NHS a National Treasure?

Just listening to PM David Cameron describe the UK's National Health Service as a National Treasure!

What a load of claptrap.

Anyone experiencing the Worldwide Embarrassment that is the NHS will have seen the queues of ambulances waiting outside casualty as the paramedic crews struggle to persuade the hospital to take the patients into the system. The only way of getting off the ambulance trolley or gurney is if you require resuscitation or have a pure life threatening condition.
The reason for this treatment? The hospital clock doesn't start if the patient remains on an ambulance trolley as opposed to a hospital one. It is totally tied into targets for treatment times and also hospital bed occupancy levels and rates of turnover.

The claptrap doesn't stop there as 2013 proved with hospitals all over the UK being found out for their poor patient care and filthy wards. Some hospitals have even been discovered to have virtually starved patients to death simply by placing food in front of those that cannot eat unaided and then failing to assist them to eat. Patients left in filthy conditions as a result of a combination of lack of staff and staff who don't care.

There are still a few true angels left in the NHS system but they are few and far between. They are completely outnumbered by poor managers and too many administrators.

Patients do not get the simple humanity based treatment that they should and face a lack of respect and even a level of mistreatment that 3rd world countries do not exhibit.

NHS Mr Cameron, a National Disgrace not a National Treasure.

reply to post by Shuftystick


As an NHS employee I actually share your sorrow, to a degree. I think a National Health Service is the only way to go and it is something I am proud that we have as a nation.

However, it is quite clear that it is being strangled to death, I think that TPTB want to bring in a privatised healthcare so a lack of money = cheaper staff, equipment and management. Where does this money come from? Oh yeah, the Government... How dare he call it a national treasure when he's the one stabbing it in the back.

I love my job at the NHS and I love being able to help people, remember a lot of what you hear in the papers are isolated cases, but you are right, it needs a shape up and soon!

It is a national treasure to me and my family. I have had amazing treatment for the last 12 years, after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. I have had 3 brain surgeries (1 awake). 4 different chemo therapies, radiotherapy, counselling, courses in meditation and yoga. Access to clinical research programs, free prescriptions, a gp whenever I need one.

So for me and many others it has been a treasure. I was given a prognosis of 3 years, 12 years ago, yet I'm still here and have the most amazing caring individuals to rely on should I need them.

It's not perfect, nothing is, it's under amazing strain from an aging society, but to me and many others its a national treasure.

reply to post by Shuftystick


Having had more than my money's worth out of the NHS in the last year, I must completely disagree with you. The attention, service and care with which I have been treated, not to mention the efficiency of the system, have been remarkable.

Yes, let's make a fuss about the instances where this doesn't happen, and let's make sure they don't happen again. But at the same time let's not tar the whole institution because of a relatively small number of cases.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Totally agree with you woodwardjnr

I am still alive can still walk thanks to the NHS, my sister took her first tentative steps at Christmas after years in a wheelchair.

I know some American members on here that are suffering from various ailments and their insurance refuses to cover them, it's a constant source of frustration for them. They can't believe we get free hospital care and complain about it.

I Vote national treasure

Cody

This has been the main topic of conversation in my family as both my nan and my dad were both in hospital over Christmas.

My nan is at a local hospital here in the Valleys and their treatment of her has been appaling. My dad on the other hand was at a hospital in Cardiff, they performed a small miracle there and we have no complaints whatsoever....

The difference in the hospitals are worlds apart - why is this?

Ultimately though, I will always be extremely grateful that we have the NHS. We don't have the worry of not being able to afford healthcare or health insurance like so many other countries. I think it IS a national treasure.

I vote National Treasure!

I'm lucky enough to, at the age of 33 only needed hospital care twice in my life, and I can say the care I received on both occasions was exceptional.

As a premie baby (26 weeks) they cared and looked after me and I lived Mahahaha Mahahahaha so I owe the NHS my life...and my 16 year old mum at the time didn't get a bill.
I understand about the managers etc but in my experience the nurses and other staff are wonderful, my pal was really ill a couple of weeks back and they were amazing. The hospital was spotless the waiting time for him was only an hour.
You should fight against the NHS getting privatised, the problem is that the money is not being used as it should be.
I would gladly pay an extra few pence in the pound If it meant the NHS got better and or continued to be socialised medicine.

reply to post by cody599


From what I've heard from people with US - English passports is that the private healthcare in the US isn't much better, similar scenarios except you get a fat bill at the end of it.

It's all about the eyes of the media, don't believe all the hype. I work for the NHS 111 service, as many of you Brits will know we have had plenty of scrutiny. However these were not things I have witnessed first hand, I have heard of people doing silly things but they were sacked very quickly, with thousands of calls a day, you're bound to get one ridiculous scenario every now and again.

reply to post by iRoyalty


That's exactly the point iRoyalty

3 members here spring to mind immediately with the problems they are having with their so called health care plans.

My wife is from South Africa and couldn't believe it when she had to go the doctor and didn't have to pay for the privilege, she was gob smacked.

You should be proud to work for the NHS, 111 may have had it's teething difficulties but it's worth persevering with IMHO.

Cody

reply to post by cody599


Thanks Cody, it's refreshing to hear when every time I tell people where I work I have to jump on the defensive!

I think it's a service people would complain about if they didn't have it, but unfortunately because of the papers we have received low volume of calls, which does not please the commissioners, which means I don't have a job after March!

