Just a quick observation, having seen over the last year or so adverts in the press and on telly advising the need to act quickly in the event of someone showing signs of having a stroke, it comes as no surprise that once again the NHS is failing patients.
According to the Independent newspaper stroke victims have in many cases been denied vital treatment because of sloppy management of resources like MRI/CT scanners.
In the last few weeks it has been revealed
- That nurses in Margate were issued with aprons suggesting patients should not speak to them.
- That patients should be looked after by relatives, Royal College of Nursing I think.
- Patients being starved to death or left to dehydrate.
- East Kent health trust fifth worst in the country.
No doubt some of you think this is just blasphemy, but then you've probably never witnessed patients incapable of feeding themselves left with meals out of reach, or unwashed and I don't suppose you've had to point out to a nurse, then doctor that an elderly patient shouldn't, having been admitted due to a fall, risk death because they can't be asked, to see a patient get fluids or as later happened allowing the same patient to fall again because they would not provide safety equipment like a Zimmer frame.
As I mentioned earlier to criticise the health service, is like blasphemy to the vast majority of our godless society (of whom I'm one), however I concede that a significant number of health workers are not only competent but also genuinely caring people although for some it's a more a well paid occupation and who knows what superfluous directors and managers are motivated by, because it is self evident even before the cuts all was not well with our health service.
I'd like to see some system whereby citizens could sack the senior tiers of management of health authorities when they fail to deliver
Perhaps a petition signed by a couple of hundred worried citizens could be the criteria for sacking useless fat cats and might encourage health chiefs to act quickly rather than do nothing and continue to wallow in that state which afflicts many in the public sector the overwhelming feeling of self importance.
Im sorry to say I agree with you
ReplyDeletewe used to have a wonderful NHS
that time has lonng gone
2 06 To be honest I was hoping for someone to disabuse me of this particular rant
ReplyDeleteRed tape, targets, political meddling, over qualified nurses unwilling to get their hands dirty, too many poorly trained and incompetent imports, language and understanding difficulties, excessive tiers of management, but don't dare try to sort it out. To do so invites the wrath of the left who always fall back on their old favourite of creeping privatisation.
ReplyDeleteI wonder which is worse, creeping privatisation or the creeping paralysis we seem to have at present.
No doubt some dyed in the wool red will now tell us about the wonderful treatment he got for his in-growing toe nail. As ever, ignore the problems or hide them behind the odd good experience.
Without labour you would not have the health service, I think the health service is marvellous.
ReplyDeleteYou sure you spelt Brickhouse correctly. Oh, and for the record, the Health Service was already proposed and planned as a post war objective before Labour were elected in 1945.
ReplyDelete2:54, you were right about the dyed in the wool red with his health service is marvellous record (stuck in the groove). As you said, just ignore the problems and the fact that most countries in Europe who started a health service after us, now have a better one.
ReplyDeleteFunny things league tables - the Trust got an award earlier in the year for being BEST in the country (the Dr Foster ratings), has the second best Stroke service in the country, and they're just a couple of examples. Not perfect of course, but mostly staffed by caring hard working people - but that may not be what people want/need to hear...
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I do work for the Trust, so I'm biased perhaps. But Fifth worst for what exactly? For complaints - that might mean bad or just very good at encouraging people to complain (not saying it is, but you do need to know the detail).
Love the third comment - "poorly trained and incompetent imports", no racist undertones there then...
And the non-speaking to nurses apron thing - it's not "don't speak to us", it's "I'm counting out drugs, safer for everyone not to distract me". How is that ever a problem? One nurse concentrating on safety-critical activity, so talk to one of the others... weird how that became so offensive - maybe it was the Mail's attitude of "they're servants, how dare they not do exactly wht we want when we want it"
ReplyDelete06:59 Imported medical staff not always being up to the standards expected in the UK is an oft reported problem. There was the case of the doctor from Germany who caused a fatality as a result. Where is the racism or is it the standard cry when the argument goes against you. That or homophobia no doubt.
ReplyDelete6 59 You exude arrogance, do tell, why your colleagues required some discussion before dealing with an elderly patient who was suffering from dehydration, why did the nurse display that non communication skill so important to safety critical roles but pretty dangerous when ignoring obvious neglect. Why did I have to speak with a doctor to get an elderly patient basic treatment? And why did they fail to prevent that same patient receive a head injury again through neglect?
ReplyDeleteAs I said earlier many staff are caring but hey that doesn't excuse neglecting elderly patients.
And the silly "do not disturb" sign I too often do "safety critical work", which I manage without demanding silence, in fact, since safety is uppermost I welcome input.
