Tell Me Something............Anything!

[Sherwood]

Spend for NHS in 2018 was £122 billion! And people reckon it is 'under-funded' and want to hose it down with even more money as though that would be some kind of automatic solution. I bet you could double that spend and make no difference whatsoever to the quality of the service. The real solution is to cut out the incompetence and the corruption (hard to see where one ends and the other starts mind you).

I am not sure on what evidence you are condemning the NHS as inefficient and corrupt: it is just not the case. The UK NHS repeatedly scores highly in international (independent) comparisons of health outcomes, value for money and equity. I make these claims as a health economist with over 35 years experience gained in around 30 different countries, including working in the NHS.

I also write a someone who recently suffered a major life threatening health event that led to a month and a half in hospital, much of that iime in intensive care. I cannot speak highly enough of all the NHS employees who cared for me and went over and above their official duties to make me comfortable.

Yes, the nominal figure for NHS expenditure is enormous, but it only makes sense in the context of what other countries spend and how well they spend it. The UK spends less as a proportion of its GDP on health care than most comparable European countries and a pittance compared to what some countries like the USA spend. Nonetheless, the UK continues to score highly in terms of outputs (i.e. health outcomes). No we can't compete with the best of US health care, but that is only accessible to a privileged few and at huge cost, whilst vast sections of the population go without care. Don't believe it? Then google "international comparisons of health care spending" and then form a judgement based on actual evidence!

Geoff

See this site: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulat...lly/2016-11-01

[Macca]

I am not sure on what evidence you are condemning the NHS as inefficient and corrupt: it is just not the case. The UK NHS repeatedly scores highly in international (independent) comparisons of health outcomes, value for money and equity. I make these claims as a health economist with over 35 years experience gained in around 30 different countries, including working in the NHS.
]

Well you've got the Stafford Hospital scandal for starters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_Hospital_scandal


I could trawl around and find many examples but that's a pretty good example of breath-taking incompetence to be going on with. Given my knowledge and experience of big organisations I'd say that was symptomatic of an organisation where incompetence at all levels is rife. But please note we are talking about administration and organization here, I'm not suggesting that there is a problem with the actual health care staff, indeed I have never met a doctor or a nurse who did not think the administration of the NHS was shambolic (some used stronger language).

Also a couple of years back quite coincidentally in the space of a few months I was at a couple of dinners where I was seated next to people who worked as Buyers in the NHS. Both quite independently described the waste as 'sickening'. In fact it was pretty much all they talked about. They work there, you tell me who I should believe?

If you re-read what I posted you'll see that I didn't say anything about the quality of service or how the NHS ranks compared to other similar organisations so I don't see how that is relevant to the point I was making. Also quoting the spend as a percentage of GDP isn't demonstrating anything. If a big chunk of the money is being wasted you could go up to 100% of GDP and not get any improvement. Conversely, with an efficient organisation, you could spend a much lower percentage and get much better outcomes.

[struth]

just cut my hair.... all three of em

[walpurgis]

just cut my hair.... all three of em

I just use a blowtorch and finish off with a belt sander.

[struth]

lol.

ive needed to do it for a while but not been up to it...glad its back to barely grabable ....

[walpurgis]

Got more on chest and arms than ever was on nut!

[struth]

im fair haired, going on white now so its not overly noticed on body. Years of working in damp jeans ripped most of my leg follicles out so am bald on lower legs. wife was always jealous helps when got the stockings on

[Pigmy Pony]

im fair haired, going on white now so its not overly noticed on body. Years of working in damp jeans ripped most of my leg follicles out so am bald on lower legs. wife was always jealous helps when got the stockings on

So it's not just me then - my legs are bald as far up as my socks go.

My mother used to say that eating crusts would give me curly hair - Fifty years later I have a lustrous mass of curly hair, unfortunately none of it's on my head

[struth]

Pretty much all my legs actually. Certainly 3/4.lol

[struth]

Mum Used to say eat your crusts or you'll get collyflower ears lol