Re: NHS 68 years old.

Good heavens ! Some facts born of long experience.
That's a refreshing change.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

I agree with everything you wrote in this post except for the above section. When I was in the NHS, long before Maggie Thatcher was in office, there were already too many tiers of management.
I remember distinctly there being the hospital where I worked being under the Area Health Authority which, in turn, was under the District Health Authority (these two may be the other way around!) which, in turn, was under the Regional Health Authority.
That's three layers of management and I could never determine accurately what part each played, although I'm sure there was inevitably a great amount of duplication.

As far as I know, this situation has now been changed and hospitals are now usually run by 'Trusts', although God knows exactly how many managers there are now and whether their work is still duplicated by others and quite possibly still unnecessary.

What I am sure of, though, is that the NHS is top heavy with pen pushers many of whom are paid more than they deserve.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

The real problem with the NHS is that this country just has too many people accessing the facilities and our doctors, nurses and hospitals just cannot cope.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

Goldi I agree with what you have posted and there is so much more. But I have long ago resigned myself to the fact that trying to get the true picture understood is more frustrating than saying nothing on the subject. There is so much media spin that unless you have first hand experience it is nigh on impossible to understand.
I do believe that the NHS will continue to be fragmented and will continue to be unable to provide the standard of healthcare that it should. Until it is no longer a political football it is doomed to fail, yet no politician is willing to admit that.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

Therein lies the root cause of the problem: our politicians don't seem to be interested in the slightest about the NHS, or the country in general for that matter; just as long as they retain their seat, their lavish expenses, their generous pay and their equally generous pensions!

Re: NHS 68 years old.

Malcolm nothing to do with immigrants. This has been going on for years. Nigel Farrage in one of his spins about more money for the NHS. No the NHS is a never ending black hole money being used for the huge drugs budget. Most pharmaceutical companies pulling out and setting up in Europe or Asia. They held up the BUS

Re: NHS 68 years old.

I didn't want to get too technical. Health boards and in Wales Welsh Assembly.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

The final straw came for me when I attended a meeting when the higher tier were discussing we should run the trust just like a bank and patients should be seen as customers.

We ended up with a 8 tier higher management structure making endless policies that never could be implemented.

One of the biggest teaching hospitals in Wales nearly becoming bankrupt. I could go on.

Re: NHS 68 years old.

It doesn't surprise me.

I know nothing of NHS management, but the image I get is of a lot of men and women sitting around a large table discussing what they think they should do. Then they'd duplicate dozens of forms so that everyone has three copies of each and then proceed to tick some boxes, after which they'd talk to each other again about which boxes they'd ticked.

And on and on it would go, day after day after day. Nothing of any consequence ever being achieved.

Am I close?

Re: NHS 68 years old.

Mostly never ending policies for this that and the other. I am actually glad I live in Spain. I am sad to say a much better health care system. Still public. Much cleaner too.