Has care in the NHS and in social care improved over the last year? The Department of Health wants your views: £50 to be won NOW CLOSED

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

As some of you will know, following the public inquiry into the failings at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, the government responded last year with a set of commitments for improvements.

A year later, the Department of Health would like to know what you think about whether there has been a real improvement in the care provided by the NHS and social care providers as a result.

They say:

"When we receive care, whether that is in the NHS, social care or in our own homes, we expect, and have the right, to be treated with dignity, respect and compassion."

"Two independent public inquiries reported appalling failures in the standards in patient care at Mid Staffordshire hospital, and in the system of healthcare regulation. As a result of these inquiries, the Government said that improvements had to be made. These include a new inspector for hospitals and a tougher, independent inspection system; more nurses on hospital wards; and plans in place for turning around failing hospitals. (To see the Government's response in detail, have a look here.)"

"We are looking now at what progress has been made in improving patient care."

"Have you noticed an improvement in care you or your family have received in the past year? Do you have examples of how it's improved or changed? Do you feel more confident that any changes introduced will improve NHS care? What do you think are the biggest challenges for making care even better?"

"Material from this thread (and from another thread we're running on Gransnet, and other activities including discussions with people working in the NHS and care providers) will help inform our assessment of progress. It may also be included in an annual progress report, the first of which will be published later this year."

Over to you. Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £50 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks
MNHQ

Bonsoir I predict your quote gets cherrypicked

"A Mumsnet user when asked about recent improvements in the NHS said "Amazing. Incredible""

Earlier this year DD1 had problems breathing and was grey and hard to rouse. 101 told us not to take her ourselves to A and E but to call an ambulance. The ambulance took more than three hours (that is not a typo) to arrive. When it finally arrived her oxygen SATS were in the 80s and she had to be admitted as an in patient. I would never call an ambulance again, it would have been safer and quicker to take her in her pyjamas in our arms on two buses.
We live in Central London btw not the Outer Hebrides or similar. It was a very frightening experience for us. The stats on the London Ambulance Service response rates and times are in my local paper this week (someone just died waiting for an ambulance). It is shocking.
A number of other friends have had dreadful NHS experiences recently. The lack of access to midwives is particularly worrying. I am very sad that midwives are being forced to strike. How can things possibly be getting better if they are being driven to that?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine -

I know that the NHS is a patchy beast but IME people are unbelievably demanding. 10 years ago I had DD and used NHS midwifery in rural Kent. I found the whole experience awesomely competent but not one of the expectant/new mothers I met at antenatal or postnatal classes had anything but complaints to log. So sad that people's expectations are so high.

A year ago next week Bonsoir, I was in labour at home, I knew I was going to give birth soon, I rang the homebirth team. They were already at 2 births and so couldn't come. I rang the hospital, all the beds were full so I couldn't go in.

We ended up ringing an ambulance.

I don't think it's 'too much' to expect there to be enough midwives to have one present when you give birth!

That's not even unusual where I live, it's happened to loads of women I know in this last year.

I would say it has categorically not improved. While standards in the NHS may be measured (targets for everything, including staff training), it is not just "the NHS" which is involved in health and social care. There is only so much that healthcare in the community can do and this needs to be supported by social care, 7 days access to local services (GP, therapy services, equipment access). IME, those patients who we try so hard to keep out of hospital end up being admitted due to lack of infrastructure at the weekend - no GP who knows the patient, no availability of physio or oT services who could assist with keeping a person at home, near impossibility of getting social care at short notice, no access to equipment at the weekend (like hospital beds, hoists, other moving and handling equipment).

Couple that with the fact that social care is contracted out to private agencies (whoever is the lowest bidder that year) in 15 minute blocks, who, in general, have carers who have minimal training, minimum wages and an unmanageable work load (I know not all agencies, there are a few good ones), means that the health and social care are quite frankly shocking and haven't improved. The only difference now is the government can wash their hands of another mid-staff crisis because "they've put guidelines to improve things" I.e if the trust doesn't do it, it's not the governments fault.

There are people who abuse the system (like requesting hospital transport when they could get a taxi, or a home visit when they could get to a GP surgery and make all sorts of demands "because they've paid their taxes". This just increases demands on ever-stretched services, which could affect standards of care, but I think that's a drop in the ocean compared to the bigger picture.

In my opinion the biggest issue is the fact that the population is getting older and more sick and requiring far more health and social care than even 10 years ago, but the investment is not enough, and intact the budget for social care in most councils has been cut. Health and social care are inextricably linked, so if you cut social care in the way it has been, healthcare standards will without doubt be lower than even a year ago.

A home birth is an unimaginable luxury in Paris! The expectant mothers I know in Paris have programmed hospital deliveries. Much cheaper and easier on staff...

We have used children's health services quite extensively this year, as 5yo DS underwent various assessments resulting in a diagnosis of autism last month.

