I agree AND disagree with this post.
My views are not warped, they are very much informed.
I don't doubt that those working within the NHS (in the majority of cases) do their best to provide excellent care, but it is not as great as everyone suggests considering the amount of taxes we pay, it is not without fault, and huge failings are consistently reported left right and centre (and not just in the daily mail).
I very much disagree that there are
huge failings in the NHS. However, I think that there are some big issues to be adressed and some uncomfortable issues to be adressed as to what sould be provided on the NHS and what should not.
There are some fantastic staff in the NHS, but there also are some very poor 'professionals' who skive by on the hard work of others. There are certain wards and areas which need totally overhauled. I worked on one medical ward which was run amazingly well by the ward manager, organised, efficient and a credit to the NHS, wheras the ward next door, run by a different ward manager was cliquey, disorganised and a nightmare to be sent as a bank nurse or student. Both the same specialty, both with a high turnover, equal budgets, one female, one male. The main difference was the attitude and ability of the person running them. There have been a tremendous amount of ill informed journalist pieces jumping on the NHS and not getting to the facts including reporting of MRSA and C-diff, using isolated incidents as an illustration as to the whole of the NHS and pieces such as panorma which while highlighting some important issues also failed to see other sides of certain incidents.
As we speak, one of my colleagues is off work caring for his daughter, because his wife has back problems, for which she is on a 6-12 month waiting list for treatment, she is bed ridden, how is that a brilliant service?
That is sad, and one of the reasons I think we need to look at what the NHS actually funds and how funds are allocated in certain areas. My dad is also awaiting results and treatment regarding his health so I know why people get frustrated, BUT access to care is free at the point of access and I don't think we should lose sight of how precious that is. It would be lovely to have quicker access to everything we need in terms of healthcare and I think that big decisions need to be made about what should REALLY be available on the NHS right now while the changing needs of the patients we see are changing how the NHS delivers care. I think that we need to look at what is good about the NHS and make serious decisions about where it is going. Wastage is a huge issue, as is organisation but these things take time and who wants to be the one to make decisions on what is taken away.
Millions of people are denied life saving drugs because the NHS will not provide them.
I disagree with the numbers here, but I'm interested in seeing the evidence as it's obviously an area of interest. Drugs are expensive and NICE makes decisions on whether certain drugs are cost effective based on the evidence available and the proven effectiveness of the drug. We cannot have it both ways, a health service that is value for money and a health service which will spend excessively on trial drugs, drugs which are not shown to improve prognosis significantly. Regardless of whether a country has a national health service or is based on health insurance, someone up the ladder has to make difficult decisions about what drugs to provide. Mistakes might be made, appeals processes are long and if you are affected by a life threatening illness and see a possible solution that is denied to you it is heartbreaking but the NHS is about the health of everyone and so sometimes has to make difficult decisions regarding individuals.
Every single day there are posts on this forum about women who fail to receive adequate maternity care.
and some are ridiculous and smack of entitlement just like the OP. The majority of those which genuinely appear to be bad practice are based on the poor practice of individuals or departments which need to be adressed and I would always encourage people to complain to the right people. It is a sad fact that a large organisation like the NHS has to regularly deal with certain groups of practicioners and individuals who underperform or do not meet standards. The same is true of large companies. A friend of mine had a BUPA home investigated by the care commission and overhauled for bad practice and subsequently one of the nursing staff struck off because he was appalled at the level of care.
The maternity care in my area alone has improved dramatically in eight years, thanks to the input of the general public, health care workers and outside organisations.
People are regularly turfed out of hospitals due to lack of beds, or leave hospital more sick due to poor hygiene.
Lack of beds can be a problem and an important issue where this is seen to happen.
In many cases it is often abuse of the system and problems with services outwith the NHS rather than poor quality healthcare which plays a huge part. People often complain that thier relatives have been 'turfed out' but in reality we cannot discharge a patient without ensuring that this is the best thing for them. Turnover has changed drmatically with changes in services, people are often angry to be sent home quicker after surgery than expected but I would not want to be in a ward full of sick people for longer than necessary and someone who can be looked after at home with a package of care etc should not be blocking an acute bed. I once had a patient who was in hospital for months because we could not get social work to organise a care home place for her which suited her family. I can't speak for other hospitals and areas but I have never seen a patient 'turfed out'. I've seen staff discharge a patient poorly without properly organising aftercare but that was bad practice on the part of the individual not a failing of the NHS.
As for lack of hygeine, in my experience the biggest culprits are visitors and patients. An awful thing to say but people who sit on beds, don't wash hands, obnoxious visitors who go to other beds and sit on other patients beds, people who bring small children to visiting times and allow them to wander etc. There are areas where staff hygeine could be improved but generally speaking the campaigns highlighting the basic errors made in hygeine within hospitals such as cleanliness champions has been highly successful. People should realise though that some of these bugs particularly those related to resistance to antibiotics are very difficult to contain regardless of hygeine.
My nearest hospital has one of the highest infant mortality rate in the country, but I am supposed to be thankful because it is free???
I have had two scans, both were delayed by over a month because there were no appointments available sooner, same for my midwife appointments, where I am marched in and out in under 5 minutes and I thank my lucky stars I am not a first time mother, because then I truly would despair.
No,are of course not. These are REAL issues and we all need to be making noises about these rather than focus on things that we don't need. I absolutely agree that there are certain areas which need drastic improvement and there is no way we should simply accept poor care, poor practice or feel that having a universal healthcare system means we should put up and shut up. It makes me livid when I see organisations campaigning for things that to me take away from the big issues.
Perhaps if people took notice of the apparent issues, and fought for change, we would see our health services improve. I cannot understand anyones blind acceptance of what it is, because it might be a bit better than another country, or some people get no health care so who are we to complain? Those kind of attitudes perpetrate bad service, and hold up the evolution of change that is MUCH needed in the NHS.
I couldn't agree more
I am proud to be British, but that doesn't mean I don't strive for my country to be better, and it doesn't mean I should not believe it CAN be better, but you can bet it won't ever get better unless people demand it!
Again I totally agree, but hope that people can seperate the real issues from the demands of a culture of entitlement. If we can get to the heart of the flaws of the NHS, tackling them productively while celebrating the tremendous amount of good that it does each and every day then we can have the ideal system. I'm sure people would still find something to complain about though
I hate to think what could have happened if we didn't have the healthcare system we have now and I didn't get those last scans.
Hope everything is going OK for you hun and congrats on your wedding!
