The NHS Appreciation Thread

[Rascal]

exactly what I would expect from a behind the scenes NHS pen pusher.

Which I am not.

Wow just wow. I am even more concerned that you are an inspector after reading that drivel. It is because of people like you that front line staff like me are under the pressure we are. Let's look at your points.

Bed blocking can indeed be as a result of not enough available beds in the community, it's also a result of families not wanting uncle fester discharging until they have finished there holiday in the Costa del sol, it's also the result of families refusing a bed in a perfectly adequate care facility. Don't excuse it.

Correct it has happened that people have died on trollies waiting whilst waiting to be moved to a ward. It happened to my partners grandmother so I have personal and professional experience of it. The fact you arnt aware it happens is frankly quiet concerning. And the fact your response to it potentially happening is "it's due to an overstretched A&E" shows your complete lack of understanding.

The kid might not have been able to get an appointment at the Drs, perhaps his parents could have given him some paracetamol, spoke to the pharmacy, called the NHS helpline, what he didn't need, whilst Albert was having a cardiac arrest, was a God dam ambulance.

I have no words for your last point where you defend everyone's right to abuse the system as they see fit. The idea that the service should meet everyone's unrealistic expectations is frankly unrealistic and is exactly what I would expect from a behind the scenes NHS pen pusher.

That's a bit hysterical. Its your own personal experience of course and I will take it on board.

 

[Rascal]

Using SRFT as beacon for IT progreas is apparently a joke. A friend of mine who is a Dr there has told me they have just updated some computers on wards to windows 10, the rest are still on windows 7 I believe, and half the applications don't work now including such critical things as safe staffing software.

I said progress is being made at a new technology event, that technology is not yet available. It will make a difference.

 

[Rascal]

I love my job and I love the concept of the NHS I despise the abusers of the system and the apologists that think it's ok. Which part was an over reaction? People do die waiting for ambulances, people do die waiting for ward beds, people do go to their drs with minor ailments, which part was an over reaction? As someone who sees things day in day out I think I'm in a better place than you to comment on the here and now regarding wasters and hypochondriacs abusing the system.

I am pleased you love your job, the NHS depends on good people who are happy and committed to the institution.

Hypochondria is a serious psychological condition, the NHS is short of psychologists. People wait for ambulances because their is a shortage of ambulances and the services are fragmented. GPs should see people with minor ailments, it stops them being hospitalised in the future, so it saves money long term. Unfortunatley their is a shortage of GPs.

Who do you consider wasters?

 

[Rascal]

No one cares, that's why wards have 2 people medical teams. 2 nurses looking after 30 bed wards, a third of those patients high risk and needing 1to1 monitoring but only 4 support workers. Hilary whining her mum hasn't had her cup of tea yet, but that's because the staff doing the tea are currently being smacked about by Morris, 1 of the 10 1to1 patients, security can't help because they are at an incident in A&E. And on and on and on.

I care, the people I do work with care, what is needed is more input from others who care so it can be improved.

 

[Rascal]

Power is basically with patients.
Clinicians practice very defensively not only so they don’t miss anything but also for the ‘customer is always right’ culture

I agree a lot can be learned from complaints, but I know some people just booking appointments to get free meds lik multivitamins in pregnancy, paracetamol for young kids with a cold - they could easily get these cheap at Poundland or the supermarket. They even lie to receptionists (fair enough if they genuinely need the appointment but some don’t) when booking appointments

I know someone who complained recently because she had bloods taken and it left a bruise and ‘disinfectant was not used to clean the skin’ (makes no difference in reducing infection and can affect the blood result )- no matter that she is having the bloods done for no extra cost and it is done at a place of convenience for her.

Power is not with the patients at all, its why organisations like Innovation Health Manchester are insisting on public patient engagement across all sectors of the service. Patients can shape the service to their needs rather than the needs of the organisation.

The free meds argument is one I see more and more. People pay National Insurance and pay for prescriptions if they are waged etc so the definition of free is arguable.

I cant say I know a lot about pregnancy as I don't, but if the benefits of multi vitamins outweigh the costs of a pregnancy going wrong then that's a good thing.

Paracetamol is one I see used often because you can buy them buy them from Poundland. Do the maths, a person in chronic pain could well take the maximum of 12 per day at £1 which is £7 per week. If they then have to buy Ibuprofen at the same rate, that's £14 per week, as other stronger painkillers are not available over the counter should they just exist on what is available at Poundland even if they are spending more than what a prescription costs? £14 per week to a person in pain who may be unable to work could well be the difference between eating or being pain free. I am not aware if GPs give kids paracetamol on prescription or not, that's up to the GP and as it affects their budgets is becoming increasingly difficult to get anything out of a GP because he has to be aware of the cost benefit analysis.

Taking bloods point depends on your perspective. I believe they should be free because they can save money in the long term. Blood tests are also becoming more specific under an initiative called stratified medicine where the test will in time be able to predict what specific drug is suitable for each individual. I would make a case for everyone being tested on a regular basis at no cost as the NHS was designed to be free at the point at the use and to everyone's convenience because that makes sense. Do you really want people missing work for a blood test when we already have a very poor of problem.

