N.H.S

Kev35,

I of course agree in terms that we’re lucky for having such a service, but I just think (as you said) that things need to be carefully taken into consideration for such as the shortage of nurses.

ppp.

My criticism of the top heavy nature of the Service stands. It’s like a garage having ten people drumming up business and making appointments whilst having just a single mechanic to do the work.

Technologically we are capable of doing far more than is actually being implemented.

That last sentence of yours opens a whole other can of worms. Sometimes I think technologically has made us capable of doing far more, in the medical sense, than perhaps we should. In other words, I believe that on occasion more is done than should be done for no other reason than our knowledge and technology means we can.

Regards,

kev35

Sure there are many advances in medical care, but that doesn’t disprove my statement. Technologically we are capable of doing far more than is actually being implemented.

@kev35
Given a choice a manager would rather fire a nurse than fire themselves. I can’t see the Unions being willing to help kick out all the managers either!

Robbie.

It has its faults and its failings, as do we all. But on the whole this Country is better for having it than not. And I’m not saying that because I worked within the NHS, I’m saying it because it is true.

Neil Osborne is right about the waste and the profligate use of money to employ and pay managers who, effectively, manage nothing. An Army wins wars by putting boots on the ground, not creating ever more generals. The same could be said of the NHS. If the problem, for instance, is a shortage of nursing staff, the answer these days seem to be to employ someone to ‘manage’ the problem rather than solving it. When short of nurses employ nurses, not someone to manage the shortage. According to friends still working within the NHS ‘crisis management’ seems to be the new watchword. It means little to the patient/client/customer/service user or those in need of their care.

Regards,

kev35

There are some areas where the NHS are helpful but others where they’re useless.

For example, in 2002 my sister wasn’t feeling well, she had a flu and it had been about 5 weeks that she didn’t feel well, could hardly breathe, felt weak. All the NHS said everytime she went to a GP’s or Hospital was “you’re just fat”. She went again in January 2003 (after feeling weaker across December 2002) a week later or so, she went into work and had a heart attack due to the flu virus enlarging the left side of her heart and now she has dilated cardiomyopathy.

I’ve had stomach pains which they called “stomach migraines” alongside a normal migraine, this happened for many years (and still do) and they said “we can’t really find a reason, perhaps it’s a typical child making it up situation” – when I was 17 I had a grand-mal seizure and eventually diagnosed with temporal-lobe epilepsy.

This morning my dad – who’s knee really hurts and can hardly walk – got turned away from the hospital because the nurse said “that’s all I can do” whereas the drunks and drug addicts in Newcastle get treated whenever and wherever they damn like.

NHS – make you feel like a cattle herd.

Would that be for TURP’s as well? If so a bit different to what was happening 20 years ago.

Regards,

kev35

Kev, Your spot on there,:) see my last, as this is what I had done, which it appears now, to be the old fashioned way.And this was July, last year!!
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Neil.

Robots are now “Old hat” regarding that particular Op.
I had a Prostate Shave, just a year ago, and it left me with the side effects of which you will be well aware of.
Only two days ago on T.V. (A medical program) this Op is now less invasive due to the fact a new drug, given by injection, significantly reduces the enlarged Prostate, thus no surgery may not be needed, but better still, the dreaded side effects will no longer be have to be endured.
As the old song states, “What a difference a day makes”.
I.M.H.O. medical advances are the most fastest advances in nearly all others.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Would that be for TURP’s as well? If so a bit different to what was happening 20 years ago.

Regards,

kev35

Neil

I’m interested…..any chance you can expand a little on that. Just out of sheer curiosity…….No massive detail required.

Thanks if you can.

Quick example. Radical prostate surgery can now be performed by “robot”. Surgeon sits at a console while the robot performs the delicate surgery.

ppp & Neil. When I had my “Whipples Procedure” carried out, I was cut from my rib cage to my “Private bits” One year later, during a follow up, I visited the Ward I had been on, this was at Leicester Royal. I spoke to a chap on the same Ward I had been on, (At the request of Professor Sir Peter Bell, as this chap had been told he may have only a year to live, and Prof Bell asked me to tell him what to expect, re side effects Post Op. I had words with him, and hopefully boosted his spirits. He showed me his scar, and I was amazed, the cut was about 6 to 8″ long.Such advances had been made during the last year after my Op, that a long cut entry was not needed.
As for care from the staff, I well remember one night my bed was uncomfortable, and they changed beds 3 times until they found one I was comfy in, I also has 13 pillarars around me, to keep me propped up.
I am sad to say that things have changed for the worse, as I have since been in 5 different Hospitals, and sorry to say, most on the wards don’t seem to bother about their patients.
After I had reached 21 yrs post op, I recieved a phone call from Prof Bell, who spent nearly an hour on the phone asking me how I was, Can you imagine that happening today?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Neil

I’m interested…..any chance you can expand a little on that. Just out of sheer curiosity…….No massive detail required.

