[URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37186455"]Source.[/URL]
[QUOTE]Plans are being drawn up that could see cuts to NHS services across England.
The BBC has seen draft sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) which propose ward closures, cuts in bed numbers and changes to A&E and GP care in 44 areas.
There have been no consultations on the plans so far.
NHS England, which needs to find £22bn in efficiency savings by 2020-21, said reorganising local services is essential to improve patient care.
But the Nuffield Trust think tank said while STPs could lead to "fundamental changes", many of the plans do not meet the financial targets set by the government and will face a "dauntingly large implementation task".
Laura Townshend, director of the campaign group 38 Degrees, said the plans had received very little public or political scrutiny.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "A key concern is why it hasn't been this transparent up until now.
"These plans are due to be signed off this October - a matter of weeks away". [/QUOTE]
Stupid, stupid, stupid - why the hell are we making cuts to essential services? This government is going to push people to the point of desperation and I'm not sure how long it'll take before people resort to violence to vent their frustrations.
Just another day in merry old England
Thanks everybody that voted Tories into power, if you have a life threatening illness in the future you can look forward to being on a waiting list that will probably come to you when you've already died.
So, the population is increasing, the population is ageing, the population is getting more and more sedentary and unhealthy and the NHS is being incredibly strained.
What do we do?
We cut budgets.
This is a fucking criminal travesty. It is a national scandal how the NHS is being absolutely hammered. The NHS does amazingly with the funding it is given, but the government keeps on slashing, slashing, slashing, then blaming the NHS when it cannot meet impossible targets.
Take training for example. We are currently in a massive staff shortage. What do we do? We scrap the bursary provided for student nurses, physiotherapists and radiographers. What does that do? It means no one will want to join those professions except the incredibly dedicated - these are not standard 3 year uni degrees, these have much shorter holidays, expect 50% of the course to be full time work - including long shifts (0800 - 2000) and night shifts (2000 - 0800), and are academically demanding too. For many people, it is not feasible to run a job while doing these courses.
As it was, the NHS paid tuition fees and a small living grant, that you supplemented with a student loan. Now people will be expected to take a full loan for it - that's something like £40k debt to work unpaid for 1.5 years, with a starting salary of £21k afterwards!
Yeah because what the NHS needs is more cuts, Christ
A Loved one dies
Tories rub hands together
When we blame the NHS
Add to that the fact we are hellbent on leaving the EU - a huge source of new healthcare workers. Some of the best radiographers I have seen are Croatian, Portuguese and more, in addition to ones from outside the EU such as Filipino ones.
There is also a chronic lack of investment in things that would help reduce the burden, especially in the mental health sector.
Oh yeah, and the fact that our A&E departments are actually performing well considering the burden. 90%+ of patients are [b]still[/b] seen and a treatment plan commenced within 4 hours. That is amazing compared to reports from other places - it is fairly common to see US posters saying they waited 6+ hours in the ED, while a NHS trust is fined massively for each breach past 4 hours. (which then makes it harder to reach the next target... insanity)
I blame Brexit.
[QUOTE=Terminutter;50950646]Add to that the fact we are hellbent on leaving the EU - a huge source of new healthcare workers. Some of the best radiographers I have seen are Croatian, Portuguese and more, in addition to ones from outside the EU such as Filipino ones.
There is also a chronic lack of investment in things that would help reduce the burden, especially in the mental health sector.
Oh yeah, and the fact that our A&E departments are actually performing well considering the burden. 90%+ of patients are [b]still[/b] seen and a treatment plan commenced within 4 hours. That is amazing compared to reports from other places - it is fairly common to see US posters saying they waited 6+ hours in the ED, while a NHS trust is fined massively for each breach past 4 hours. (which then makes it harder to reach the next target... insanity)[/QUOTE]
I never understood the logic of fining institutions for not reaching targets - it should be the other way around (if anything); give them a bonus if they do well.
For all the continual posting I am doing here, because I am so pissed, I feel the need to say this.
Everyone I know does the best they can in it, and the overwhelming opinion I feel is that the government is intentionally sabotaging the NHS to be able to scrap and dice it up.
The pattern of where private involvement is moving in is pretty clear too - the high profit, low risk areas - hip replacements (ok risk is higher here, but no worries - the NHS will cover the emergency part if it goes wrong!), diagnostic imaging, patient transport and such.
At my old hospital, an example was the private orthopaedic section, where they'd do replacements and such, but in the event of an emergency, the patient goes straight to an NHS theatre with NHS funding to fix it up.
The private sector would likely not want to go into something like emergency care, which is expensive and typically ends up in the negative.
Now, I have nothing against private sector healthcare assisting the NHS, and am very proud of how the competition the NHS provides forces the private sector to compete and stay fairly low cost wise, but I don't want NHS services to be [b]replaced[/b] by private sector. Supplementary private care is great.
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;50950654]I never understood the logic of fining institutions for not reaching targets - it should be the other way around (if anything); give them a bonus if they do well.[/QUOTE]
Same goes for ambulances and stuff with their 8 minute target. It's insane.
