How would you fix the NHS?

[PinkFruitbat]

The Government is asking for ideas on how to fix the NHS.

https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/

What would you do to fix it?

Papyrophile · Today 21:11
You/we/society can't determine a cut off point that applies to everyone.
But society/government does everyday in all aspects of our lives. The NHS cannot continue trying to stave off death at the cost of the living.

Do you not have these already? Had them in our area for about 13 years...

Take notice of patients

We might be ill when we see our GP but most of us know enough about our bodies to know what we could have. Test for that illness first or just test for everything that it could possibly be in one swoop instead of this ridiculous back and forth for blood tests to see if you have just one illness

That's easy for you to say. My late DF had a procedure at 86 which gave him another three years of good quality life. Without it he might have died, but still could have lived for another three years with breathing issues and people calling an ambulance for him, a trip to hospital, a day or so there, then home and the whole procedure happening again a week or two later. They fast tracked his procedure simply because of that. Other than his heart issue and arthritis he was in very good health and was out and about and being very social - yet according to you he should have stayed home for however long it took him to die, probably at the same time he did even with the procedure having been done (from unrelated causes) and have been thoroughly miserable, not to mention the stress on me!

Incidentally, the procedure he had is usually done only for the elderly here, younger people have actual surgery for the same complaint. The elderly have as much right to good quality of life as anyone.

I will give credit where it is due. My new local hospital triages you as soon as you have booked in.
None of the waiting 4 hours for a nurse to call you in and ask you a lot of irrelevant questions.
I got myself to a&E after falling off a ladder

I hobbled in and after taking my details at one desk I went to the next desk where a nurse asked what happened. She then called a porter to bring a wheel chair and I was awaiting an XRay within 10 minutes of arriving
Within an hour of arriving I was leaving on crutches

Dd took someone to the same A&E and neither of them could believe how quickly they got through people

Its this type of system that needs copying throughout the NHS

Equally Dc and myself were all diagnosed with ADHD within 8 weeks of asking our doctor for a referral

Where we lived was apparently the quickest place to get your assessment. Probably because, after your assessment and if a diagnosis is made you are taken for your height weight and blood pressure test straight away. Then returned to the psychiatrist where they discuss meds and then write the prescription immediately
This apparently doesn’t happen in other units
You have separate appointments for blood pressure and weight readings and separate appointments to discuss meds and sometimes another appointment to come in and collect meds

Treat the staff like the wonderful people they are.

IT systems that work. The national patient record system is never going to happen with the current IT kit

IT staff that aren't drastically underpaid and/or under skilled

Sort out procurement, it's mad that awful Banner products cost more than stuff from Amazon

Bring back bursaries

Ask the staff. Not the corporate execs, or the senior consultants, but the ones on the front line, the receptionists, the domestics, the junior doctors

Get rid of some of the nonsensical HR type roles

Review some of the shockingly over banded permanent jobs that sprang up around COVID and are still there

Be transparent about what really happens to NHS training money

Teach health in schools

Bring back the old SENs (a lot of the rot started with Project 2000 in my generation)

Streamline training so when you change trust you don't have to repeat it

Invest in training and education

Allow the NHS to carry over money that hasn't been spent at the end of the financial year rather than clawing it back and then awarding a smaller budget the following year

Have a separate nursing salary scale

Working 12 hour shifts is physically demanding and not suited to everyone. People end up with musculoskeletal injuries and go on long term sick. They don’t come back to work.

Reduce the risks of long term sickness.

Tonnes of plastic gets thrown away; plastic syringes, plastic bottles. There aren’t enough recycling facilities. Employ companies to recycle it.

Turn the heating down. It’s making the patients and the staff sicker, especially on warm sunny days.

Turn the lights off on a bright day.

There is so much food waste. Order less.

Turn the heating down. It’s making the patients and the staff sicker, especially on warm sunny days.
Turn the lights off on a bright day.

The heating one. There is no need to heat the waiting rooms for patients just seeing consultants on a twice yearly visit.

I also believe that some hospitals/areas don't have the facility to switch off lights themselves as its all the time or on a timer.

Then on the flipside, a relative visits the Leicester Royal Infirmary and there's been a light out in a stairwell for 9 months. Its between the first and ground floor and only window is a skylight in the ceiling at I think is the 7th floor and a small row in the middle of stairwell. Its so dark, plus the stairs are dark grey.