There were some enormously frustrating aspects to the process. We live in London, on the border between two council areas. Home and school in one council, GP in the next door one. We have been registered with the GP (large group practice) for 18 years, and we have always been very satisfied with them.

Unfortunately, the single referral pathway in the next door council/PCT area only seemed to work for children whose postcodes were in that council. So for two very scary months, DS was passed from pillar to post as everybody said that he didn't fit their criteria for a referral to any service. Eventually one of our lovely GPs and a very lovely SALT took him on and made sure he got on a waiting list for CAMHS assessment and multidisciplinary assessment. When he got excluded from school, they got him an early date for the multidisciplinary assessment. But we had to phone and email so many people before we got there. I shudder to think what would have happened to the child of less articulate parents.

But there were also some amazingly positive aspects to the process. Without exception, the people we phoned were caring and compassionate, and obviously understood how distressing it is to not know what is causing a child's problems. The human kindness from everybody - from the GPs, the receptionists, the administrators, the professionals (especially the senior SALT who took DS's case under her wing) - was incredible. And the level of expertise of the professionals was so reassuring.

So a horrible journey but a destination worth reaching.

We've used our doctor surgery loads as we have 2 young children, they've both been referred to the hospital for different ailments, I had an EMCS last year, and my husband was admitted for kidney stones; all this to say we've used the NHS a lot in the last year.

I have nothing but great things to say about our doctor's surgery. They are professional and committed and provide an excellent service. I would be loathe to move out of the catchment area for this surgery.

My eldest son has had many interactions with the local hospital and they have all been positive. Again a high level of professionalism, commitment, and caring. He had to have two scheduled surgeries and the process for booking the procedures, both of which needed to be rescheduled for other illnesses, was smooth and we were kept informed every step of the way. We found the support for parents at a stressful time was excellent.

My youngest had to be admitted to hospital twice with respiratory problems and the care was very good. The ward staff were caring and understanding.

I would say that the interactions with the hospital for my husband and I were not as high a quality which I think points to the hospital using their limited funds in strategic ways, i.e. putting more funds into the children's services. I gave birth over the weekend and had very little support on the ward and ended up leaving on the Monday, after only two nights in hospital, because I would get more support at home (post EMCS I needed more support that I received in hospital).

I will say that the theatre staff when the EMCS was performed were absolutely wonderful.

My husband's experience was also that were not quite enough staff on the ward to support all the patients. Meds were not always on time and sometimes missed altogether. The staff were being worked very hard and did the best they could with limited resources.

Um. What part of 'the hospital was so busy it was closed' did you not understand Bonsoir?

Perhaps also you missed the part where we were asked for our opinions of service in the last year not over all of the NHSs history?

I imagine most of us agree that the NHS is beautiful thing - that's why we're so upset at the impact of cuts to it!

Closure is a reasonable safety measure.

I have two children with hypermobility. They need orthoses to help with hip pain. The elder one had everything done at our local NHS hospital. I took the younger one to the GP a few months ago for a referral, to be told that the CCG won't fund it any more and we have to get it done privately. The cost of private treatment is £500 - the GP passed me the private physio's business contact details. This is a child who is crying most nights from pain, being left untreated due to NHS cuts. (Yes, I will pay.)

Bonsoir, I think you are being deliberately provocative on this thread. I am pleased for you that your two experiences of the NHS over the last ten years have been good. But to dismiss the real concerns of people who have first hand experience of the real failings of the NHS and local authority care as being being 'unbelievably demanding' is extremely and unhelpful. Lots of the anecdotes people have shared here and on the elderly parents and mental health threads are failings in basic patient care. Not people being unduly demanding of the system, but woeful inadequcies in some parts of the system. Particularly, the unglamorous parts of the system dealing with the most vulnerable.

I don't really care what the healthcare system is like iN France (I 've no personal experience one way or other). But other country's having poorer healthcare systems is no argument for not improving the NHS. (How it's funded being the big question, of course).

The answer to all those questions is no. What were you honestly expecting?

Both my parents are old and infirm and are constant users of the NHS and I have seen it at work and been in interaction with many services in the past few months. I am not being provocative - the three of us find it amazing. The endless nit picking with the NHS has become a national obsession which blinds people to its real strengths and weaknesses.

I love the NHS without them I nor my children would be here but gosh I dont think its improved in the last year. The poor nurses are far too stretched. Theres too much management further up and not enough hands on below.My grandma has been in hospital this week. Yes she;s 86 but thats no reason for her not to get the right level of care. Its been left to mum to cook and bring her in breakfast dinner and lunch because they cant cope with the fact that she cannot have gluten. My mum also has to double and tripe check the drugs as they have twice tried to give her penicillin which is fatal to her. More hands on deck would make such a huge difference to what use to be a wonderful service!

No, it is worse. Services are stretched to breaking point. The NHS is being run down in order to justify privatisation and rich picking for the ruling class's friends. It is impossible to get appointments at my local GP's surgery. It is sick - and so are we.

