Unless Labour stand up to the public, we will never have functioning services

How do you know? Have you actually read the decision? It’s quite revealing - the level of incompetence is staggering indeed.

Red tape are regulations brought by the governments not the public.

The law on repairing obligations is very clear.

And the law hasn’t been followed. It really isn’t that difficult to arrange a contractor to fix a leak. Especially for a large social landlord spending ££££ every year on repairing contracts.

I think you’re heavily underestimating the level of mismanagement of funds and plain inability/unwillingness to do a job and/or incompetence.

I come from a former communist state where we used to have a saying loosely translated into ‘whether you stand up or whether you lie down, you’re going to get paid anyway’. Meaning it doesn’t matter if you actually do your job, you’re going to get paid. There’s a lot of this mentality in the public sector in the UK too.

In the private sector, if you don’t deliver, your job is at risk. Not sure why it should be any different in the public sector.

Agree. And im glad you brought it up Every time i do im accused of bringing social housing into everything.

Housing associations have no accountability

I really don’t think that’s the reason! Thatcher installed the gates to Downing St after terrorist attacks and threats.

Saw some old film from the 1960s where the general public were able to go right up to the door of No 10 and take family photos. People were asking Wow whats changed
Whats changed is that politicians used to do less stuff that really pissed people off Unlike now

But there is. Either in court or if it’s a complaint, when it’s decided.

You can’t demand that the public are deprived of the right to raise concerns. If you’re in the clear and done nothing wrong, then the complaint won’t be upheld.

And if unreasonable complaints are being upheld, then you need to look up to find the source of your problems.

People abuse the NHS because it’s free at point of use. That is a huge part of the problem and the right to complain, sue them or whatever is a big part of that.

Perhaps.Bit it’s also about how the money is spent.

But there are multiple cases every month of public service bodies not doing their job when they should (and when fixing an issue would be cost effective) and then having to pay £££ of public money in compensation and to tackle the problem that has become a lot worse.

Social housing being one example:

Fixing a leak in a property costs usually less than £1000. But councils will do nothing for years and then have to pay tens of thousands of £££ in compensation. It happens all the time and nobody learns a lesson. Like public money is free money to spend.

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/2024/03/14/lewisham-councils-failings-in-damp-and-mould-complaints/

@Rainbowsponge

So, AIBU to think rather than throwing more money at bloating the systems, the government need to give people in public facing roles more powers to simply refuse to engage with trivial or irrelevant complaints?

Yes, YABU. And entitled by the sound of it.

This would be unlawful, first of all.

And who is to decide what’s trivial? If your salary is paid by the people who complain, it’s rather cheeky to demand the right not to listen to them if they’re unhappy. Don’t you think?

If you go to a hairdresser and aren’t happy with the service you’ve paid for, would you be happy if they told you to get lost?

The truth is that public bodies are top heavy with incompetent management and rife with risk aversion (hence the multiple ‘assessments’ and passing the bucket). But ignoring complaints really isn’t the answer.

Well yes, because we've commodified everything, even essential stuff like education and healthcare, and so we behave like consumers not citizens.

I don’t think your issue here actually has anything whatsoever to do with Labour being elected OP. Very forcefully shoe-horned in here!

Couldn’t agree with you more. How do you think a government can tackle attitudes though? It’s a tricky one.

They need to stop giving teachers’ email addresses to parents. If something is that important, get in touch with the school office and do it through them.

I think the infuriating thing with public services is the gap between what you are entitled to- statutory services- and what you actually get. So, the govt write all sorts of standards and entitlements to services for, say, dental services, children with an EHCP or those in care, but there is no infrastructure or adequate funding to support this. So people have a sense they should get something and then the services have the shitty job of not being able to deliver it.

But teachers never used to email parents.

Communications have totally changed.

Although we're unable to email teachers at my dcs schools. There is only an office email.

Can you give examples of how ‘half the class’ requires adjustments even without sen needs?

I don’t thInk OP is talking about disabled children. These adjustments are being demanded by more than half the class in many instances. It isn’t sustainable or manageable.

Oh deer, oh dear.

It's the all or nothing school of thought.

It would be extremely unusual for many students to have exactly the same needs in one class and the same strategies to deal with the needs in the same class

All this could be solved with a mandatory training program run in school.

What do you think is reasonable to enforce when it comes to meeting the needs of disabled children? With fully understanding what their disability is? Because you don’t seem to believe that they should have adjustments that avoid triggering meltdowns and therefore affecting everyone, and you don’t seem to think teachers should speak to parents about their views on reasonable adjustments and support needs for their children to help them be an equal part of their classroom.

As an NHS nurse I was talking to my colleagues about this last week. We have noticed a huge increase in the abuse we take. I have been sworn at and threatened so many times in this past week. I work on an elective/emergency surgical ward. I have had enough.
If the patient/relative is scared and in pain of course we understand and go with it but, it is the demand for extras transport/paracetamol/walkers lightly salted/softer towels/bigger meals.
These people can be horrible and then say it is not directed at you but, of course it makes us wary of dealing with that patient/relative. We can't help but take some of it personally.

We have patients who monopolise staff time with their complaints and demands, this means we can't help others. These people will scream and shout and swear and upset other patients.

I am quite confident and not easily scared and will stand up when patients are being rude to my staff and the Drs ( I am a sister) but it is draining. We ask for help from seniors and they come down with a leaflet to warn and issue yellow cards 🤨. They don't talk to the patient/relative of course that is on us.
Luckily security is brilliant but it takes time for them to reach us by this time a patient had smashed a tv/hand sanitiser off the wall and thrown something at another patient.

I know the NHS is not delivering what is needed and people are being let down, if I find a patient like I do all I can to escalate and resolve it as it is unacceptable. But nurses, are left to deal with all shortcomings, Drs refuse to prescribe or the pharmacy refuses to issue but, we have to tell the patient. Likely these professionals have good reason not to but they don't tell the patient to their face.

As a parent of teens I also see the same problem with teachers. My 16 year old dd has been badly let down and I have tried to get help. I know the staff work hard and there are limited resources but no one will help, respond to emails. It is a big mess.

Public expectations need to be managed. Points can be made without being aggressive and rude, having said that these people often get What they need as no one will deal with them 🤷.

An independent review released earlier this year determined that the current benefits system is so brutal that it's pushed tens of thousands with health conditions into applying for PIP and LCWRA so they don't have to deal with the stress of the job centre.

These are applicants who have legitimate conditions, but previously would have just muddled through, trying to work in some capacity. Making things harder for claimants has actually cost the gov't millions more. 👏