'Humanitarian crisis' in NHS hospitals, warns Red Cross

originally posted by: RAY1990
a reply to: Dinnedwiththedevil

If it's publicly accessible information then I can see no reason why not.

It's not the first time I've heard about liberties being took in terms of government contracts so I for one would love to hear what you have.

Though personally I'd urge you to make another thread, it's clearly worthy of it's own. I'd hate to see such information buried or simply passed over.

I struggle to put more than 5 or 6 sentences together let alone make a complete thread I have it all on email so if a mod fancies messaging me an email address I will gladly give both the sets of info I have. It felt like a wiki leaks moment when I started seeing various companies names crop up. I only got through the first month of 2013 so far, its massive!

Liberties is an understatement and I have actually been doing independent audits (my work background) around major hospitals in the UK. I often just walk in looking smart and no one dashes an eyelid. I have once even been called Doctor whilst holding the door open for three student nurses so my disguise must be good. Catch me if you can.

You can get the stars and flags as its your work I just want to get the information out there ASAP. Ironic that I only got the information back last week as they have a 28 day get back clause the DOH was quicker I received that maybe 20 days after the original request.

I also found it strange that they will only let you go back as far as it was made law that we as the public could obtain this information. Its the Public NHS what people forget is how much money the UK pay in National insurance from the age of 16. That information they still will not allow me to have as simple mathematics prove that top level management in the NHS are poor to say the least. I would be sacked in my industry for such below par figures on a constant basis. It reeks of the 1% oh but they have got me a Lord doing his own investigation. A lord as I am sure he wont give a biased view. Not even a Commoner from the house of commons.

Yes I was a huge fan of Guy Fawkes BTW.

originally posted by: tikbalang
So any good ideas instead of complaining?

I have got a few that I have passed to Various MPS, as soon as you see some of the info I have you may be less condescending, I don't see it as a complaint when it is a Birth Right and something that the British people own due to NI payments.

Only read maybe three of your posts as you bore me?

Yawns!

a reply to: Dinnedwiththedevil

You come through clear and concise to me

However if that's the way you want to do it I'll happily do my best to support you, I'll PM you my email address and see what I can do.

At worst it's another person with a copy of the information.

originally posted by: RAY1990
a reply to: Dinnedwiththedevil

You come through clear and concise to me

However if that's the way you want to do it I'll happily do my best to support you, I'll PM you my email address and see what I can do.

At worst it's another person with a copy of the information.

Perfect,

You will see from all the details in the emails that everything I say is true. I have nothing to hide and come to think of it I believe via the links most of it is publicly accessible. It may just open some peoples eyes to what our Beloved NHS has to contend with thanks to years of Government abuse. NHS staff are amongst the best people on earth they deserve more than movie stars in my opinion. Piss poor management has left most of them high and dry. I would love to have the resources to make a documentary on this matter as I know several staff whom can give unbelievable insight into how top level management operate within the realms of Healing.

This is a great thread for the information to be given out on!

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: Agartha

That would tally with your local social demographics then surely?
I assume as you say 95% of Dorset is white British.
High percentage of old retired as well, so of course that would be your experience.

True, but the GP Survey showing services have not really changed in past years cover the whole of England.

originally posted by: PhyllidaDavenport
Trusts have been holding recruitment fairs in Spain & Portugal with the promise of free housing and some promising jobs for husbands/partners too and more importantly MORE PAY than our own nurses

I know oversea nurses are offered free accomodation for a year, that's how desperate hospitals are for nurses. But they cannot get more pay than UK trained nurses, as the NHS has a band scale pay which varies according to experience.

Meanwhile there are nurses on the dole promised jobs but after a year still unemployed.

I'm sorry but that's not true. Any nurse on benefits who tell you they can't find a job they are lying or they don't have good references for whatever reason. The NHS (and private companies too) are desperate for nurses. Last year's graduates were not only all employed after leaving uni, but many of them were offered more than one job.

