NHS issues

[James]

A lot of stuff ordered in the NHS does seem overpriced. I used to be involved with ordering supplies for the maternity unit in our hospital. Once we wanted to buy 8 bedside tables for patients. Suppliers website stated £350 per unit, organise the order through the procurement team, and given a quote of £750 per unit (from the same supplier), we went around in circles and ended up paying £650 per unit. Still £300 more than the advertised price.

I've never worked in procurement so I'm sure there's more to it, but you do feel like you pay through the nose for a lot of stuff, and you have no choice but to purchase many items as you need them to function/provide patient care.

I like the idea of providing patients with 'invoices' that state how much a service costs, to raise awareness of wasting NHS time, but then would many people care?

Perhaps a bit more of a controversial opinion, I think fining people who do not attend/miss appointments (for no reason) would be a good start.

 

[Dave]

Perhaps a bit more of a controversial opinion, I think fining people who do not attend/miss appointments (for no reason) would be a good start.

It’s a good theory but the first time an elderly person refuses to seek medical help because they fear a fine and die the press will be all over it.

Plus it’s nearly impossible to prove “no reason” most patients who miss appointments just lie and say they never got the letter or had a car breakdown.

 

[Rick]

I did 5 years working for the NHS - my constant observation was that the 'N' is hugely misleading - each Trust (especially Foundation Trusts) operate with vast levels of autonomy, which is good in some ways, but does drive a culture whereby every equivalent department across the country battles to fix the same problems independently of each other. You also have huge headaches integrating systems and services that have been procured independently of each other - so sharing is still poor.

The way that GP and dentist services are provisioned is absolutely bonkers - but it's always been that way. They're essentially private operators - I am not sure that is widely understood, even by some politicians ... or it is perhaps understood but the facts are ignored, or wilfully misinterpreted to provide the electorate with a greater sense of power ... imagine a politician doing that.

There is lots of privatisation sneaking in and I am not sure it's helpful, some of it certainly is. The private ambulance contracts on the face of it are going to help with capacity, but ultimately they seem to try and recruit resource from the same pool, so that doesn't feel like a win. That said, I am sure that there are many contracts that it makes sense to outsource.

Rightly or wrongly, the NHS is a massive cash cow for lots of businesses from furniture, to software, to services.

 

[GaryH]

Agree about how much medications cost when you pick them up in prescription. You only have to buy medicine abroad or privately to see the true cost. Make £9.80 or whatever it is now seem cheap

 

[Bert2theSpark]

Rightly or wrongly, the NHS is a massive cash cow for lots of businesses from furniture, to software, to services.

I undertook work experience within one of the NHS trusts, months before COVID. It was explained to me that the NHS was 12% of the British GDP, it's not just another public service. It is a critical part of the British economy, if the NHS collapses the UK would fall into recession.

BMA Source.

 

[Dave]

I undertook work experience within one of the NHS trusts, months before COVID. It was explained to me that the NHS was 12% of the British GDP, it's not just another public service. It is a critical part of the British economy, if the NHS collapses the UK would fall into recession.

BMA Source.

The disaster capitalists that control the Tory party are quite happy for that to happen.

 

[Matt N]

The disaster capitalists that control the Tory party are quite happy for that to happen.

Why would the Conservatives want Britain in recession, though? Surely Conservative MPs would also be negatively affected by the country going into recession?

 

[Bert2theSpark]

Why would the Conservatives want Britain in recession, though? Surely Conservative MPs would also be negatively affected by the country going into recession?

Because a faction of the Conservative Party believes that the UK should be the guinea pig for crazy neoliberal economic fringe theories, as they may be set to benefit financially. Look at Liz Truss' disastrous tenure, we're all still living with the effects of that stupid experiment...

 

[rob666]

Why would the Conservatives want Britain in recession, though? Surely Conservative MPs would also be negatively affected by the country going into recession?

Because it would be a worthwhile cost to get rid of the blatant communist idea of a free health service for all.

 

[JAperson]

Perhaps a bit more of a controversial opinion, I think fining people who do not attend/miss appointments (for no reason) would be a good start.

I think there should be a strike system, perhaps three strikes within 5 years or something. Only because people aren't perfect, but people who do it often should be punished.