This topic contains 13 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by 
KWilson 13 years, 9 months ago.
Hi everyone,sorry Jen I'm not highjacking you post on Velcade but I want to pick up on the point about GP's and the NHS budget made by Gaye&Jo.
Another disasterous plan cooked up by the CON-DEMS and must be opposed.
The main thing about this reform that worries me is opening the NHS to private companies who will cherry pick the services that are likely to reap a profit and ignore the rest that will no doubt be closed.
We have a prime example of how this Government want to let go of all responsibility and hand it over to the private sector in my area of Teesside.
They are supporting the building of a new Hospital at winyard and closing the existing ones at Stockton and Hartlepool.
This Hospital if built will be financed and run by BIG BUISNESS and will cost the local authorities an absolute fortune when we are already suffering more that most from the cuts.
We thought we would try the BIG SOCIETY approach saying we don't want this to go ahead and rather upgrade the existing Hospitals instead which would cost alot less.
But we all know what happens when the BIG SOCIETY meets BIG BUISNESS…BIG SOCIETY will be steam rollered and buried under the foundations never to be heard of ever again.
Keith.
Hi Keith I know what you mean the whole NHS reform issue is worrying me too Trouble is there wont be any mass rebellion against it people will just let it slide in but when it comes to trees they will be chaining themselves to those!! Gos arent equipped to deal with finances they should be given more time to spend with patients not lessAs you say the result will be buying in private sector services which has failed before , hospital housekeeping and laundry services are just one example Its really depressing to think they are going to let good health service practice die out to be replaced by money driven ones Grrrr!! love Bridget x
Hello again, I have now resorted to answering my own posts LOL.
I put it down to the Dex……
But this issue really does get under my skin.
GP's in control of a £88m NHS budget don't make me laugh,it takes them all their time to diagnose a patient correctly.
Why would anyone think that they are better qualified to send a patient for the right tests and to bypass the expertise of a Consultant?
I was mis-dignosed for 18,months and this is a common occurrance.
I know some GP's are good at what they do but even they are not all in favour of this pie hash scheme.
Unfortunately my local MP is a Conservative and tows the party line being one of the new breed of Cameronians at age 26 so waste of time lobbying him.
I'm ploughing a lone furrow where I live in Tory land But I like a fight and will never surrender.
I would plead with you all to write or Email Andrew Lansley if you agree with me that these reforms stink to high heaven and should be challenged on all fronts.
It's still all to play for.
Rant over…Keith.
Dear Bridget you are spot on but what I would say is we can still beat this and we have to believe we can.
Don't forget the details of this reform were not in the original Manifesto.
They are trying to dodge this by saying that it had to be re-written because of the coalition agreement but this won't wash.
A reform so far reaching and destructive as this will never become law without the full backing of the medical profession and the people at large,and they don't and never will have it.
We must hang on to this belief and fight them all of the way.
The Teesside community are certainly ready for a fight and other areas should realise that should the Government get it's way this sort of back door privatisation will be visiting you all very soon.
Take Care Bridget…Keith.
Hello Keith
I agree with all you are saying my mp is a tory and for my sins I voted for him in opposition he worked really hard for the community so I thought I would give him a chance but now he is one of Daves boys and since he has become housing minister he tows the party line. My GP was hopeless I went to the surgery hardly able to walk and they sent me home to take two paracetamol my husband took me to AE next day with double pnuemonia and renal failure and as I discovered MM that really fills me with confidence
that they will do the right thing? I agree there has to be a lot more protest mind you the last lot were not much better shutting my local hospital with a growing population in this area
Kind Regards Jo
Hi Jo,oh shame on you for voting for them lol.
I suppose I contributed to the coalition in a smaller way by voting Lib-Dem
but then I've always been a Liberal and never ever liked the SDP,Alliance and now this awful meeting of minds with the Tories.
Our local Councillor who is a Lib-Dem and who I have always supported called last week and I let her know how disapointed I was with what's going in the the Coalition Government and the part they are playing in it.
Yes Labour don't have much to shout about either but for me this issue goes way beyond Party politics and for me puts this Tory idea of a BIG SOCIETY to the test.
The people have spoken and we are saying we are not happy with what's being
proposed for the NHS,so the question is how important is this BIG SOCIETY and is the Government going to take us seriously?
Or is organising local bring and buy sales and church fetes the extent of our powers.
We elect Governments and pay taxes for them to Govern on our behalf and we must make sure they do their duty for the good of the nation and that means listening to our opinions and needs,and this applies to all Governments whatever their political persuasion.
Keith.
Hi Keith,
You don't know how much you appreciate the NHS until you need it, but we have to improve or stay the poor man of Europe for cancer survival rates. There is no easy answer and change hurts, but if its better so be it.
Early diagnosis is the key and those people with MM often do not get this. Perhaps the private sector would be paid by results and get it better quicker!
