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.

ps don't forget the stoppy receptionists!

Oops I mean stroppy of course .

Thanks so much to everyone for all the questions and thanks Lord Darzi for taking the time to consult with us. Good luck with the report - we'll look forward to seeing it.

well he seemed very lovely indeed

AtheneNoctua
We've left a message and will report back!

Thanks, Carrie.

He didn't answer one single question I asked. He briefly mentioned the issue of cleaning but failed to acknowledge that the main problem with cleaning is that cleaners are contracted out and are not assigned to wards/areas. The NHS is unlikely to improve with the efforts of this man. it is the same old problem and I've heard all this stuff [new initatives] before as I'm sure many of us working the the NHS have aswell. How dissappointing.

Lord Darzi

I'm afraid your "answer" is disappointing.

You talk of "top hospitals" (in London naturally). The NATIONAL health service is funded by the nation; I and a great many others funding your little empire live a long way from London 50 miles or so from a teaching hospital of any kind. It seems we have to settle for lower standards as the powers that be are not interested in implementing a best practice HAI reduction strategy across the health service.

I don't know why you skillfully "misinterpreted" my belief that under reporting HAI numbers is achieved by staff following guidelines from on high when it comes to issuing death certificates. I think we both know I wasn't talking about strategies to tackle HAI being issued from on high, don't we ?

I do know that to get ahead and stay ahead in the management of the NHS requires fancy footwork of which it seems you are capable.

Disappointed but not surprised

AtheneNoctua, they came back with a website where you can
post questions/leave comments - it's here

Thanks, Carrie

I'm really disappointed too, Poobah. Even though a number of us raised it, Lord Darzi didn't give us a satisfactory answer on enforcing good hospital cleanliness which leaves me with the impression that he doesn't see it as an important issue. (I'm going to be induced at C&W in a few days time - I hope that toilet you mentioned has been repaired. I've packed some Dettol wipes in my hospital bag!)

disappointed that this is at least the 2nd politician who has been uninterested in dealing with issues regarding speech therapy, clearly this is a bit of a cinderella topic.

Agree TC. He skipped over my mention of it too.

When despite getting my question in early i got no response

Yes - very disappointed too, he didn't seem to deal with any of the questions raised in advance. What a shame.

Speech Therapy is often overlooked yet is a therapy that can have a huge impact on a person's life.

Good luck with your induction Lampi.

Take some ear plugs, an eyemask and enough food to sustain you properly as the meals were not good or enough for a nursing mother!

he made passing ref to mine at least on demoralised NHS workforce due to constant change. However, it was extremely "on message", spouting all the usual stuffon change management, change only for good reason etc etc. Didn't really get a proper answer, it's an important concern, without the staff onside none of this reform is going to work

Hi all, just to let you know that you can read the transcript of this chat here

Hi all, just to let you know that you can read the transcript of this chat here

Read it twice, if you must.

MUMSNET

Please could please you add my response (well paragraphs 2 and 3 of it anyway) to Lord Darzi's non answer to the transcript summary as I'd hate anyone to think he even remotely answered my actual question.

I posted again at 14.57

I've read it twice and am still disappointed.

As a student in 1992 at a small rehab hospital in birmigham all staff were screened when a case of MRSA was found on the ward. The reason that MRSA proliferates is bad management, poor hygenie, the stopping of staff uniforms being washed and ironed in the in house laudry and high bed occupancies.

As a student nurse, I would really hope to see the end of two tier funding for student nurses. The students who survive on a bursary often struggle to make ends meet and more often then not have to take a part time job to support themselves through the course, alongside working shifts on the wards full time and studying at home. The students who have been seconded are often paid more than the bursary students because they are being paid by the hospitals. Student's placements and studies suffer because of the financial problems that they face.

Please pay us better so we are not too exhausted to care for our patients efficiently. Scrap the busaries and give us a training salary that is appropriate to the work and learning that we do. You may even get to keep some of the students who are forced to leave their course because of the financial aspect of the course.

Bugger. I missed it.