O/T BBC and the NHS

[HaylePie]

???? I was celebrating the fact that EP is still with us - despite that nurse.

Note to self - I get it now sid. My regret was that she is with us 'in post', not that she is still breathing!

[Elite_Pie]

How could the Conservative goverment, or any goverment, have made your experience any better?

They couldn't. I wasn't blaming any government, I was responding to a comment that said "Does anyone seriously think that anyone who has a life threatening issue for example is going to be left on a bed or in a waiting both for 4 hours?"

The Conservative government have increased the real term spend on the NHS year after year

That is a complete lie. In real terms, investment in the NHS has fallen under the Tories. Please provide figures to back your false claim.

What more would you like to see the incumbent government do?

I'd like them to provide more investment to meet the increasing demands of a longer living population, and address the many inefficiencies that waste the resources they do have. I would ask the same whoever the government is, not just the Tories.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Hmmm. I can only go on personal experience, and last year I had my first ever visit to A&E. I'd had a hernia for about 3 years, it only caused me occasional minor discomfort so I ignored it. It began to get a bit more painful so I went to see my GP, who referred me for surgery, where the waiting list was about 20 weeks. A few days later the pain became quite severe. The NHS website listed 4 symptoms where if you had any one of them you should go to A&E - I had 3 of the 4, so off I went to A&E. The Triage nurse was useless, she basically accused me of trying to queue-jump for the op and advised me to go home and take pain killers. I had to argue with her and point out I was in agony until she reluctantly agreed to send me for an assessment at a department next door. It was discovered that the hernia had become incarcerated (possibly life-threatening) and I was immediately admitted and operated on that evening. The rest of the service I received was superb, and I have nothing but praise for the NHS workforce (Triage nurse excepted).

Sorry to hear of your bad experience of a nurse who should not have been so sceptical of your symptoms prior to arranging for a medical assessment to be carried out. She should not have jumped to conclusions without having medical facts in my opinion.

The point I was trying to make with that particular statement was that with competent healthcare professionals and procedures in place, if someone is waiting in A&E for four hours with a life threatening condtion then their has been a severe failure in the system in my opinion.

The nurse in your case probably has seen 100’s of patients and no doubt some turn up with next to nothing wrong with them or trying to play the system to their advantage. It must be annoying and frustrating for the nurse but as in your case she should not tar everyone with the same brush. Hopefully a lesson was learned.

[deadyoyomagpie]

They couldn't. I wasn't blaming any government, I was responding to a comment that said "Does anyone seriously think that anyone who has a life threatening issue for example is going to be left on a bed or in a waiting both for 4 hours?"

That is a complete lie. In real terms, investment in the NHS has fallen under the Tories. Please provide figures to back your false claim.

I'd like them to provide more investment to meet the increasing demands of a longer living population, and address the many inefficiencies that waste the resources they do have. I would ask the same whoever the government is, not just the Tories.

Fair enough on your first response. Glad it worked out well for you in the end. As a recipient of a double transplant myself, I have nothing but praise for the hard working front line of the NHS. Not to mention them saving my son's life when he was new born correcting his congenital heart defect (TGA). Like I say, they are all stars to me and my family.

A couple of sources showing increase in NHS spending in real terms:
1) https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...ell/nhs-budget: Never heard of The King's Fund but they claim to be an "independent charity working to improve health and care in England"
2) https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/9186: Institute of Fiscal Studies
I stand by my claim that spending in real terms is increasing.

I'd like them to invest more as well, let's reduce the national debt and claw back some of that interest payment we are wasting each year servicing said debt. The Conservatives have tried hard to reduce waste in the NHS, removing layers of unnecessary management - they got slated for it. In my opinion, the larger 'the state' gets, the more waste is introduced.

The following is in no way directed at you EP, just a general observation. I find a lot of people to the left of politics think that those of us on the right, are all selfish and don't care for those less fortuante in society. To me, this is nonsence. I probably want everything that people on the left of politics want, a fair society with opportunity for all. The difference is purely in how we get there, not the destination itself.