Perhaps the unemployed nurses you know should move to bigger cities? I have no idea how it is in Yorkshire as I've never lived there, but in South England the NHS is begging for nurses. Some newly qualifieds have been employed in intensive care, that's how desperate they are for UK trained nurses.

Calderdale A&E is used as a meeting place for Muslim women who take up space and time. The staff have hell on getting them to leave. These women go to the hospital with the tiniest problem or child and spend most of the evening there with their friends (as many aren't allowed out otherwise!). I've seen them regularly they bring food to share and refuse to leave until around 10pm which causes huge backlogs but no-one dare say anything for fear of the racist card being thrown at them and the hospital

LOL really? This is the most unusual thing I've ever heard. Don't they have Muslim day centres like in other cities?

These are facts and my own experiences

And I respect that but the problem is not immigrants but the lack of social funding to free hospital beds. The huge problem the NHS is facing right now is bed blocking, which even in Yorkshire is not caused by the Muslim women spending the day in A&E. Bed blocking is caused by patients who cannot cope at home without package of care, and the delays are caused due to lack of social budget which is outrageous as the elderly population deserve to be treated better.

a reply to: Agartha

You say that NHS trusts are shouting out for nurses, yet most jobs in the NHS are advertised as internal application only, so unless you already work for that trust or trained there you can't even apply. Exceptions are made for overseas trained nurses. Some are allowing external applications, but these are few and far between without secondary specialist experience and post graduate qualifications in the specialist area.

NHS pay is shocking for nurses. Saying that they should just leave their lives, home and family behind and move across the country to start again for a £22'000pa job is not feasible in most cases, particularly if moving to the South of England.

There are plenty of nursing home jobs about, however the working conditions are usually poor, internal practices are often questionable, the work is heavy, resources are non existent so you put your registration at risk every time you go to work as you can't deliver the level of care you want or should. Most use zero hour contracts meaning that work hours aren't even guaranteed. If staff don't turn up you are not allowed to call agency staff as it costs too much, so double shifts are common with nurses working up to 18hrs without breaks. Staff retention is poor hence the number of jobs on offer.

I agree that nurses should work if they can, but you can see the reasons why many don't.

originally posted by: grainofsand
a reply to: Soloprotocol

So why do you whine so much if you've got it so good?
I have always wondered that to be honest.

...happy belated new year by the way fella.

Oh forgive me for giving a # about the NHS....

Belated Happy new year to you and yours too buddy.

a reply to: AgarthaI honestly think every doctors and every hospital should have a severe triage unit. By that I mean when drunks, druggies,and at the doctor regular people going every week just to moan and talk to some body, these people NEED to be told "go away and stop wasting valuable time and resources". Only treat them if it's an emergency.
I also believe every hospital aught to have a small unit by A and E for drunks and druggies so they don't block A and E up.
We all know drunks and druggies go to A and E when they fall and cut themselves or maybe overdoses but I believe these people, if they are regular users, aught to be in a secure psychiatric unit, not the general hospital.
I know these are controversial issues but something seriously has to be done. But even this can't be done without (I will not say extra funding as this implies a one off payment) more money being allocated for such.

a reply to: Agartha

Ok so everything is sunny in Dorset but its not the case country wide.

If I ring my surgery for a non urgent appointment, its normally a 4 week wait, by which time the non urgent could have become urgent. I am then told if it does become urgent to go to A&E. They are implementing a new system which is on trial at the moment, whereby you have to ring 3 times per day to try and get an appointment the same day or next. Problem is, strangely, no matter whether you ring on the actual second the appointments become "free" they've almost always gone. You can't see the same doctor, you waste the appointment time explaining over and over the problem because the doctors can't be bothered to actually read the notes prior to an appointment just to familiarise themselves with who they are seeing. You can only have one appointment per "illness" so it wastes further appointments when you have to make several as they won't discuss anything further with you. People then end up in A&E because they cannot get seen by a gp.

