt with promptly, and once in hospital have food, drink and comfort taken care of.
I was told there may need to be some changes to what is offered where. There are no plans for changes to the Royal Berks, but they are consulting concerning Heatherwood. There are as yet no firm plans for change.
November 21, 2011
While NHS provision and funding continues much as it is then you cannot expect the interests of patients to be given much priority. Socialist dominated ideas and practices have that effect you see. One of the great wonders of the world why socialist ideologies appear so wonderful in theory but so disastrous in practice.
November 21, 2011
Not just national stories of poor treatment, either. In July Heatherwood Hospital was assessed as “not meeting one or more essential standards” by the Care Quality Commission, with concerns about five aspects of management and patient care.
November 21, 2011
Father in law was in Royal Berks last year, he was most impressed. Thats good, the poor old fellow seems to go down all over the place and is rumoured to be trying to vist all of them before the clogs are popped, so a reccomendation from him is good.
November 21, 2011
Be very wary !
Mergers where I live (Bucks) led to the closure of duplicated medical facilities, but no corresponding increase in size or staff at the remaining facility.
However my Admin insider tell me that virtually no admin posts were lost, where the heads of department at both hospitals were of a similar level, additional new “Uber-heads” were appointed, along with additional liaison staff.
And of course the average distance that patients (and visitors) have to travel, mostly by car, has significantly increased – a very “green” policy!
November 21, 2011
Been in a lot of hospitals recently, as a patient once for a couple of days and visiting 90x [+] in the last year, NHS is barely adequate but left hand and right hand is not coordinated at all.
Wards are still filthy and there are simply too many staff duplicating jobs. Nurses range from Angels to devils, to not bothered and the management are arrogant, uncaring and simply there to pull the money.
Something needs to change, I do not think unless individual hospitals are made to compete with all others there will be any real reform.
Another thing, some sort of British private and universal health insurance scheme must be initiated.
The top heavy and endlessly bureaucratic nature of health care, whether it’s in dentist surgeries, doctors practises or hospitals must be cut back – it is enormous and at every turn self defeating.
There must be a simplification of the complaints procedures and finally people must be made responsible – no one ever takes responsibility that is why the NHS only ever reaches bog standard at best and at worst is like the Mid Staffs trust.
Halt the merry-go-round and conflict of interest, in which civil servants are leaving the NHS and joining ‘associated businesses’ milking their former employers in the NHS [gamekeeper goes to poacher].
A complete overhaul of the logistics, procurement and buying structures is an absolute essential but unfortunately this is not going to happen, unfortunate, because immediate and vast sums [billions] could be saved by correct buying procedures.
Like the BBC, the MOD, the FO, the HO, DEoCC and many others, the NHS is unwieldy and arrogantly incompetent and bloated with time serving institutionalised wasters.
What’s new and nothing is going to change, Lansley is not up to the job and anyway the Limp divs will stymie all his best moves.