Ok so you failed to get the patient to us / treat the patient in time. Blam, you lose x thousand pounds. Oh, you couldn't do it because you were 3 nurses down, a radiographer down and having to run locum staff at high prices due to shortage? We don't care, no relief for you.
Part of me feels that the only way the government will stop doing this is if people rallied against it. Hate to sound like an edgelord but sometimes it feels like the idiots responsible for this deserve to be subjected to violence.
A government ideologically opposed to the public sector decides to stop spending money on the public sector? What a surprise.
Ok this is my last post for now as I am probably ranting, but lets think about what the NHS represents. It represents a society that cares about everyone, that will treat according to need, rather than ability to pay for treatment. It represents a society where people are equal and not scared of requiring emergency care, where anyone can be cared for.
Helping to improve the NHS helps to improve public health. This can help improve lives, help employers by reducing the number of sick days employees take, can help reduce government welfare by allowing those with disabilities to work and live independent, happy lives.
Yes it is a massive cost sink, but it is something we British are proud of, and should work to defend.
strange how the bbc are reporting this when just a few days ago they made no mention of it when they interrupted the labour leader's announcement on how labour was gonna fight the fuck outta this... :smug:
Can't you protest or some shit like kick those politicians into guts?
£350 million a week, lads
Don't worry, the £350 million that would've gone to the EU will instead save the NHS! Right, guys?
My local A&E closed recently we have to go 20 miles to the next nearest one. It's truly awful.
Fortunately this ought to blow up in the Tories' faces. They are likely too complacent, but they will see foul mass opposition to this sort of thing soon enough.
[QUOTE=Mesothere;50950770]Fortunately this ought to blow up in the Tories' faces. They are likely too complacent, but they will see foul mass opposition to this sort of thing soon enough.[/QUOTE]
They're taking advantage of the fact that there's no longer any real competition, since Labour's too busy cannibalising itself. Would be nice to give these asswipes a slap to the face, particularly as more young people become eligible to vote and start matching up against these elderly middle class imbeciles voting to destroy a future they'll never see.
Tories attack health
But where is their champion
Where is Flashmarsh
(I summon thee)
Great, just what I want to hear when I'm on the eve of finding out if I need life changing surgery or not.
[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;50950793]Tories attack health
But where is their champion
Where is Flashmarsh
(I summon thee)[/QUOTE]
Wasn't he banned?
[QUOTE=HazzaHardie;50950638]Yeah because what the NHS needs is more cuts, Christ[/QUOTE]
We should take these blackguards to court over this, sue them for their very bones and then charge them for expensive surgery to have their bones put back in their bodies.
[QUOTE=Terminutter;50950657]For all the continual posting I am doing here, because I am so pissed, I feel the need to say this.
Everyone I know does the best they can in it, and the overwhelming opinion I feel is that the government is intentionally sabotaging the NHS to be able to scrap and dice it up.
The pattern of where private involvement is moving in is pretty clear too - the high profit, low risk areas - hip replacements (ok risk is higher here, but no worries - the NHS will cover the emergency part if it goes wrong!), diagnostic imaging, patient transport and such.
At my old hospital, an example was the private orthopaedic section, where they'd do replacements and such, but in the event of an emergency, the patient goes straight to an NHS theatre with NHS funding to fix it up.
The private sector would likely not want to go into something like emergency care, which is expensive and typically ends up in the negative.
Now, I have nothing against private sector healthcare assisting the NHS, and am very proud of how the competition the NHS provides forces the private sector to compete and stay fairly low cost wise, but I don't want NHS services to be [b]replaced[/b] by private sector. Supplementary private care is great.
[/QUOTE]
This is pretty much what's happening in Denmark - to a lesser degree. I'm gonna get my tonsils removed, but obviously as this is low-priority, there's a long waiting list. Because of a law introduced 10 years back or so, I have to get my operation within 30 days, or I can have it done in the private sector. Many of those working in the private sector also work at public hospitals, though, so we're basically subsidizing the private industry.
Well at least we've taken back control :goodjob:
I wonder if Corbs and the labour guys can look up from their terribly interesting factional leadership contest and marshal some competent fucking opposition like a functioning centre left party
[QUOTE=Dr. Ethan Asia;50950848]<was changed, so edited out>[/QUOTE]
That wait is ridiculous. I know you don't want to complain, but it is your right as a patient to have that treatment. Please check pages 31 of the [URL="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/474450/NHS_Constitution_Handbook_v2.pdf"]NHS constitution handbook[/URL] and the next few, then consider asking your hospital about it, 2 years is a really long wait.
There are some reasons that a wait can be intentional, e.g. noncompliance with advice or clinical necessity, but chasing it up might be a benefit.
Of course I am a massive hypocrite, I have been waiting over a year and a bit for a referral that I have not chased up at all...
Don't worry, this'll all work out once we get those weekly £350 million we were sending to the EU! /s
Can we talk about train seats instead, please?
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