Its not entirely an immigration issue, but in certain areas it most certainly is, with many hospitals unable to cope with the large population of non English speakers. This means the hospitals have to employ interpreters and sometimes female only doctors. Sadly also, because medical care is free it is abused. It is common knowledge and yes a stereotype (alas stereotypes exist!) that many muslim women will use A&E rather than a doctors surgery for the tiniest problem be it a sore throat or a bruised toe! Its a culture thing, it has to be remembered that many of these people come from countries where there is no free health care or even any proper health care!

My good chum has been a sister for over 20yrs and has now had the dubious pleasure and embarrassment of having to be revalidated with the latest ridiculous scheme. It took weeks, involved a ton of essay writing, no-one had a clue really of how to implement the guidelines for this validation. She was worn to a frazzle as without the validation she would have been suspended and possibly sacked. She was asked stupid questions like "When was the last time you did cpr?" "Have you ever given an injection?" or "Write an essay on what you have learnt this year and how this has affected you". She has been qualified since she was 20yrs old, has undergone constant training and now gets slapped with this as well. So is it any wonder many UK trained nurses are going private or abroad? I have never yet known ANY degree nurse get a job immediately at a hospital she trained at up North. They study then have a certain time on various wards, they take their degree then leave...simple. If there is a job waiting for them they are lucky. Many end up in nursing homes over qualified and under paid

EU Job Fairs for Nurses

a reply to: crayzeed

Many doctors are suggesting to put GP surgeries in A&E departments to see those patients who go to A&E for the wrong reasons. I think that's a great idea.

If that's done then minors (including intoxication) would not have to be seen by hospital staff.

If elderly care in the community is sorted then hospitals will start working again as they should. One can only dream eh?



a reply to: PhyllidaDavenport

No, not everything is sunny in Dorset. My GP has an 'emergency hour' between 0830 and 0930, without appointment, first comes first served basis. You usually have to queue up before 0830 as the allocated slots go very quickly. When I lived in London I used to have the same.

Regarding revalidation: we all have to do it, every three years and I don't see anything wrong with it, on the contrary, in this type of jobs you need to keep up to date regularly and you need to be able to reflect on your practice (and the only way you can prove it is with a reflective essay). Many nurses become complacent and that's dangerous.

If you work for a private hospital you still have to do your revalidation or you'll loose your NMC pin. This is not an NHS scheme, it's national. Foreign nurses working here also have to revalidate.

problem solved..

originally posted by: PhyllidaDavenport
a reply to: Agartha

If I ring my surgery for a non urgent appointment, its normally a 4 week wait, by which time the non urgent could have become urgent. I am then told if it does become urgent to go to A&E. They are implementing a new system which is on trial at the moment, whereby you have to ring 3 times per day to try and get an appointment the same day or next. Problem is, strangely, no matter whether you ring on the actual second the appointments become "free" they've almost always gone.

This is what happens when 10% of the healthcare budget is spent on GP services who see 90% of the sick. Primary health care is grossly under funded and they are massively over stretched.

You can't see the same doctor, you waste the appointment time explaining over and over the problem because the doctors can't be bothered to actually read the notes prior to an appointment just to familiarise themselves with who they are seeing. You can only have one appointment per "illness" so it wastes further appointments when you have to make several as they won't discuss anything further with you. People then end up in A&E because they cannot get seen by a gp.

The GP cannot possibly full read through your notes prior to your appointment. They are required to dedicate no more than 10 minutes per appointment. This includes reviewing notes, doing the face to face consultation, doing prescriptions and typing up the notes. They will scan for active problems and red flags, but there simply isn't the time to fully review notes.