What if a patient believes they have been given the wrong medication, their not allowed ask, and just to prove the point I know of an example where a nurse was about to give the wrong type of insulin, fortunately the patients wife new enough to query it and fortunately the nurse was professional enough to check.
6 59 and I assume 7 03 your head is so far up your bottom I believe your ego is in great danger.
Just because you get paid for god knows what at the Trust it doesn't mean you own the NHS its not often I let loose on a contributor but sorry, you sound a right tit,
If you'd like to reply confidentially please contact me at tonyflaig@gmail.com
My advice to the wider audience is yes the health service is better than nothing and sometimes brilliant but if it looks wrong, it might well be wrong, be polite but don't be intimidated by the "saintly" image.
Tony, you have hit upon one of those left wing sacred cows which must not even be discussed, let alone criticised. The NHS, that Labour flagship, could be in terminal meltdown and they would defend it to the death (of it and lots of patients but not them).
ReplyDeleteSee one of them even threw in a racism jibe just because the professional standards of some imported medics have been questioned. Yet another of their unmentionable topics.
Sorry, Tony, but 06.59 does not "exude arrogance". He is simply disagreeing with your -as usual - bigoted, ill-informed, sweeping generalisations. Not my usual style to be rude, but the bikers were right, you're a prick.
ReplyDelete11 11 If im not mistaken my media mate
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back, pity the treatment hasn't worked
It's not bigoted to stand up for elderly patients, if you read any recent reports of NHS care you will be aware that significant numbers of the elderly are being neglected.
As I said 6 59 could explain why colleagues were not keen to do their job ?
Bit like the track workers on the East Coast Main Line whose "work" led to a train crash and deaths a few years ago?
ReplyDelete6 20 not sure of the relevance, think if you happen to be 6 59 you could attempt an answer to neglect by your colleagues of patients
ReplyDeleteThere are some sick folk about but 6:20 must be their king!
ReplyDeleteAnon, Tony is making serious allegations and claims against public sector workers - again. This time it's the health sector. He is entitled to do so, however ill-informed his points may be. It is not sick in the slightest to remind him of the failings in his own (private sector) industry, which led to tragedy, and which were all revealed in court.
ReplyDelete5 51 I am not making ill informed accusations, if you aree referring to my personal experience I can assure you, I dont make this stuff up, why would I
ReplyDeleteIn more than five years I have yet to lean on any porkies to support a discussion on this blog. Also I'm honest enough not to need anonymity.
Ive yet to see anyone refute the points I've made using facts.
As for reference to my industry, it's very safety conscious, you seem to be referring to a rare event, not the systematic neglect which been recently flagged up in the health service
I think you are exuding the same arrogance of which you accused an earlier commentator. You present yourself, and your industry, as paragons of virtue - and yourself as a hard-done-by observer of the evil public sector - and dismiss the death of several rail passengers as a "rare event". I am sure there are other mistakes that are made daily by you and yours that simply don't get reported because they don't have such tragic consequences.
ReplyDeleteBut it wouldn't suit your argument to acknowledge that, would it?
Neat little diversion 8:39 and not untypical. The question is about the NHS, not the railways, and nothing can be solved by sweeping problems under the carpet or introducing the 'your dad's fatter than my dad' red herring.
ReplyDelete8 39 I suggest you read the earlier comments, clearly I didn't refer to anyone in the way you claim.
ReplyDeleteClearly you're a tad loopy, and of course the posting refers to the NHS and since you claimed to work for the NHS
You might like to accept this criticism of the NHS from the Mail
One in five hospitals is breaking the law in its level of neglect of the elderly, a damning report revealed yesterday.
The Care Quality Commission found at least 20 hospitals where care was so poor that patients were denied ‘the basics in life’ – eating, drinking and going to the toilet.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2048460/NHS-health-care-Neglect-elderly-ONE-FIFTH-hospitals-breaks-law.html#ixzz1cAoN8cTu
Jesus Christ, a Lib Dem quoting from the Daily Mail. Is the conversion complete?
ReplyDelete"better than nothing" wake up tony, try living in America with its wonderful health care, it is no co incidence that child mortality is higher and life expectancy lower and also it cost a bleeding fortune in the US, 4 times what what we pay here, for us anyway,
ReplyDeleteand your safety critical? really you have 20 or 30 passengers walking up the line to ask you questions? really? I think not? beacuase if you did you too would have that tabard to make sure your job was done well, really sometimes you don't think it through?
Tony couldn't care less about public safety, just his own narrow self-interest.
ReplyDelete