Min
HI Min
On the continent the first line of treatment is Velcade plus DEX this means if there is any kidney damage the outcomes are much better
my consultant is Polish and he told me this
Love JO :-/
Hi Jo
One of the consultants we saw a few weeks ago, was German who had just spent two years in America. He had some amazing thoughts on the subject and I think he will find working in the NHS for a few years quite a step back from what he is used to. If velcade works on you its wonderful, its so sad that mm sufferers have to try everything to see if it works. The waiting to find out seams interminable.
Hi Keith
The issues you bring up are very important, however the original hospital at Wynyard was a 634 bed hospital at a cost of £458 million using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) so favoured by New Labour, the final cost when the contact is complete could be between 4 & 10 times this figure. The contract was cancelled by the coalition. There have been many hospital and school projects completed by the last government, I don't expect anyone to come running with a full list. A replacement hospital is now proposed costing £299 million providing 626 bed spaces-quite a difference,they are looking for private finance to build the hospital, the NHS will run it.
I'm sure that we are all concerned about any changes to the NHS and how they will effect us, but a discussion without the true facts available will have little effect.
Charles
Hi Keith and all,
This is certainly a hot topic and I think regional differences are going to be amplified when the cuts and changes start. Our local GP practice is superb and very well run and I have no real concerns about their ability to cope with the changes but, from reading the experiences of others, I can understand their fears. Pauline had her SCT in the old pre-NHS QE hospital in Selley Oak and certainly suffered from a lack of facilities but this was more of a comfort factor than a problem with her treatment although the dedication of the staff was a major factor. Seeing this in action, I believe that the most important overall factor is the quality and morale of the staff rather than the beauty of the hospital, although that can affect morale. Over recent years I have visited a lot of hospitals, old and new (Not as a patient) and always find it difficult to accept that the architects seem to think that arboretums and huge open spaces are as important as everything else. I may be a cynic but I wonder if it is because it looks good on their CV and possibly those of a few others. What is certain is that 13 years ago we had an NHS we could afford but we cannot afford the one we have now, any more than we can afford a lot of other services that the last government introduced. As far as governments go, we get the one we elect and unless things get an awful lot worse I shall not be changing my vote as Labour have left, as they have on every previous occasion in living memory, huge debts and problems for their successors. Not that the others have anything like a perfect record. I like the idea of the big society, perhaps based on the way that the folks on this site support each other rather than expecting someone else to do everything, but that is something which will take a long time to evolve and needs nurturing rather than condemning. On the subject of hospitals being closed, Our local hospital is Kidderminster, threatened with closure about 15 years ago. We voted in a local doctor as MP and he did a terrific job, with a lot of support, and the hospital continues to thrive which just shows what can be done. Unfortunately, this was probably achieved at the cost of other facilities at the newer large facility at Worcester but that will always be the case at this and every other level. I am happy that I do not have to take responsibility for any such decisions and hope that those that do have the wisdom to recognise errors and act accordingly. Sadly, I think we have to accept that drastic action is necessary for the moment and hope that it won't be for too long.
Hi Ron and thank's for your opinion with regards to the NHS reform topic.
When discussing the NHS, difficult as it is I prefer to detatch it from Politics and most certainly money,then things become much clearer.
What sort of society are we Big or Small if we can't take care of the sick and disadvantaged?
Big Societies are fine at running bring and buy sales or church fetes but once they attempt to get in the way of BIG BUISNESS then they get crushed.
Big Buisness have the Money which means they also have the power and the ability to influence people and Government's alike.
It's the way of the world,always has been and always will be.
I have no use for politicians of any persuasion but regard myself as a humanitarian.
I like to help others when and where I can and Don't need Government Ministers to patronise me.
The British have always by nature been community spirited,now it's time the Politicans took a leaf out of our book and do what they were elected to do and Govern the whole of the country in a fair and even handed way.
If they can't manage it they should move aside and give REAL power to the people.
Keith.
Hi Keith, I very much share your fears for the future of the NHS as the track record for politicians messing about with this, schools and other similar institutions is not good. I also agree with all of your other points. Unfortunately, politicians are a necessary integral part of democracy and must never be left unattended. 🙂 That is something we don't want to change. Your comments about 'Big Business' in many ways apply equally to politicians and, in many cases, to the upper management of many parts of the public sector management. We should not forget that the press and TV news have a pretty poor record for accurately reporting and annalising what is actually happening so, unless you are directly involved, it is very difficult to get a true picture of anything. The only facts that I am reasonably sure of are that the NHS is the biggest single organisation of it's type in the world, the government has promised to maintain funding, and that we are constantly told that we are not doing too well in the international league tables. I am not sure how we perform in total per person expenditure on health but believe that those that are out performing our system are doing things differently and using a higher proportion of private enterprise so change of some sort is necessary and desirable. I understand that the proposed changes are based on successful operations elsewhere so all I can do is hope that they have got it right and hope for fair and accurate reporting of developments. Sadly, history does not give us much hope in either area but it's all we have, plus of course the right to raise merry **** if it all goes wrong.
I think it's going to be a total shambles and dread to think of the zillions of pounds which will be wasted in paying out shares and things and not treating patients. I'm dreading it.
The topic ‘NHS Reform Total Mess’ is closed to new replies.
