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NHS news review

‘Health Secretary’ Andrew Lansley’s claims yesterday that 22 NHS trusts had contacted him saying that they had difficulties meeting PFI payments backfired. Lansley’s claims were exposed as misleading and factually incorrect. That Lansley makes misleading and factually incorrect statements is no surprise to those of us that have been watching progress of the Destroy the NHS Bill.

Campaign group UK Uncut intend to occupy Westminster bridge.

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Hospitals furious at Lansley’s debt claim – Health News, Health & Families – The Independent

Health Secretary ‘undermining stability’ for political ends

Hospitals across the country turned on the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley last night, accusing him of making misleading claims that parts of the NHS were “on the brink of financial collapse” for party political gain.

Senior NHS managers expressed anger that Mr Lansley had singled out 22 trusts, whose “clinical and financial stability” was being undermined by having to pay for prohibitively expensive private finance contracts – used to build their new hospitals.

Mr Lansley claimed the trusts had contacted him saying that they “cannot afford” to pay for their schemes which were agreed by the previous Labour government.

But when contacted by The Independent a number of NHS trusts on the list expressed bemusement and anger that they had been included, and said the first they knew of the supposed financial difficulties over PFI (private finance initiatives) was when they read about Mr Lansley’s comments.

Privately some accused the Health Secretary of attempting to blame PFI for the wider problem of cuts to hospital budgets, which will require the NHS to save £20bn over the next four years. They also expressed concern that Mr Lansley was unnecessarily worrying patients that their local hospital was in danger of going bankrupt. “To suggest that our financial problems are about PFI is nonsense,” said one trust executive. “And we certainly never contacted the Department to say that. The problems that we face are about having to cut our budgets by 4 per cent every year for the next four years.”
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UK Uncut plan to block Westminster Bridge in protest against NHS reforms | UK news | guardian.co.uk

Thousands expected to join direct action on 9 October and block bridge leading to parliament

Anti-cuts campaigners are planning to close one of the busiest bridges in central London in protest against the government’s planned shake up of the NHS.

UK Uncut has announced an “act of mass civil disobedience” at Westminster Bridge in protest against the health and social care bill which is due before parliament next month.

Organisers say they are expecting thousands of people to block the bridge that links St Thomas’s hospital in the south to parliament to the north on 9 October.

“Yes, it will be disruptive. Yes, it will stop the traffic. But this is an emergency and if we want to save our NHS we need to shout as loud as we can,” the group said in a statement.

Activists say they have been talking to unions, NGOs and other direct action groups who all support the action.

UK Uncut supporter Samina Khan said: “A leading doctor has said that this bill will ‘produce an underclass of patients with chronic, debilitating illness’, which isn’t surprising when you invite private companies to exploit people’s sickness for profit. I’ll be on the bridge so that when my kids ask me what happened to the NHS, I can at least say ‘I tried’.”
…

 

27/11/13 Having received a takedown notice from the Independent newspaper for a different posting, I have reviewed this article which links to an article at the Independent’s website in order to attempt to ensure conformance with copyright laws.

I consider this posting to comply with copyright laws since
a. Only a small portion of the original article has been quoted satisfying the fair use criteria, and / or
b. This posting satisfies the requirements of a derivative work.

Please be assured that this blog is a non-commercial blog (weblog) which does not feature advertising and has not ever produced any income.

dizzy

Continue ReadingNHS news review

The sorry of Cligg and Surf

Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901. It is four, five or six generations ago ~ according to how young your family went about it. This is relatively recent in our history and it is worth asking grandparents and great-grandparents about their recollections. Many of them may have worked “in service” – in service to the rich who had it much easier.

The Victorian era saw chiden as young as five engaged in industry. This is when children were sent up chimneys to clean them and actally far more dangerous jobs. The concept of childhood ~ individuals excused from working was a later concept.

Then – as now – you were born rich or poor. Then – as now – you were born very rich or very poor. This has largely continued into the current era except that the industrial revolution has had an effect. There continue to be those born into riduculously rich families and then there are the rest of us.

