Monthly Archives: February 2011
Hospitals must adapt to new world, says NHS chief
25 February 2011 Last updated at 01:21
Hospitals must adapt to new world, says NHS chief
By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News
Private sector take-overs, mergers and more community-based care may be needed to ensure all hospitals survive the shake-up of the NHS, the head of the health service says.
Sir David Nicholson told the BBC the combination of reforms and squeeze on spending meant some hospitals would find the future “difficult”.
He said he did not expect any hospitals in England to close completely.
But said some would needed to adapt and change to remain competitive.
Sir David, who will become the chief executive of the NHS commissioning board when GP consortia are set up, admitted the health service was facing one of its toughest and most demanding periods ever.
The NHS budget is only getting annual rises of 0.1% above inflation for the next four years – the first time in its history that it has had such a period of small rises.
“It is a difficult settlement for the NHS, no doubt about it,” he said.
But he added it was partly off-set by the large rises the NHS has got over the past decade and should be seen in the context of the cuts elsewhere across government.
A carers experience of disabled wife’s hospital treatment
Having recently spent 2 very long waits for my wife to be treated in A & E I have formed an opinion of the service received by the disabled and seriously ill in our hospitals-and it’s not nice.
The whole system seems to be set up to get as many in and out as quickly as possible to meet or beat targets.
Even though my wife was unconcious -with no responses to anything, we were left unattended for hours while people with sore fingers, drunks with police escorts , druggies and such were treated quickly.
It took 7 hours for my wife to be admited and any treatment started-the attitude seemed to be-” she’s not going anywhere she can wait”
If I’d not been there her catheter would have by-passed twice as I twice had to ask for her bag to be emptied!
Arriving on a ward the attitude of the staff was so obviously ” Oh no, this looks like some work”.
And why is it that though youv’e seen your caree naked from all angles they insist you wait outside the curtain while they transfer the patient from trolley to bed.?? Well I’m a cynical old bugger, and I think it’s because they handle them roughly, so I refused to leave and stayed to watch them.
After one night on the ward and only showing slight improvement the doctor wanted to send her home and continue the antibiotics there. I refused that and told them I would tell them when she was back to normal and fit for a return home, to which the doctor replied ” she will never be normal”— a remark that warrented a bit of the violence they often complain about??
Now I have to take some bottles of my wife’s feed, and the giving sets, because they have nothing that will fit her peg to feed her! I am also spending most of the day there to make sure she is cared for and they don’t take revenge on her because I have refused their wishes.
To me the NHS shows a complete lack of care for anybody who has reached the stage of not being able to do anything for themselves. Even in naming things like ” walk in centre” is an insult to people who can’t walk.
Social care is no better, most councils are now only offering services to people with critical care needs. They have proved time and again that they are incapable of providing such care, only being able to provide the ” are you ok, do you want a cup of tea” type of care.
With all the Government and media Hype convincing the public that all benefit claiments are scroungers, there will be no pressure for improvement, much better for everybody normal if we, abnormals, just go away and die!
Half of wards filled by elderly people who should really be in care homes.
The number of hospital beds in England is on course to fall by a record 20,000 in a year, adding to fears about services being cut.
It suggests a record fall this year, raising concerns that entire units are being closed without services being provided elsewhere as the NHS tries to save £20billion in three years.
The figures will also heighten fears of a shortage in hospital places driven by the ageing population, as beds in geriatric wards have been among the worst hit in recent years.
A report published by Bupa yesterday (THURS) warned that the NHS faces an “intolerable” bed-blocking crisis that will see half of wards filled by elderly people who should really be in care homes.
However ministers insist that hospitals are now able to treat patients quickly rather than keeping them overnight on wards, and say not all trusts have submitted updated bed numbers and so the figures cannot be compared with previous years.
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “A straight reduction in bed numbers does not necessarily equate to a decline in patient care. Many conditions are treated effectively in the community by skilled staff, who can keep patients as healthy as possible in their own homes.
“However, nothing should come ahead of the needs of patients. Any reduction in bed numbers needs to be properly planned with services provided elsewhere. Attempts to slash bed numbers simply for a short-term cost saving are irresponsible and entirely wrong.
“When the Government announced that up to £20 billion needed to be saved within the NHS, we were told that this money would be reinvested back into frontline services. We have yet to see any significant evidence that this is actually happening. We would urge the Government to highlight where and how these savings are improving patient care.”
