Live chat with Lord Darzi about the NHS - June 10th 1-2pm

[carriemumsnet]

Hi All

Lord Darzi will be joining us on Monday June 9th to talk about the NHS and its future, and to hear your views on how you think it could be improved. Lord Darzi is a Professor of Surgery who joined the Department of Health in 2007. Since last July he has been working on a review of the NHS, talking to NHS staff and patients about how they think it should be reformed. He's already set out plans for new health centres to be open 7 days a week, which will complement GP practices and offer an extra way to see a doctor.

His final report will be published at the end of June.

Lord Darzi still works in the NHS as a consultant surgeon two days a week and is married with two children.

As always, if you can't make it on the day, please post your advance questions here and we'll try and get as many as possible answered. Otherwise, we'll see you Monday lunchtime.

please read my choose and book thread if you get a chance.

Sitdownpleasegeorge you asked about the NHS taking health care acquired infections seriously.
The NHS shouldn?t need directions from on high to tackle problems like MRSA and C Diff. It should be done because it?s the right thing for patients. I would like to see every clinical team taking pride in the service they provide and doing everything possible to tackle infection because they want to provide a service that is among the best.

Some of the top hospitals do screen staff, e.g. the Royal Marsden in London where I work.

Where are the polyclinics planned? I live in Sunbury and work in Chiswick. I would much prefer to nip out to a clinic in Chiswick at lunch time then have to leave work early to drive back to my local GP (who is in HAmpton, not Sunbury). When I was pregnant I would have loved ante natal appointments near work, but they were not on offer.

cmotdibbler - I agree with you. The whole clinical team and all professions and managers need to be involved in making services better.

There's a feeling I think that in recent years government has made changes to policy in the NHS and in education too often and often in response to the latest Daily Mail tirade in attempt to look like they are doing something - and instead it looks like they are meddling. I think it's important that we give any long term proposals time to succeed - hard, I know, with an election looming - but your principles seem like the right ones to me.

Athene - The new health centres will allow you to attend near work if you wish without having registered advance and without having to give up your local practice near home.

Do you have any ideas for tackling the problem of non-attendence at booked appointments? When I worked in the NHS, no shows were a huge problem - as many as one in three at some clinics.

A terrible waste of time and resources.

Yay!

Will there be one in Chiswick?

BigEmma - we need to make sure the principles are followed in practice for just the reason you give. Change should happen for its own sake. These principles have sprung out of the local clinical work rather than something invented in Whitehall.

does everyone need a polyclinic?

how can you discriminate between problems which you see your GP about, those you go to a hospital about, and those a polyclinic will pick up?

Athene - It's not up to me because it's got to be locally planned. But please have your say.

And what will happen to ensure this ? As I mentioned earlier, we've seen the govermnent overrule NICE decisions for no good economic reason, but based on media coverage and pharmaceutical company campaigning.

Aren't 'patients' referred to as 'clients' now?

Why is there such a discrepancy in service, waiting times, cleanliness, hygiene and performance across the country, and even across boroughs?

I was also interested to know how the results of a recent survey conducted on maternity services at my local hospital - Chase Farm - had come back with 4 stars (out of 5 I think), and yet anyone I've EVER spoken to who has had a baby at Chase Farm has always had a less than positive experience, or has in fact had a very negative experience? I've had two babies there (no choice to go elsewhere - other hospitals were 'full' at booking in) and I was disappointed with my treatment both times. Surely this isn't a coincidence?

Is someone fudging the figures or aren't the right people being asked?

Your first entry point will always remain the GP, whether that's your local GP or the GP in the polyclinic or health centre if there is one in your area and that's where you choose to go. In due course, patients and public will know and decide what types of services are available locally.

In my experience, the what you are offered isa ll about what PCT you live in. If you try to cross the boundaries, they say "Sorry your not in our catchment. Bugger off." So, who will be in charge of developing thses poly clinics, and can they discriminate against who can use them?

Lord Darzi

Re the polyclinic, sorry I don't see how the idea that you can get treated near work and keep your local GP reconciles with the well known fact that it's difficult even to 'register' to have your baby at a hospital in another Trust's area. Are you saying that GP's either will be happy or should allow and not penalise patients to receive some care in a different trust OR is your answer to AtheneNoctua based on her working/living in (relatively) close proximity (although I'm sure her GP and a Polyclinic serving Chiswick area) would fall within different trusts.

I can't quite believe that things are going to be made flexible to allow this without patients or GP centres losing out in some way..?

cmot - I understand your point about NICE and it's something I'm looking at in my Review.

Are the government going to stop closing maternity wards?

Nearly every week there is a story of yet another one closing. My nearest is about 45 minutes away. My friend had her baby in a layby due to Malton Maternity ward being closed.
I'm lucky and have family that can take me to the hospital but what about people who have no family nearby to take them to the hospital in labour. I was told that an ambulance wouldn't come out to take a woman in labour, they only go out when the baby is about 10 minutes away from being born.

ditto! great minds

Patients are clients, customers, consumers, users - call them what you like. But in the end they are the people who should decide how services should be set up to meet their needs. It's good that we have transparent reporting of the quality of care - that's how change happens - because patients can exercise choice based on information.

Athene - very good point about cross-boundary access and I'm definitely looking at that.

Great to hear that. I'll look forward to reading what you have to say.

And what do you think about the PFI building programme ? It still doesn't make sense to me that the hospitals are built and equipped on 20 year contracts with money borrowed at bank rates, as well as allowing companies to set the rates for maintenance etc - I've heard that in one PFI hospital it cost 500 pounds to have a shelf put up.

Why are hospitals not clean?

Most people ignore the hand washes outside each ward - including some staff.

My father was recently put in a contagious diseases ward because the general ward was full.

A patient in the bed opposite him vomited on the floor.

A nurse did her best to clear up most of it.
A cleaner didn't arrive for over an hour.
On a contagious diseases ward.

We raised the points with the Chief Exec, who paid the relevant lip service, but tales from patients who have stayed in the same hospital since show no improvements.

I tell you what I don't think my receptionist at my local GP sees me as a client or customer - more like an irritation!

Where is the transparent reporting?