[Elite_Pie]

A couple of sources showing increase in NHS spending in real terms:
1) https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...ell/nhs-budget: Never heard of The King's Fund but they claim to be an "independent charity working to improve health and care in England"
2) https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/9186: Institute of Fiscal Studies
I stand by my claim that spending in real terms is increasing.

I'm also unfamiliar with The King's Fund, but a quick glance on their site comes up with this:

"Over the past parliament the annual average real increase in UK NHS spending was 0.84 per cent. This is the smallest increase in spending for any political party’s period in office since the second world war and amounts to around a quarter of the long-run average increase in funding since 1951".

Regarding future funding, this is from an article in The Independent:

"The Government will cut the National Health Service’s budget per person in real terms next year, ministers have admitted in official figures for the first time. Numbers released by ministers show NHS England will face a sharp reduction of 0.6 per cent in real terms of per head in the financial year 2018-19. The numbers corroborate claims by NHS chief Simon Stevens earlier this month that “in 2018-19, real-terms NHS spending per person in England is going to go down”. The figures also fly in the face of the Government’s public insistence that it is investing more in the health service, with Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May repeating the mantra of an extra £10bn for the NHS. That claim was debunked by the cross-party Health Committee in the summer, whose chair, Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, said the number was both “incorrect” and “risks giving a false impression that the NHS is awash with cash”.

[deadyoyomagpie]

I'm also unfamiliar with The King's Fund, but a quick glance on their site comes up with this:

"Over the past parliament the annual average real increase in UK NHS spending was 0.84 per cent. This is the smallest increase in spending for any political party’s period in office since the second world war and amounts to around a quarter of the long-run average increase in funding since 1951".

Regarding future funding, this is from an article in The Independent:

"The Government will cut the National Health Service’s budget per person in real terms next year, ministers have admitted in official figures for the first time. Numbers released by ministers show NHS England will face a sharp reduction of 0.6 per cent in real terms of per head in the financial year 2018-19. The numbers corroborate claims by NHS chief Simon Stevens earlier this month that “in 2018-19, real-terms NHS spending per person in England is going to go down”. The figures also fly in the face of the Government’s public insistence that it is investing more in the health service, with Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May repeating the mantra of an extra £10bn for the NHS. That claim was debunked by the cross-party Health Committee in the summer, whose chair, Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, said the number was both “incorrect” and “risks giving a false impression that the NHS is awash with cash”.

Appology on calling my statement "a complete lie" accepted.

[navypie]

Hmmm. I can only go on personal experience, and last year I had my first ever visit to A&E. I'd had a hernia for about 3 years, it only caused me occasional minor discomfort so I ignored it. It began to get a bit more painful so I went to see my GP, who referred me for surgery, where the waiting list was about 20 weeks. A few days later the pain became quite severe. The NHS website listed 4 symptoms where if you had any one of them you should go to A&E - I had 3 of the 4, so off I went to A&E. The Triage nurse was useless, she basically accused me of trying to queue-jump for the op and advised me to go home and take pain killers. I had to argue with her and point out I was in agony until she reluctantly agreed to send me for an assessment at a department next door. It was discovered that the hernia had become incarcerated (possibly life-threatening) and I was immediately admitted and operated on that evening. The rest of the service I received was superb, and I have nothing but praise for the NHS workforce (Triage nurse excepted).

Have you ever stopped to think she might have wanted rid of you quickly for non medical reasons! Glad you're ok anyway ep. My wife is a nurse by the way , pediatric, I could always ask if she knows any triage nurses , treating a fellow pie so awfully !

[crazyfists]

I'm in stage four of a kidney disease and the NHS staff and nurses are and have always been since I got ill three years ago, excellent and caring. It's not perfect but no organisation is, especially one of this size. Long live the NHS. As for the BBC, it's OK but alot of it is rubbish although that's down to my taste. Would still keep it though.

[Elite_Pie]

Appology on calling my statement "a complete lie" accepted.

If you want to believe that the Tories have increased real term spending on the NHS that's entirely your choice.

I bet you're also looking forward to Santa Claus visiting in a couple of weeks.

[JoePass]

If you want to believe that the Tories have increased real term spending on the NHS that's entirely your choice.

I bet you're also looking forward to Santa Claus visiting in a couple of weeks.

Are you Polly Toynbee in disguise ?