Thanks if you can.

Still looks like they could move forward a bit technologically, it seems they’re still somewhere between caveman and victorian…

You’d be surprised the technology used within Hospitals, especially surgical.

Still looks like they could move forward a bit technologically, it seems they’re still somewhere between caveman and victorian…

My mother passed away in April from her third bout of cancer. We knew she was ill, she knew she was ill but the timetable around the care she recieved from her visit to the G.P was amazing.

She had a call from the GP the day after the blood tests advising that she needed a scan. The scan could be offered the day after that. Mum said she needed to call BUPA to check she was covered, but they said “No problem”, NHS say you can go, it’s a “now” thing. From scan to overnight stay for more tests and biopsies was less than a week. From biopsy to specialist less than another week (this one was on BUPA).

It was all a vain effort as the disease had spread all over her body and in total honesty, she knew it and declined any aggressive treatment and was ready to go and be and wanted to be with my dad who passed away 6 1/2 years ago.

Where it all fell down was from there on in. It was almost as if the “no treatment please” statement triggered a “computer says no” and a few leaflets on Palliative Care were to hand, and to be fair a referal to a Palliative specialist.

Mum tried to stay at home as the only NHS option was the local hospital, where they are just not equipped or set up for people who want to pass away in peace and with dignity. The GP was wonderful and made home visits as often as we asked in those four weeks. Mum went downhill fast, had some falls and eventually accepted a bed in the local hospice (a wonderful charity) where she died peacefully three days later.

The NHS were fast and efficient in the diagnosis and the start of treatment offered, where they fell short was in any alternative to that treatment. But at no time was she ever held back from any care due to age or seriousness of her condition.

North Hants Hospital Trust were fine, within the parameters of their set up I think it is fair to say. St Michaels Hospice was amazing, a wonderful establishment full of selfless caring people who do as much as or as little as you ask of them.

Neil, I will most certainly second that motion.We used to call them “Dead wood” in the Force.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I’ll give you an example. When I worked for the NHS, my department had about 5 managers. There was two of us that did my job, we had 2 managers..:eek:. One of which was actually good, she had many other responsibilities and was based elsewhere within the Hospital.

Our direct line manager was the biggest waste of space to walk this planet, hence one of the reasons, that after 16 years, I left the NHS.

Our department alone had….

Technical Services Manager
Training and Development Manager
Operations Manager
Ordering and Procurement Manager
Ancillary Services Manager.

😮

Neil, I will most certainly second that motion.We used to call them “Dead wood” in the Force.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

You’re disillusioning me.
After seeing the opening ceremony for the Olympics, I thought the NHS was perfect. 🙂

If each Hospital was to get rid of most of their worthless overpaid managers, then it would be, almost.

You’re disillusioning me.
After seeing the opening ceremony for the Olympics, I thought the NHS was perfect. 🙂

Well done the NHS for all the good work & keeping me alive ….a plus being , in many parts of the world this operation & all the continuing equipment support & prescriptions would have cost me an absolute fortune . …

Hi AutoStick. I hope you remain free and go on to live a long and healthy life, Been there, seen it and got the “T” shirt with Cancer of the Pancreas.This was in 1988, I was in Hospital for 3 weeks, and off work one year. I have a good friend who is a surgeon in San Diego, and the price, as you mentioned, would, just for my stay in a Hospital he worked in would have been £50.000, and thats not even taking into account the cost of the Operation itself.
And the cost to me?, zilch, as you say, where could you get Ops like ours done for that anywhere else in the world?.
I still say the NHS needs a good pruning, it’s only a few that give it a bad name, but why are they always on the same Ward as me?.:D
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Nine month wait for a CT scan?
If that’s accurate, I think NHS needs an overhaul.

Hi John, my wife, it was found eventualy had the 4th and 5th vertibrae damaged, her having been a nurse for many years, and lugging and lifting patients, and yes, it was nine months waiting time.
as you say over the Pond, “No sh*t”.
Jim.
Lincoln .7