if we are seeing record investments in health, why are the hospitals closing?

Question

we hear the costs go up, so do taxes, in accordance... still we lose nurses, doctors, and other patient services... but the decision makers multiply, increasing the higher wage earners... is this really investment or is it something else.. do they place profit and viability before trying to improve patient care levels?

Answer 1

I'm a long-serving Staff Nurse in the NHS. I'm completely BAFFLED that this is not more clearly exposed for what it is...

Essentially there are 4 reasons:

The FIRST is that, as the biggest corporate employer on the planet, the NHS is a complacent, HUGELY bureaucratic and self-serving organisation. Give it £xbillion to spend - and it simply spends it on multiplying jobs, layers of management, "policy documents" - and WASTE.

Thus, on my own ward, nurse numbers are cut - by 30-40% on the recommended complement. BUT (!!!), surprise, surprise, we CAN afford 2 (unqualified) "case managers" (£18,000 apiece), 2 discharge co-ordinators (£25,000- each), 3 managers (£28,000 each), a "co-ordinator" (£26,000)., 2 visiting matrons (£30-35,000 each), dedicated social workers (at £26,000 each), an 'activities co-ordinator' (at £15,000) etc etc. etc...- plus a multiplicity of other staff we never knew we ever needed ..

Its just not NICE any more, you see, to be fulfilling responsibilities to patients, so virtually everyone is on the look-out for the "cushy number" - preferably complete with an office, filofax and an important looking ID badge. And this, regrettably, includes some of our most experienced nurses, a substantial number of whom have 'sold out' the profession in recent times, in search of an easier life and 'professionalisation'...

SECOND reason: PFI (Private Finance Initiatives) for hospital building and services - which have sucked ZILLIONS out of the NHS in private profit. And will CARRY ON DOING IT!!! For DECADES!!! Out of YOUR childrens taxes...

THIRD reason: You may have heard it. By "mistake", ("shome mishstake, shurely" ??!!!) - Blair's government practically DOUBLED GP's salaries 2 years ago - handing them £40-50,000 a year EXTRA - for doing LESS work!!! What about that ??!!! NIce Work If You Can Get It, huh ???!!!! Over the course of a career, thats typically going to be worth an astonishing £2 MILLION in additional earnings for each and every one of them. (Nurses got 4% by the way - and BAD PRESS for it, too, despite pressure, pressure, pressure on the wards)...

FOURTH reason: We had ONE Health Authority per region in the past. NOW we may have SIX!!! (Called 'PCT's') - all of which require expensive offices, executives, a merry-go-round' of meetings, 'projects', structuring costs - REstructuring costs, etc etc etc.....!!!!! Just imagine the possibilties for glossy reports!!!

Health service managers everywhere justify their own existences - and substantial pay-packets - by inventing grandiose schemes to CLOSE one lot of services and buildings - and simply rebuild a cut-price version SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! It's essentially a "job-creation scheme", don't you know...

AND THEN!!! We've also spent £20 BILLION (!!!) - EXTRA to the NHS Budget - on a computer system. That DOESN'T ACTUALLY WORK!!!. That was a priority, wasn't it? Even our highly paid doctors don't want it. (Another terrific "investment" ..)..

Does anyone CARE?? Will they all vote Labour yet again and perpetuate this CRAP??? YES!!! They most probably will....!!!!

Answer 2

Unfortunately, increasing price of health care does not necessarily mean increasing profit for the hospital or practitioner. Most of the cost of health care is driven by demand for new technology, including equipment, medications etc. Part of the reason there is so much demand is the point of consumption is divorced from the point of payment.

Most people do not pay for their health care as it is consumed. They either prepay in the form of health insurance, or don't pay at all with Medicaid and Medicare. Those that prepay for their health insurance often times never have a clue is to what it actually cost to provide it as their employer takes care of the lion's share.

Hospital closings are not automatically a bad thing. First, many smaller facilities really have a problems delivering up to date care. Second, in many locales there are way more available hospital beds than are really needed.

The last statement, "do they place profit and viability before trying to improve patient care levels" betrays a certain mindset that profit and care a incompatible. In fact the only way a hospital can me profitable is to provide good patient care. And the only way a hospital can provide good patient care is to remain consistently profitable (even if it is a not-for-profit facility).

Answer 3

They say they are closing local hospitals to create so called 'super hospitals' these are meant to provide a better service and better paitent care and are to be combined with local services like GP's, mobile screening units and drop in health centres.

However they dont seem to realise that, (since they closed our local hospital 7 miles away) people in my local area have to travel 25 miles to the new 'local' hospital. If you were majorly ill then that is the difference between life and death.

In the case of my friends mum, it didn't go her way. She was in a major car accident and died on the 25 mile trip to hospital, the hospital actually addmited that if she'd been taken to the closest hospital the she would have had a chance to survive.

But still these thing happen and they don't take notice!!!

In a way i can understand that pooling the resources into one big fantastic hospital is a good idea, but as well a well trained hospital staff, the amount of time that it takes to get to hospital is also important. As the quicker you get treated, the better it will be.

I'm not really sure what they are playing at to be truthful, neither does half the country i think.

Answer 4

The CEOs in insurance companies and HMO charge patients as much as possible and pay doctors and hospitals as little as possible. Then they, the executives, pay themselves millions with fat year end bonuses on top of that.Those insurance companies are making record profits. Just look at all those skyscrapers in big cities built by insurance companies. Hospitals and doctors get paid LESS each year and they can only work so fast. Every year, Medicare pays LESS but the operating expenses incurred by hospitals and doctors keep going up. As a result, in many small towns, the doctors and nurses have to find new jobs. And many hospitals cannot pay their bills and close up. No easy answers and most health care workers don't have the time to protest or to go on strike. I have heard that some doctors are forced to refuse to accept some kinds of insurance because the payments are too low.

Answer 5

I must argee with MOGGY who speaks the truth. To be right appox. two thirds of the NHS budget is for manager staff who only tell the MAIN STAFF who are the true NHS staff "you can't do that, it costs to much.

Answer 6

THE TAXES ARE NOT FOR NURSES AND DOCTORS BUILDINGS AND SERVICES.
THEY ARE TO PAY THE MANAGERS AND THE MANAGER'S MANAGER.SO THEY CAN DECIDE WHAT HOSPITAL WILL CLOSE DOWN AND HOW THEY SAVE MONEY BY KEEP LESS STAFF.THEY PAY THEM MILLIONS OF POUNDS TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS.

Answer 7

In the UK there are three times more admin staff than medical

Answer 8

LOOK AT AGENDA FOR CHANGE THAT WAS ACCEPTED BY UNIONS, WORKERS, MANAGEMENT, AND THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT

PROBLEM?

NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR IT

Answer 9

corruption