As an aside, I attended a workshop recently that was looking into introducing statins to everyone as the benefits could outweigh the negatives. They would be free of course and it is thought the early intervention could possibly save the NHS millions. I don't know if that will be culturally acceptable because a lot of people will see it as state interference.

 

[Rascal]

What it needs to have is patient input for ongoing medical issues (turned on by GP on a patient by patient basis), eg finished course of medicine, x symptom gone, now what?

Next useful thing would be hooking up blood/sample tests and booking blood tests

Correct

 

[SVP]

Power is not with the patients at all, its why organisations like Innovation Health Manchester are insisting on public patient engagement across all sectors of the service. Patients can shape the service to their needs rather than the needs of the organisation.

The free meds argument is one I see more and more. People pay National Insurance and pay for prescriptions if they are waged etc so the definition of free is arguable.

I cant say I know a lot about pregnancy as I don't, but if the benefits of multi vitamins outweigh the costs of a pregnancy going wrong then that's a good thing.

Paracetamol is one I see used often because you can buy them buy them from Poundland. Do the maths, a person in chronic pain could well take the maximum of 12 per day at £1 which is £7 per week. If they then have to buy Ibuprofen at the same rate, that's £14 per week, as other stronger painkillers are not available over the counter should they just exist on what is available at Poundland even if they are spending more than what a prescription costs? £14 per week to a person in pain who may be unable to work could well be the difference between eating or being pain free. I am not aware if GPs give kids paracetamol on prescription or not, that's up to the GP and as it affects their budgets is becoming increasingly difficult to get anything out of a GP because he has to be aware of the cost benefit analysis.

Taking bloods point depends on your perspective. I believe they should be free because they can save money in the long term. Blood tests are also becoming more specific under an initiative called stratified medicine where the test will in time be able to predict what specific drug is suitable for each individual. I would make a case for everyone being tested on a regular basis at no cost as the NHS was designed to be free at the point at the use and to everyone's convenience because that makes sense. Do you really want people missing work for a blood test when we already have a very poor of problem.

As an aside, I attended a workshop recently that was looking into introducing statins to everyone as the benefits could outweigh the negatives. They would be free of course and it is thought the early intervention could possibly save the NHS millions. I don't know if that will be culturally acceptable because a lot of people will see it as state interference.

The NHS already wastes billions on over medication and you think it is a good idea to give a drug which has many harmful side effects to healthy people. The only ones who will benefit are the pharmaceutical companies.

 

[JASR]

The NHS already wastes billions on over medication and you think it is a good idea to give a drug which has many harmful side effects to healthy people. The only ones who will benefit are the pharmaceutical companies.

It certainly over ‘fixes’. But as it’s fixing me currently I can’t really talk, but it’s more to do with the ongoing increasing ability to prolong life, in situations where prolonging is inappropriate, or in some cases unwanted.

I’m not talking about an 18 year old, in a deadly RTA having the full power of medicine thrown at him to recover and lead a long life.

I’m talking about the full power of medicine repeatedly bringing back from the cusp of death an old person, with a list of untreatable ailments (‘old age’), a sweetshop of a pill regime, whose quality of life is already low.
Those people (and I include myself and everyone) need to have made a decision on how they want to die, ie DNR to what degree, earlier in their life and discussed with family/health records and then be provided with the best palliative painfree regime care to end their days, if it came to that situation.

The discussion of a persons ‘end of life’ needs to happen before it gets to the point that it’s out of a persons hands - leaving the doctors in the unenviable position of endless resuscitation, to eke out a few more hours/days/weeks/months - just because they ‘have to’, as they don’t know an fragile very sick unconscious persons wishes.

Live life to the full, but death is inevitable, it will happen, it will be a loss to others, but prolonging a life that wants to go as peacefully and painfree without intervention, is wrong.

Oh and make sure:
You and anyone you know has a will.
Put any life assurance/death and critical illness stuff you might have, into Trust - it’s not just for Oligarchs, and is a reasonably simple form (hopefully).

 

[Rascal]

The NHS already wastes billions on over medication and you think it is a good idea to give a drug which has many harmful side effects to healthy people. The only ones who will benefit are the pharmaceutical companies.

I didn't form an opinion on the available evidence, there were pros and cons to it. The biggest con in my view was whether it would be culturally acceptable, the biggest pro was it could possibly lead to better health outcomes.

What evidence do you have on the billions wasted on over medication? I would love to read that so I am better informed for the follow up meeting.

 

[blue44]

That is an issue that is being addressed. Staffing is one the biggest issues in the NHS and it comes down to proper funding. Safe staffing levels not being adhered to puts added pressure on those who are there and the knock on effect is more absence.

Can you please tell me when it will be addressed ?
I'm on the point of total despair with what happens in my department with the same people literally taking the utter piss with sickness absence,year after year
Has HR and management given up with trigger levels these last few years ? They must have,its the only explanation why the same people who play the sickness game are not sacked.
Im 54 going on 55 and I cannot except what happens in my department much longer,do i quit or reluctantly carry on in a negative workplace or do i join the slackers and piss takers ? serious question.