02-12-2011, 05:15 PM
22
Re: Union Scaremongering
The posted cartoon from the Morning Star is perhaps indicative of the kettle/pot syndrome and selective amnesia that abounds these days.It is fact that the last Labour Government poured vast sums of cash into the service which back in 2000 had a budget of about £60 billion. In the last year of their mismanagement the budget had risen to a staggering £102 billion.
Where was all this extra cash being spent then ? and of more importance, did it improve anything as far as the patient was concerned. Well, most of the money went on staff salaries and pensions with Consultants seeing a salary increase of about 68%.The Doctors rose by 48%, the Nurses 36% and the admin/managers 34%.
Naturally the number of needed appointments and operations in that time frame rose but then so did staffing levels, dramatically especially in the management sphere.
As far as value for money goes and lets be honest that is what the patient cares about, frankly it does not stand any sort of scrutiny as far less thought has been given to this important aspect.
It is undeniably true to say that hospital output and quality has not kept pace with the extra cash pumped in. In fact the National Audit Office states that the overall productivity fell in real terms by 14% over the last 10 years of the Labour debacle.
I find it quite remarkable that in the relative short tenure of the coalition that they are being wholly blamed for all the ills of our NHS.
Easy target I suspect.
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