In the Victorian era – that many of the rich shits want to recreate (and actually in many way persists) – there was service. Poor people would be “in service”. They would be the servants in a rich household. There were benefits to being “in service” – you would get fed and have shelter. There were also disadvantages since you were ‘servicing’ the rich on demand.

It is in this historical context – the Upstairs-Downstairs society – that I bring you my short story.

Squire Cligg’s butler Surf suddenly became ill. Surf was only in his twenties and surely had another twenty year’s service to bestow on his master Cligg. Surf was so ill that he couldn’t perform his duties. Surf had a fever, lethargy and didn’t have any energy to organise the household staff.

Cligg, summoned a temporary, contract butler while Surf recuperated. It was very lucky for Cligg that his household cook Scullion – as well as being an excellent cook was also wise in the arts of nursing. She cared for Surf and nursed him back to health. She wasn’t so skilled to determine actaully what was wrong with Surf but knew how to look after sick people and get them well.

Surf recovered after a few weeks and returned to duty and the household returned to normal. That is it returned to normal except that Squire Lonsley had heard about the household cook Scullion’s nursing qualities and had acquired her according to the rules of the market. Cligg instructed Surf to get another cook. “The market will provide”, he said.

Surf went to the market and managed to find a cook. The new cook Marcuse was a pretty good cook, although a bit continental, but didn’t have any nursing or curing abilities. Surf suggested to his master Cligg “Should we get a nurse too?”. “No bollocks, the market will provide” was his answer.

The following week Cligg got Surf’s illness and died.

Continue ReadingThe sorry of Cligg and Surf

Equinox

According to Wikipedia Equinox is 9.04 a.m. I’m not sure what that means – surely it’s a day that has equal light and dark.

The bees have started settling down – didn’t I mention that I am a  beekeeper? They’ve reduced their numbers and retiring much earlier. I’m sure they’ll be OK over the winter.

Hope to bring you a Poem(sic) or a short story.

 

Continue ReadingEquinox

NHS news review

Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) suggests abandoning the controversial Destroy the NHS / Health and Social Care Bill.

Falling ill at the weekend could literally cost you your life, according to a report on London hospitals.

The NHS and the Liberal Democrats may be heading for a “catastrophic train crash” by pressing ahead with the coalition Government’s controversial health reforms, an MP has warned.

£12.7bn computer scheme to create patient record system is to be scrapped after years of delays

22 trusts struggling to cope with growing burden of PFI contracts.

dizzy: The spin is turning towards the Labour Party causing the collapse of the NHS by bankrupting it through PFI ( & the IT initiative).

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

Is the only future for NHS reforms to scrap the bill? – Royal College of Midwives

The general secretary of the RCM has questioned whether the only way forward for NHS reforms is to pull the controversial health bill.

Cathy Warwick told Midwives that all changes which the government wants could be achieved without the bill.

She added that it is hard to believe the bill isn’t just a move towards privatisation.

‘We are close to feeling that the only way forward for the bill is for it to be withdrawn,’ she said.

‘My feeling is quite strong that everything we are being told the government wants to achieve would be possible without this bill.

‘So it is hard to believe that the bill is about anything other than ideology and privatisation.’
…

NHS London report says being ill at weekend could kill you – Health – London 24

Falling ill at the weekend could literally cost you your life, according to a report on London hospitals.

More than 500 people needlessly die every year in hospital because of too few doctors.

Patients are not seen promptly enough by a consultant on Saturdays and Sundays in accident and emergency, found NHS London.

“Reduced service provision at weekends is associated with this higher mortality rate,” it stated.

That lack of availability puts patients at risk of death.

“Stark” differences exist in the number of hours worked by consultants during weekends at hospitals in London, it found in Acute medicine and emergency general surgery – case for change.
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Lib Dem warns of NHS ‘train crash’ – UK Politics, UK – The Independent

The NHS and the Liberal Democrats may be heading for a “catastrophic train crash” by pressing ahead with the coalition Government’s controversial health reforms, an MP has warned.