My good chum has been a sister for over 20yrs and has now had the dubious pleasure and embarrassment of having to be revalidated with the latest ridiculous scheme. It took weeks, involved a ton of essay writing, no-one had a clue really of how to implement the guidelines for this validation. She was worn to a frazzle as without the validation she would have been suspended and possibly sacked. She was asked stupid questions like "When was the last time you did cpr?" "Have you ever given an injection?" or "Write an essay on what you have learnt this year and how this has affected you". She has been qualified since she was 20yrs old, has undergone constant training and now gets slapped with this as well. So is it any wonder many UK trained nurses are going private or abroad? I have never yet known ANY degree nurse get a job immediately at a hospital she trained at up North. They study then have a certain time on various wards, they take their degree then leave...simple. If there is a job waiting for them they are lucky. Many end up in nursing homes over qualified and under paid

EU Job Fairs for Nurses

Revalidation is a rod that nurses have made for their own back in a push to have their professional status as recognised as that of doctors. Doctors have to revalidate in this way for years. Pray for rain, deal with the mud.

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
problem solved..

Yeah I was a little surprised to see this article, especially since England opted for CommieCare.

NHS was declared the 'world's best healthcare system', so any complaints must be 'fake news'. People wanted socialized medicine, now they got it, and now the true impact is coming home to roost. Long waiting periods and supply shortages is a common theme among the socialized healthcare industries.

No competitive market, thus no need to improve services or quality of care.

a reply to: GodEmperor

The UK has had 'socialized' healthcare since the 1940's as it has been viewed as one of the best in the world and is incredibly popular. So much so that even the right-wing pro austerity Tory party have to pledge to protect funding or face an electoral backlash.

People can still opt for private treatment to get seen quicker or if they like their hospital food served on bone china. Amazingly it means people have a choice but don't need to die from preventable diseases or go bankrupt to get treatment.

originally posted by: GodEmperor
especially since England opted for CommieCare.

The next time I need treatment and don't have to go bankrupt because of insurance costs I will remember this, piss myself laughing and be glad I don't live in the USA.

originally posted by: GodEmperor

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
problem solved..

Yeah I was a little surprised to see this article, especially since England opted for CommieCare.

NHS was declared the 'world's best healthcare system', so any complaints must be 'fake news'. People wanted socialized medicine, now they got it, and now the true impact is coming home to roost. Long waiting periods and supply shortages is a common theme among the socialized healthcare industries.

No competitive market, thus no need to improve services or quality of care.

I'm sorry but that is a crock of crap if I ever did read it.

Fact is we have had the NHS for over 60 years and it has worked immensely well. You can say all you like that no competitiveness equals complacency but it is simply not true.

The facts speak for themselves.

Urgent care is always provided, I've never heard of a case of someone waiting for chemotherapy. In fact the opposite, it's one of the reasons money has been spent on alternative and supporting services. To streamline the effective treatment for patients.

It isn't perfect, in places it leaves a lot to be desired but with that said. I'd rather have it and support it than moan about it and not have it.

originally posted by: GodEmperor

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
problem solved..

Yeah I was a little surprised to see this article, especially since England opted for CommieCare.

NHS was declared the 'world's best healthcare system', so any complaints must be 'fake news'. People wanted socialized medicine, now they got it, and now the true impact is coming home to roost. Long waiting periods and supply shortages is a common theme among the socialized healthcare industries.

No competitive market, thus no need to improve services or quality of care.

Two words.

National Insurance.

a reply to: RAY1990

All I can say is,

You're welcome.

www.ibtimes.com...

a reply to: GodEmperor

Thanks that's another great argument for state provided healthcare. We get the drugs cheaper.

Of course I am sure that it is just coincidence that one of the few countries to allow marketing for prescription drugs also has the highest drug prices.

a reply to: GodEmperor

The NHS was the best healthcare system in the world.

Now it is seriously under-funded and over stretched.
All designed to run the NHS into the ground so that they can increasingly introduce private healthcare along with the increased profits for the major drug companies and other suppliers.....strangely enough all of whom have politicians, their families, funders and supporters etc as lobbyists, share holders and employees.

Possibly the most blatant and obscene example of sacrificing the well being of the majority for the maximised profits of an elite few.