I wish people would use some more initiative and I wish Cameron would stop trying to r*pe the social care systems.

reply to post by iRoyalty


It's not a question of what I hear or see in the media.

I have seen this first hand for years, you only have to visit someone in casualty or on an average ward to see how dirty the places are. I spoke with a Senior (3pips) Paramedic Manager outside casualty about why so many of his ambulances were outside and he explained it clearly for me. I have seen how bad the care of elderly infirm relatives can be, to the extent that one, who had no swallow reflex, was given tablets to take, I.e. placed in his mouth, the nurse then left the patient who we discovered at visiting time still had the tablets in his mouth! When a complaint was put to the senior nurse on duty we were met with complete indifference. Needless to say, a subsequent discharge from hospital was overturned as an unsafe discharge by the GP within 24 hrs and a return to hospital ensued. Complaints to the senior consultant about the treatment resulted in an absolute incredible offer, you can choose which ward you want the patient put in, sorry!
Thankfully this person did not have to pass away in hospital.

I know however that primary emergency healthcare, any threat to immediate existence, is well catered for and our accident and trauma staff perform a brilliant job in the circumstances. As I have said, there are good 'uns in the general system! but they are in the minority.

It seems wherever money crosses paths with care then profit rules as many of the charity care organisations are finding with bean counters now running the business. It seems that as long as there is a vision, values mission statement in print, anything else is secondary. The language of the statements is so similar as to be ludicrous. You don't need something like Common Purpose to undertake a common purpose. That however is a slight drift...

Nye Bevan must be turning in his grave seeing the state of what was once the World Leader in public health care, the UK is currently paying its GP's £1,500 to undertake one night shift in our understaffed NHS casualty wards just to try and fill holes caused by reduced funding?! Crazy or what?

As ever with ATS, speak as you find, you cannot be trolled or dissed for that.

reply to post by iRoyalty


Governments do not have money, everything they has was taken from someone else ie the Tax payer.

reply to post by Shuftystick


It sounds like you're basing this all on one experience when you visited and saw lots of ambulances outside and nurses not looking at records. I can't deny that stuff goes on, but when you look at the other side of the coin it becomes a different story. Those Nurses work up to 16 hours a day, they have to take care of an entire ward of patients that could be up to 100. These people are overworked and underpaid, mistakes happen.

Another problem is that once you build a hospital, it's pretty difficult to upgrade it. The one build in my town was built for a small town, but we have grown into a small city. This has made our hospital ranked one of the lowest in the country, simply because everyone is now packed in.

Again, it comes down to funding, it's not the NHS's fault that the money has dried up, is the people paying their wages.

Whenever something stinks, follow the money.

reply to post by Shuftystick


And, perchance, would you replace it with? What exactly? And several billion minus points if you start babbling nonsense about the USA, which has a disgrace for a system at the moment.

colec156
reply to post by iRoyalty

 

Governments do not have money, everything they has was taken from someone else ie the Tax payer.

Aye, but they dictate how the incoming money is filtered into the system. Same thing, I have it set up so my rent money comes straight out of my monthly pay, I still consider that it is me that pays for my rent.

I would not replace the NHS with anything I would however advocate a restructure of the way it is run and how the taxpayers funding is utilised.

My experience is not based on a singleton observation but from numerous experiences, good to disgusting over a rundown period that seems to have coincided with NHS Trusts, a complete misnomer, being set up. But if you don't believe me do some research and see for yourselves.

I experienced an emergency admission myself via ambulance to a Midlands NHS Trust hospital while working some years ago. The Paramedics were brilliant and the Resucitation team just as good when I was being stabilised. On admission to a ward it all went to rat crap. On the way there I commented to the porter pushing the trolley that it was a nice new hospital. He smiled and stopped at a door in the corridor and asked me if I knew what the door was for. I said I thought it looked like a cupboard door, he said quite right and opened it. It was full of a variety of items all placed tightly across the floor. When I asked why no shelving, he stated quite honestly that there was no funding to place shelves in there and the PPI contract had only stipulated provision of space and a door and a light!!

Privatisation or Public Private Initiative or PPI agreements only serve to line the pockets of the already rich with the flow of taxpayers funding into eventual, offshore "tax efficient" havens of the tax avoiders or planners. By reducing the number of nurses in the public sector such that the system cannot function without the supply of agency nurses our politico's have created a milch cow with an insatiable appetite for fiscal cud! Nursing by timescales has overtaken nursing with care and compassion.

Get accountable Matrons back into all hospitals, make ward Sisters less of an office manager and ensure that cleaning contracts do what is says on the box, that would be a start to restoring the UK's NHS as a World Leader.

It's a treasure to me, knowing that when my hubby broke his leg, that he would be seen to immediately and had good care.

I am immensely grateful for the nhs. Similarly when my appendix burst.

It's not perfect, but it's still a treasure.

reply to post by Shuftystick


I completely agree with you, to do this we need to step away from the conservatives who wish to put a price tag on life. However, don't believe the rest of them either, The lib-dems and labour... I call them Cerberus - The three headed dog from hell that makes the same s**t haha

Unfortunately the future of the NHS looks bleak, however the responses on this thread has shown me that, at least on ATS, the NHS is something that us Brits treasure.

As far as Im concerned it is a national treasure but too many people are taking from it who havent put anything in, I have never had any reason to complain about the treatment me and my family have recieved, but the staff are always too busy, we Brits should stop saying its a free health service, it isnt free, not if your family have lived and contributed to this small island for centuries