I was pleased to hear that NHS England will pay for 5,000 more beds and 800 extra ambulances. I have been running a campaign to get more capacity into the NHS, pointing out we are short of beds and the staff to help patients. 6 million people read one of my tweets asking for more beds last December.
I discussed this with Andrew Peach of Radio Berkshire yesterday morning. You can find my interview at 1:15:40 on BBC Sounds attached in the link below:
January 31, 2023
240 minutes long. Where are you?
January 31, 2023
Erm, try “at 1:15:40”.
January 31, 2023
“You can find my interview at 1:15:40 “
January 31, 2023
The interesting questions (unasked by a BBC operative too busy deflecting himself) include:
– why has it taken NHS managers so long to act?
– what will be done to ensure their amazing volte face is other than a unique event?
– how much more capacity is needed and can we afford it?
(Once again I am left to admire your adroitness in disposing of deflections from the purpose of your remarks.)
January 31, 2023
I think too much blame is put on the government.
So far as I can see, the baby boomer generation got old and now we are footing the bill.
Not their fault. Just demographics.
So more on pensions, more on the NHS and less workers to pay for it.
Likewise Brexit.
Seems obvious to me that we’ll go back in – maybe in 30 odd years with another referendum, maybe sooner.
Again it’s just demographics.
The older people who voted for it are being replaced by younger people who didn’t.
And nobody I know has changed their mind.
January 31, 2023
Baby Boomers enjoyed many good years as part of a then better nation before EU entanglement.
Demographics change only slowly and Govt should look ahead and prepare in readiness instead of rushing with panic measures too late.
The number of people you know probably doesn’t comprise any valid sample size for the nation, yet may be adequate for their forecast about what you might do, but not obviously.
January 31, 2023
Just at this moment 5000 beds and 800 ambulances exacerbates the problem. There are no trained people to man these capital items.
I will say it yet again, reduce the 47% of none medical staff in the NHS to 25% of the whole and you might be able to afford the extra medics required.
January 31, 2023
Exactly. Many of them are still working from home. I spoke to someone today who hasn’t been to the office since before covid and has been told to stay at home indefinitely while his wife in the same NHS department working from home drops everything for the day at 3 to go and pick the four year old up from school. Meanwhile the front line staff are running around like blue a—-ed flies and Barclay thinks he’s being a real tough guy not giving in to them which will result in many of them leaving yet hasn’t got the guts to tell the bloated army of pen pushers working from home to get back to the office – or else. That’s one way of achieving a much needed cull in their numbers but the way this useless Government are going the stay at home pen pushers will be in the majority soon.
February 1, 2023
agricola, there are plenty of over 50’s we are told struggling to get work and over 60’s with a lifetime of caring experience both caring for their children and their families.
The sort of care we are told are bed-blocking main treatment wards and rooms do not require full high grade nursing care.
I believe the NHS maybe missing a trick in hiring people new to healthcare from this age group.
January 31, 2023
SirJ we don’t need more hospital beds nor foreign made ambulances – what we need is the reinstatement of NHS convalescent wards in buildings adjacent to hospitals, staffed by auxiliary & student nurses
January 31, 2023
Well expressed, Glen.
February 1, 2023
That brings back memories Glen “Convalescent homes” indeed they were just like intensive physio therapy treatment centres, when you actually viewed and helped patients recover much more quickly, because you actually encouraged and witnessed them doing the prescribed exercises, unlike today where few bother after leaving hospital, and so take ages to recover, with some never reaching previous levels of movement.
Minor injury clinics could also take some of the workload from A&E.
We have an excellent facility in Bracknell.
January 31, 2023
Its just like the NHS and Brexit, it just don’t feel like we’re funding the NHS higher than ever before or that we’ve actually left the EU, now today the Home Secretary Suella Braveman in the HoCs saying that there are more police than ever before ….we don’t believe you
February 1, 2023
I believe them glen; it takes two to do the work of one from yesteryear.
In 2005 ,Teachers were given 10% of their 35-hour working week to mark and plan and prepare lessons, and they’re still not happy. They got double the number of teacher’s assistants and they’re still not happy.
GPs had most of their evening and weekend obligations ended in the 2004 GP contract. What did Blair’s government expect, they were repeatedly told it would put pressure on the ambulance service and A&E.
January 31, 2023
Sir John,
Why do they always insist on throwing more and more money at it? You must realise that, once the backlog disappears, they will never let you reduce the budget without screaminy cuts and intent to privatise the NHS at you.
Where will all these new staff come from to man the new beds and ambulances?
It was stated that there are 100,000 vacancies within the NHS and that represents ten percent of the workforce… Does that really mean we have one million people employed within the NHS?
What is the current ratio between state employees and private employees across all sectors?
January 31, 2023
Have you notice that its only the public sector or public funded sector thats on strike
February 1, 2023
The private sector is losing business, and putting up rates drops your turnover.
All this Labour party and their union agitation is depressing the economy, the spiral down they’re encouraging will be too difficult to get out of.
February 1, 2023
+1
January 31, 2023
Although more ambulances, more beds is a welcome step, unless the first step medicare in England, usually known as A&E, is staffed up to take the constantly overwhelmed numbers, then the beds will be unoccupied and hospitals will need more ambulance bays.
January 31, 2023
The bottleneck is at the rear, not the front
January 31, 2023
266 XS deaths each day England & Wales currently, so some extra mortuary capacity needed too and some extra pathologists to work out the vaccine mechanisms that must be causing many of these these deaths. Can some of the damage be undone, reduced or mitigated. Lots more cardiac surgeons and electro physiologists needed too I hear.
January 31, 2023
You work hard.
January 31, 2023
Happy Brexit Day and thank you for an uplifting conversation with Dan Wootton on GB News.
February 1, 2023
Shame Andrew peach did not spend long on the NHS, but wanted to talk about a past Chancellor who’s time has been and gone !.
Thanks for your efforts John.
February 1, 2023
I can’t listen to your link at work but well done.