No, care is getting worse. Doctors, nurses, NHS staff, etc, all still care very much and do their best but services are just too stretched, there is not enough time for each patient to be treated as an individual.

Mental health services are very thin on the ground and of such limited scope and poor quality they might as well not exist anyway.

From what have seen of things physical health services aren't much better either. Passed from doctor to doctor, wrong scans ordered, no follow-up care, everything gets turfed back to the GP ("see your GP if worried") when the GP doesn't have access to the tools or expertise required to treat you.

Basically it has all become fragmented, nobody looks at the whole person anymore - each specialist does one tiny little area and just turfs you back to the GP so you can get re-referred again (more cash for the hospital that way).

The NHS is going down the toilet. There is too much political interference and needless top down reorganisation which doesn't benefit us patients.

Have you noticed an improvement in care you or your family have received in the past year?
No, I haven't really noticed a change

Do you have examples of how it's improved or changed?
It seems to have stayed the same for me

Do you feel more confident that any changes introduced will improve NHS care?
Yes, but changes are yet to come!

What do you think are the biggest challenges for making care even better?
Reducing waiting times and reducing costs of care for older people needing help or going into homes

Oh and if you dare to make a complaint the system will do everything it can to block and obscure the truth, twist what happened and sweep under the carpet. This will be followed by a "we are sorry you feel that way" insincere apology and "lessons will be learned". utter bollocks.

Bonsoir, it really is great your interactions with the NHS have been "amazing". Perhaps though, the experience of users of the NHS is different in the Royal Borough of Tunbridge Wells than, say, inner city Liverpool or rural Cumbria. It doesn't mean being unhappy with those experiences is "endless nitpicking" though. It is perfectly possible to recognise that the NHS does some truly great work whilst also acknowledging that it is failing in some areas, and that those failures are unacceptable for those patients and their families, and require improvement.

I think it is really easy to say the NHS is "amazing and incredible" when you live in another country and not relying on it, tbh.

When you are crying,shaking and nauseous through pain on a daily basis it is quite hard to see it that way. I got a phone call this morning, my urgent physio appt that I was referred for on 12th September has been made for 19th December! God only knows when they see routine patients!

I feel sorry for the people who work in the NHS, it must be really difficult for them seeing patients who desperately need care but not being able to give it to them.

Wrt ambulances, we live in a rural area, like a lot of areas we have a lot of community first responders. They are volunteers who go out to the patients, and more often than not get there before the paramedics (DH is one). Why are we relying on these volunteers? Why aren't there enough paramedics and ambulance staff? It is absolute madness imo.

My parents live in England and I and they very much rely on it - since I cannot be in England myself to sort them out. I have been overwhelmed by eg regular detailed emails from OTs etc to keep me informed of treatment and assessment when my mother was recently in hospital and I was at home in a Paris.

"Have you noticed an improvement in care you or your family have received in the past year? Do you have examples of how it's improved or changed? Do you feel more confident that any changes introduced will improve NHS care? What do you think are the biggest challenges for making care even better?"

No.

Services at our local NHS hospital have been cut and the children's services moved to another hospital in the trust which is a 45 minute drive away. Initially, along with maternity services this was meant to be a temporary measure but has now been made permanent. This leaves parents living in a town with a sizable population very poor access to services - I've read so many horror stories on Facebook from people being forced to trek to the other hospital incurring high taxi costs (it can take 60 minutes in rush hour) or being split from the rest of the family with little support when a child has to go into hospital. Please stop downgrading and reducing services.

Aside from this I've had to be a patient myself in hospital a couple of times this year. I've had a very mixed experience across three NHS hospitals. On the whole I've received excellent care and a couple of consultant nurses in particular have been fantastic. I feel they are doing a good job in spite of NHS changes though not because of them. They have said how stressed, overworked and understaffed they are.

I'm not sure if it has improved or not - my experiences are such a small sample size. From what I have seen I think that some services are great, but they are not at all joined up. My Nan has recently had surgery and the care following discharge from hospital was appalling - inadequate handover to GP, no support from district nurse until relatives pestered the NHS to sort it out... All in contrast to the hospital treatment itself, which was faultless.

Lifts head above parapet to say yes, for me it has improved. I can now book a GP appointment and order repeat prescriptions online. Our surgery is open early in the morning for pre-work appointments, and well into the evening. The evening appointments are longer so they are great if you need to talk something through. None of this was in place a year ago

Also I had an MRI last autumn. The wait was about 5 months shorter than when I last had one.

DH had a PE a rew years ago and the acute care was desperately poor. He then had another admission with chest pain ?another PE and again the care was rubbish. Recently he went back again with identical symptoms. The care (same department, same hospital) was outstanding this time, the communication was brilliant, the investigations were explained thoroughly and were done quickly and with kindness and it was a totally different experience.