Privatised Hinchingbrooke Hospital Delivers Improved Performance.

[MrJudgeyPants]

As seen here and here.

"Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire, previously described by ministers as ?a clinical and financial basket case?, released its latest performance data yesterday. In just six months, waiting times had been turned around ? from the worst in the region to the best. Patient care had improved; satisfaction ratings were higher than ever. Money was no longer being wasted. Staff morale was up. Even the unpopular car parking fees had been scrapped."

Anyone still want to claim that private provision of healthcare within the NHS is always wrong?

They have a good PR department, I'll give them that.

As the Telegraph article points out, Germany has a partially privatised service. So does France IIRC. Seems odd that with all the shouts about how we should emulate our European neighbours in areas like social policy, that the same people seem less keen to do so on healthcare policy.

Daisy I've never visited or used this hospital so I don't know how bad it was or wasn't or how much better it is or isn't. Are you suggesting that the performance has remained static, or in fact worsened, since privatisation?

flatpack In addition to your point I read somewhere that the only other nations to organise their healthcare systems like ours (state funded / state run) were Cuba and North Korea. I'm happy to be corrected by anyone who knows otherwise.

In the past few years I've had several operations on my hips. Halfway through the lead up to the operations, all outpatient care was moved to a treatment centre run by Circle Partnerships (privately) for the NHS. I've also had a variety of colposcopies and so on there (I was in and out so much at one point I reckon I should have had my own parking space!)

It's SO much better. Gorgeous building, nice waiting rooms and quick turnaround times - previously if I'd had a consultant appointment at 9:30 in the orthopedic and fracture clinic in the main NHS run building I would have been there all day. Now I'm straight through X-Ray, into a nice treatment room and with the consultant by 9:45 latest. I've had brilliant service from everyone in there.

Still had the actual operations in the main NHS building, and the difference is noticable. Things like the EKG(? - heart rate thing) and bloods took three times the waiting time to get it done than they did at the treatment centre.

I think there is a place for privately run aspects of the NHS as long as it remains free and non-discriminatory at point of use.

Clytaemnestra Was your experience at Hinchingbrooke Hospital or was it elsewhere? I'd really like to hear about anyones before and after experience of this place.

I assume that the staff are the same, the equipment is the same, the number of patients are the same etc, etc, etc. What I'd like to know is have the people who use this hospital seen an improvement and, if so, what does that improvement look like to the end user?

Nope, at Queens Medical Centre / Treatment Centre in Nottingham. Just thought example was relevant of non-bad private care via the NHS.

The report I heard about the Hinchingbrooke Hospital was careful to point out that they still have a long way to go and that there are cost-cutting measures in the pipeline. I support any system that provides excellent health-care, free at the point of need, and if Circle can offer high standards and keep staff happy at the same time as making the books balance, I think we should be pleased.

I don't think it's in my best interests to comment on whether their performance has improved, I'd just suggest that, as with any story, you don't believe everything you read in the papers.

Car parking charges are a good example - the story claims that 'unpopular car parking fees have been scrapped'. This is simply not true. Patient parking charges have been reduced, however staff car parking charges went up 67% overnight. I don't recall reading any stories about this.

Its like magic, real magic.

You just can't see the sleight of hand.

SparrowP Would you care to explain?

Good, I'm glad it's working. I don't think any NHS cheerleader (and I would count myself as one) can really cheerlead as hard as I'd like to after the Mid Staffs scandal (not that it's unique, unfortunately, it's just recent, large and all too recognisable).

What will be interesting to see is what the health service is like when this is happening over more of the country. Pre-NHS, one of the main problems was that there was fantastic healthcare in certain areas, and barely any in others.

It must also be said that the French system is I think the most expensive of all health systems in the world - perhaps even more expensive than the US? It's absolutely fantastic, but are we prepared/able to pay that much?