Lib Dem MP Andrew George, a vocal opponent of the Health and Social Care Bill, told members at the party’s autumn conference in Birmingham that the plans represented the “biggest upheaval” in the NHS’s history at precisely the time when it needed stability and certainty.

The St Ives MP said: “I want to do my best to save the NHS from what I believe may be a catastrophic train crash, which I fear may take the party with it.”

Mr George, who is a member of the Commons Health Select Committee, said the proposals raised the “very real risk” of producing an NHS driven more by private profit than concern with patient care.

He claimed the reforms represented “a major missed opportunity” to produce a service which was more accountable to communities and patients.
…

He said: “I think the future fate of both this party and this coalition Government needs to take heed of the concept that, actually,’it’s the NHS, stupid’.”
…

Charles West, from Shrewsbury and Atcham, who has been a prominent figure in the Lib Dem grassroots opposition to the reforms, compared the Bill to a “leaky ship”.

“If it sails at all it will go in the wrong direction,” he said. “I’m more worried that the ship will sink and that the NHS will sink with it, and if our name is on that ship we will go down as well.

“And, friends, we deserve to.”
…

NHS told to abandon delayed IT project | Society | The Guardian

£12.7bn computer scheme to create patient record system is to be scrapped after years of delays

An ambitious multibillion pound programme to create a computerised patient record system across the entire NHS is being scrapped, ministers have decided.

The £12.7bn National Programme for IT is being ended after years of delays, technical difficulties, contractual disputes and rising costs.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson have decided it is better to discontinue the programme rather than put even more money into it. The axe may be wielded , with ministers likely to criticise the last Labour government for initiating the project but doing too little to ensure it delivered its objectives.
…

PFI schemes ‘taking NHS trusts to brink of financial collapse’ | Politics | guardian.co.uk

Health secretary says he has been contacted by 22 trusts struggling to cope with growing burden of private finance contracts

The rising costs of paying for hospitals under private finance initiative schemes is bringing NHS trusts to the “brink of financial collapse” and putting patient care at risk, the health secretary has warned.

Andrew Lansley said he had been contacted by 22 trusts that are struggling to cope with the growing burden of the PFI contracts, a policy of the former Labour government under which private capital is used to build hospitals and the NHS is left with an annual fee or “mortgage”. Between them, the trusts run more than 60 hospitals.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lansley said: “We’re not going to let hospitals collapse financially.

“But if we were simply to carry on as the Labour party did in government, we would be seeing hundreds of millions of pounds every year being taken from what could provide improving services for patients in order to pay for PFI projects that roll forward for decades.”

He added that patient care could be jeopardised in the areas covered by the 22 trusts, saying: “We’re looking at a risk to services in their areas.”

Buckinghamshire, Oxford Radcliffe, North Bristol and Portsmouth are understood to be among the trusts in difficulty.

…

 

27/11/13 Having received a takedown notice from the Independent newspaper for a different posting, I have reviewed this article which links to an article at the Independent’s website in order to attempt to ensure conformance with copyright laws.

I consider this posting to comply with copyright laws since
a. Only a small portion of the original article has been quoted satisfying the fair use criteria, and / or
b. This posting satisfies the requirements of a derivative work.

Please be assured that this blog is a non-commercial blog (weblog) which does not feature advertising and has not ever produced any income.

dizzy

Continue ReadingNHS news review

NHS news review

Claims that NHS pay is too expensive. There is already anger amoung NHS staff and unions about changes to public sector pensions needing higher contributions for lower pensions.

Groups of commissioning GPs are concerned that they are required to be large groups and that they may inherit legacy debt.

Lib Dem health minister confirmed amendments to the Destroy the NHS / Health and Social Care Bill will be taken in the Lords.

Private firms offer GPs poor contracts.

Patients waiting weeks for GP appointments.

Private medical companies are trying to profit from the ConDem’s attack on the NHS.

There are also a few articles on Lib-Dem peer Baroness Williams demanding further changes. I find it rather hypocritical that Baroness Williams is demanding changes to a bill that was produced and supported by her own Tory party.

