NHS...What needs to be done

[kempo]

Although slightly immodest I consider myself an expert on the NHS or at least many parts of it.

As it is,it is failing and not fit for purpose

It's stupid to keep an NHS that cannot produce medical on a par with the rest of Europe,it would be better to privatise the service at least in part.

So What to do.

It needs more money so we simply put up taxes and ring fence money for the NHS....How difficult is that?...It needs more money so we need to provide that money..Not rocket science.

Primary Care,mainly your GP services needs a reform..yes again but a sensible one.

The system of thousands of practices run as small businesses but swallowing up NHS money in running costs needs to end.

Primary care should be offered from large primary care practices and patient choice of doctor completely removed.

The GPs and all the staff should all be salaried and employed by the NHS..present system is GPs are independent contractors and mainly self employed.

Numbers of doctors and staff to run this system would be decimated as would costs.

The Primary Care centres would be 24 hours and include X-ray,physio,nurses,Health visitors,counselling and so on and so on...all those services we can remove from hospital and move into the community.

We should bring back centralised buying of equipment and just about everything so the NHS can buy at competitive pricing in bulk.

The above is a starting blueprint and the NHS will not work in any other way.

The above is really not that difficult is it?

[kempo]

Sorry OFF TOPIC

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Well if we assume that the NHS is underfunded (for the number of folks it now serves) I think it's time that the existing money is better allocated.

Money for things like cancer care, drastic A&E (severe trauma), front line GP activity and life saving operations should be top of the list, spend money on them first then if there's money spare, then and only then, spend money on things like fertility treatments, minor cosmetic surgery and other lifestyle issues.

Plus the amount of cash spent on manager posts (non medical administrators) needs seriously looking at.

[kempo]

Yes I agree with that Grist but we need enough money in the system to prevent severe rationing otherwise the service is simply not functioning as a working Health Service.

I do agree that some pruning of services is needed and appropriate.

[Lolmorgan]

Stop giving out free prescriptions for paracetamol & calpol,stop the repeat prescriptions when they don't use the stuff but just stock pile it.Stop A&E being abused by people that should not be there.Cut out the fat cats & some of the pen pushers.

[kempo]

Agree with some of that also lolmorgan.

The repeat scrips one is difficult to achieve.

Having a 24 hr Primary Care Centre would hopefully take the pressure off A/E

[great_fire]

Primary care should be offered from large primary care practices and patient choice of doctor completely removed.

That's a step backwards.

It's the 21st century and we should have more choice not less.

Let's not go back to patients having no choice about their own healthcare.

[kempo]

That's a step backwards.

It's the 21st century and we should have more choice not less.

Let's not go back to patients having no choice about their own healthcare.

Doesn't work.

Paying should give you choice.

NHS is a free at source service and offering so much choice is damaging and costly.

In an ideal world choice is good but the NHS cannot afford to offer it.

Choice is a great example of a want rather than a need and is an utter waste of money and resources.

[tom12026]

apropos the N.H.S.,why are there so many fat nurses when we are told continually about the dangers of obesity ?.

[great_fire]

Doesn't work.

Paying should give you choice.

NHS is a free at source service and offering so much choice is damaging and costly.

In an ideal world choice is good but the NHS cannot afford to offer it.

Choice is a great example of a want rather than a need and is an utter waste of money and resources.

The NHS doesn't work, it's a Stalinist relic, needs to be replaced with a Bismarckian system or a least a better Beveridge model like Spain and Scandinavia.

Or for that matter Hong Kong who took our system and improved it and spend less GDP for healthcare than we do for a better service, why can't we look at what they do?