I get free prescriptions due to a medical condition. I often think the NHS would save money if I was charged for prescriptions that have nothing to do with my medical condition ie treatment for an ear infection (not relevant to my disability).

Complete restructure. Too many unnecessary jobs at the top. The NHS is badly managed.

Respectfully I don't think anyone should have free prescriptions unless they're earning below a certain amount.

Yes - I think I agree, harsh though it may sound. The prescription charge is a tiny fraction of the actual cost of the medication and those who can, should pay, but a flat charge - not multiple amounts.

I think we all need to recognise the cost of what we're getting. And so often, as a pp said, there's a blanket ruling because doctors are too busy/ can't be bothered to change it or make it more specific.

It's part of a very painful weaning us all off expecting to get everything free. Yes, your treatment/consultations/operations, obviously, but if you can put a tenner in for your prescription then you should.

Which jobs would you remove?

@CoffeeCantata what's baffling to me is that the free prescription age is 65? But that's when people start to need more prescriptions.

Someone down the thread said it's only 5% of prescriptions that are paid for. Make them £4.50 and everyone pays, unless on minimum wage. It's crazy to me that my dad gets all his medications free, and has about 5 prescriptions a month (because the doctor refuses to review his medications and get them all onto the same schedule 🙄), and they're all free, but once in a blue moon I get a prescription and pay £10 for it!

I have met some amazing health professionals, but I've also met some horrible ones. I admire what they do and their dedication, but there are plenty of mean people working in health, I can assure you!

But manners cost nothing, and when people are ill and anxious it's awful to be treated harshly or even bullied - which happened to my mum in her last weeks.

I once lined up to report to the receptionist in a hospital department and she didn't raise her eyes from the PC screen or acknowledge anyone in the queue. When I said 'Good morning' and told her my name and handed her my appointment letter, she just grabbed it and said 'Sit over there!'. There's no need for that level of rubbish behaviour. I wonder who let her think it was OK?

My moans about the NHS are hardly ever to do with clinical matters, which I've always found to be good. It's more about unnecessarily rude staff of all levels. I'm a polite and undemanding patient - I get that they might need to be tough on some of their more unpleasant customers...but please save it for them!

I agree - so much funding is wasted because it's easier just to nod things through than to do that little bit of admin. It's really frustrating!

I see someone wants everyone over 85 done away with. My DH uncle had major surgery for bowel cancer in his 80s went on to live another 10 years. We can now keep babies alive at the abortion level,there was one recently said to be the smallest baby ever to have survived,been in hospital a year, how much did that cost. Logans Run, anyone!!

@CoffeeCantata it would take ten minutes to sit down, work out a month of "funny" prescriptions to then get them on the same schedule. But they won't.

My mum was given statins because "they'll be free in a couple of years, you may as well". She's never been told why she's on them but as long as they're free I suppose 🙄

Free prescriptions start at 60, i know, i'm 61 and get them...

But if you think the fuss over WFA was huge, wait till Starmer tries changing this....

We all want more money for the NHS etc etc but some else has to provide it.

@Alexandra2001 that's even worse.

Under 18s should only get them free if they're in LA care etc.

Cut them to £4.50, on a sliding scale dependent upon how many items are in a prescription and you'll solve most budget issues

Yes i don't understand why i get them, luckily only occasionally have any medication.

A small charge, which everyone pays, would, much like the plastic bag fee, make people and doctors more careful what they have and if they need them.

@Alexandra2001 I really think £4.50 is reasonable given the price of medications.

1900 prescriptions are dispensed every minute. If only 5% of those are paid for that's 95 paid - £940.50.

If the charge was cut to £4.50 and all paid for that's £8,550 per minute. Imagine what that would do for the NHS.

Well I assume some of them have done the prescribing course. And about 20 years ago a nurse could get a prescription signed off by a GP.

I also don't understand why prescriptions are free from 60. It should be 67 unless you have an underlying condition but then there are prepayment certificates anyway.

Many people are still working in their 60s so why should they be treated differently to those in their 30s or 50s?

But agree with the pp who mentioned the winter fuel allowance, I can just imagine the noise if you increased the age. It should still happen though. Just because a policy is unpopular doesn't mean it's wrong.