Hospitals to close

[DrFilth]

the nhs needs more money or they will start to close by 2013

http://www.guardian.c...illion-save-hospitals

and where is our leader in libya having a walk round and probably promising more help to the new rebel leaders

[boxtops]

"The NHS is a bottomless pit, most of its budget goes on layers of administration and Mis-management, there are more clerks than beds. if anything it needs a budget cut to sort out the chaff. "

Not any more it doesn't - the hospitals need to stop overspending and undertaking more procedures than they can afford. We need to learn to be lean and efficient, not just do more of the same. Everywhere in the whole NHS is facing huge budget cuts to try to get it in balance. It's been treated like a bottomless pit but it has reached the bottom. Everyone in the NHS (including me) is having to make economies and operate on a shoestring these days - the days of profligate spending are well over.

[Sqad]

boxtops...well said.

VHG Absolutely correct and it was at Scarborough Hospital from where that programme was filmed. The food was dreadful according to the patients and you were quite correct, 40% of the food was thrown away and the staff canteen was a disaster.

On that same programme however,another NHS hospital the Royal Brompton in London had a head of catering who took an entrepreneurial attitude towards catering and their canteen became so popular, that it was opened to the general public and generated more than a million pounds in profit a year for the hospital.

I know I bang on about this, but for the NHS to survive vast changes are needed and the public will have to recognize this.

[emmie]

Sqad, i think many people do know this deep down, but like a lot of things they are resistant to change. One thing i read was to do with catering in hospitals, which i would add is usually abysmal, on costing, and that it would be a lot cheaper for patients to bring in food, than can be supplied by the hospital. They gave various examples and the cost to the NHS hospital was astronomical. It doesn't surprise me that much of the food is binned, often patients can't eat, or don't want to, and then there is the disgraceful matter of seeing elderly patients being left to fend for themselves, where food is shoved on a tray, out of reach and no one to help. Been in that situation, and seen it when visiting my mother, horrible.

[rowanwitch]

I second what Boxtops says....we operate to such tight budgets now we even have to buy our own highlighters/pens etc a lot of the time rather than wait weeks for stationery orders to be assessed and approved .... well you would expect a craftsman to provide the tools of their trade...was the comment I got...
And I agree with the Sqadster Centres of excellence with the best medical teams are the way forward with large GP practices upskilling to take on lots of the minor bread and butter stuff like removing minor lumps, and providing services like physiotherapy etc we have some centres like these in Birmingham and they work really well. short waits and sensible appointment times. I'd turn the smaller hospitals into elderly/long term adult care centres as they are the groups for whom being near to friends,family and the familiar community is an important part of the therapeutic process

[ttfn]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...mes_Martin_Episode_5/

Have just watched the final episode - appraised for my by Big Sis who watched the whole series. A magnificent effort by one hospital with a huge annual budget. It delighted me to know contracts were given to local suppliers re-gernerating their economy. For once, a really worthwhile project by the Beeb. Hats off to Scarborough Hospital. I hope others may follow and reduce the disastrous waste of money.