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?

Well in that case let's hope Labour have lots of brilliant ideas about how to 'fix it'.

Oh please. There has never been a ‘fixed’ or ‘better’ NHS, under whatever government. The Tories have never cut NHS spending.

Are you a pharmacist ? Problem is these threads just get full up of folk with baseless opinions rather than people with actual experience and expertise. I don’t know whether you’re talking sense do I ?

Get rid of the top heavy management in many departments like projects, finance and the huge salaries that go with them. I work for an engineering consultancy and we do some work with the NHS. We are also project managers, we are provided with a project manager for the NHS (which we don't need) and then there will be 5 other NHS people involved who hinder rather than add to anything. Stop the use of "middle man" FM companies who are adding 25% to the cost of everything for their OHP.
I've been asked by more than one trust to invoice for work I have never, and will not ever do, because "it's already allocated", "it's in the budget".

The medical staff need to be invested in and the non-medical staff need to be shaken up and half of them booted out.

Haven’t they ? Are you a Tory supporter by any chance ?
Let’s guess that you want some weird private insurance system that also happens to make a profit for its shareholders, eh ? Free market economics ? Yes ? Because why else would you defend them. They’ve screwed the country big time the last 20 years or so, longer really.

So non clinical staff sacked ? Priceless.

Tighten up admin.

I've worked in admin and I understand that we're all human and mistakes will happen, and the more admin you do the more mistakes, but...

I've been struck in my many hospital visits over the past few years just how many people approach the receptionist to be told that sorry, their appointment has been changed to another day, but they hadn't been informed. These people had sometimes taken time off work and would now have to do so again. I counted 5 of these errors in a 40 minute wait once. Something somewhere isn't right. I've currently had to phone up twice regarding appointment letters which make no sense whatsoever (duplicate appointments, procedures in the wrong order)

Make the population grateful for the NHS and be tough on extremely difficult patients.

I refer you to the thread on bringing whole families to A & E.

Clear rules about who can accompany a patient should be stated and enforced (bring in bouncers if necessary - it will be money well-spent). I get that over-worked health staff cannot take on the role of disciplining nasty customers who only understand the language of toughness/threat. Also - tighten up rules about visiting wards. Patients and staff have to endure misery due to the inconsiderate behaviour of selfish and anti-social visitors.

But the first job is an information campaign to remind people just how lucky they are to have healthcare which is free at the point of use. Get them to FEEL grateful and re-kindle a culture of respect and gratitude towards health staff and not one of entitlement.

Yes there has. The NHS was far better in the noughties, particularly in terms of waiting times for surgery and A&E. Once the effects of austerity/general Tory ideology kicked in in the mid 2010s and then Brexit that's when the shit really started to hit the fan. And they left us totally unprepared for a pandemic and it has gone totally tits up since then.

All other European countries have private insurance schemes. They are not weird. I was treated in a French hospital last year and I can tell you that they do not envy our health care system one bit.

Are you a Labour supporter by any chance?

No, I don’t want anything weird.

What do you want? Some fantasy NHS that costs tuppence and delivers everything?

Do you live in a country where virtually everything has been sold off to the highest international bidder ? Trains, public transport, post, power ? Do you really think we’ll end up with a humane insurance system that isn’t just a way to make easy money for investors ?

Something this far-reaching and beyond the term of any standing Government should always be cross-party. Much like pensions, no party wants to make the hard decisions and be blamed for it, so nothing gets done. It's short-sighted and achieves nothing.

Short shifts used to be the norm. You either worked 8 to 4 or 12 to 8pm over 5 days.
The afternoon overlap was great it allowed us to assist with feeding, do wound care, mobilisation because for 4 hours we had double staffing.
It was stopped because 1 nurse worked 5 shifts. But if you changed them to long days 7:00 to 8:00 pm they covered the equivalent of 6 nursing shifts.
They won't revert back it will cost them more.
It's a shame because that overlap of an afternoon was very useful

Just to add - I think publicity campaigns are really important in order for things to change.

The population needs to understand that the NHS is a finite resource. It can't be all things to all people. It can't deliver everything we want or even need. It's just NOT possible with our vastly increased expectations.

It was set up in 1947 to do straightforward ops, provide glasses and dentures and treat chronic illnesses with appropriate drugs. Now we expect it to work magic, even providing cosmetic procedures and long-term - sometimes life-long - mental-health support. I speak as someone whose daughter needs this - but I wouldn't expect the NHS to do that for decades and decades to come.

It can't do these things unless we all agree to pay a hell of a lot more for it. So it's up to us, but we can't expect all we want without a massive increase in tax. If only people were prepared to be realistic and not just dream dreams.

They’ve said they’ll create a cross party commission involving Tories, LDs, Reform and Greens to sort out elderly social care which is the main issue afflicting the NHS.
Does no one read the news ?

Probably because she thought 'Am I Being Unreasonable' to post this here?

NHS have access to the lease scheme but we don’t get free cars! Stop spreading lies! It’s salary sacrifice.

I do LOL, I was just responding to the general bitching about whose fault things were.

Community healthcare has fallen by the wayside. I think we need more district nurses and GPs who are able to make home visits. Bring back cottage/community hospitals for minor surgery and convalescence to clear beds at the main hospitals.

There was a Royal Commission in 1997. Does nobody remember anything?

😂 right so almost 30 years ago ? Isn’t it a good thing that there’ll be a cross party commission to thrash things out ? Things have changed since 97, we’ve lost loads of our EU colleagues and a huge population rise.

😮That is shocking you should complain.

I do not and will not ever feel 'grateful' for a wholly inadequate service that I have no choice in funding especially when it does not provide the service it tells me that I'm entitled to. I do hope that clarifies the stance of a significant chunk of the population!

@TheSnootiestFox this is the issue.

People feel entitled to the service, but don't want to pay enough tax to fund it.

I had a similar incident with trying to cancel appointments....except I phoned the number given on the appointment letter and either left a message to cancel/rearrange the appointment or actually spoke with some saying I wanted to cancel, and then got a lecture when we went to the next apt for being a DNA. This happened on more than one occassion and I'd be pissed off if I was refused treatment for not attending when I followed the instructions for cancelling (within a sensible time frame, not like the same day!)

It's much easier to blame patients than try to tweak or improve such complicated systems

Eg people turning up to A and E with things not deemed to be urgent. (Why do you think they are there? Have you tried getting a GP apt ? it's like getting a audience with the pope! Minor injuries units are closing....people's choices are limited, it might be the last resort)

Look at all these missed appointments, it must be patients that can't be bothered to show up....except there are multiple reasons to do with NHS inefficiencies (as above) which means they are noted as a no show. I've seen incidences of people waiting for eg 1.5 hrs after their apt time and having to leave. They did turn up for their appointment!