Conservative election poster 2010

A few recent news articles about the UK’s Conservative and Liberal-Democrat coalition government – the ConDem’s – brutal attack on the National Health Service.

NHS leaders say salary bill is unsustainable | Society | The Guardian

Leaders of 1.5 million NHS staff are poised for confrontation with health service employers and ministers over proposed pay and pensions changes that unions claim would seriously damage their incomes.

The NHS already faces the prospect of more than 500,000 staff taking industrial action on 30 November as part of the national day of action against government plans to overhaul public sector pensions. A series of ballots in coming weeks is expected to see paramedics, radiographers, physiotherapists, chiropodists and a host of non-clinical staff such as cooks and cleaners participating in as yet unspecified action.

NHS staff, most of whom are experiencing a two-year freeze on their pay, are furious that ministers are seeking to compel them to work longer and contribute more for ultimately smaller pensions. Unions such as Unison, Unite and the GMB have pledged to ballot their members, although the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives are reluctant to do so.

But the organisation NHS Employers has increased the prospect of another money wrangle by declaring that the NHS salary bill is unsustainable and that local pay deals are needed to bring down costs. It claims that, despite the pay freeze for all NHS staff earning over £21,000, the cost to its members “ such as hospital and mental health trusts “ of employing staff is rising by 2.4% a year.
…

BBC News – Commissioning groups ‘concerned’ about size and budgets

A survey of the groups due to take over commissioning NHS care is highlighting fears about their size and budgets.

The questions were answered by 131 leaders, out of 253 new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

A third said they felt under pressure to become larger, and two-thirds expressed fears that they might inherit debt.

The Department of Health said it expected parts of the NHS to work together to resolve any deficits.

The survey was organised by NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care, which have joined forces to represent CCGs, who will take over buying and organising NHS services.

36% of GPs and other leaders who responded to the survey said they were under pressure from NHS managers to become bigger, so they could pass a viability test next month.

And 67% suspect they will have to deal with some legacy debt from former primary care trusts (PCTs) when the new system begins in England in April 2013.
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Health bill changes in Lords will be accepted, says Lib Dem minister | Politics | guardian.co.uk

The government is to accept further changes to its health plans after Lady Williams, the veteran Liberal Democrat, warned that peers are prepared to hold up the health and social care bill in the House of Lords.

As a leading Lib Dem rebel in the Commons condemned the bill as a “huge strategic mistake”, the health minister Paul Burstow admitted that peers would improve the bill next month.

Peers are to consider the bill after more than 1,000 amendments were rushed through the House of Commons earlier this month in the wake of the government’s “listening exercise”.

Burstow, the Lib Dem health minister, said the government was still open to change. “We didn’t stop listening when the listening exercise ended,” he told the Lib Dem conference in a question and answer session on health.
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Private firm offers GPs just two weeks’ sick pay – newsarticle-content – Pulse

Exclusive The company behind the UK’s largest network of privately run GP practices is offering its doctors less than half the paid sick leave they would receive under the BMA’s model contract.
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Wait weeks to see a GP: Some patients face delays of more than a fortnight for appointment with family doctor | Mail Online

Many patients are having to wait up to three weeks or more to see their GP, a survey has revealed.

A poll of more than 2,000 patients has found that well over two-thirds are not able to see their family doctor within two days.

More than a quarter cannot get an appointment within a week, including some who are made to wait longer than a fortnight or even three weeks.
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Aggressive marketing blitz by private firms seeking to gain from NHS cuts – mirror.co.uk

PRIVATE firms have launched an aggressive marketing blitz as they aim to profit from the cuts made to the NHS.

They are trying to lure patients away by highlighting rising waiting lists and the chaotic reorganisation.

One, BMI Healthcare, has placed adverts in local papers and put a waiting times map on its website to encourage NHS patients to go private.

Shadow Health Secretary John Healey said: “Firms are clearly lining up to cash in on damaging policies. It’s the same old Tory choice, wait longer or pay to go private.”

Continue ReadingNHS news review