well worth a read

http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2009/07/26/a-not-very-healthy-budget/

Loosing your sight the NHS way

So you are pregnant

You are also diabetic

You have had the routine retinal scans

You've been called in to see the consultant because they were very concerned about the retinal scan

The consultant says "you must come back in three weeks, do not miss the appointment, this is very important, you are in danger of loosing your sight" and writes in big letters on the appointment form for his admin staff "DO NOT POSTPONE THIS APPOINTMENT, IT MUST TAKE PLACE ON GIVEN DATE", he also verbally complains that mostly his appointments get cancelled and postponed a long time into the future

A few days later you receive a letter from the NHS, "We are sorry we are cancelling your appointment, we have made a new appointment at X" where X in long way in the future

Absolute disgrace

NHS dentists demand deposit

I realise even I don't realise how crap the NHS has become

And yes I know large parts of the country have no NHS dentistry at all

But it has come to my attention that NHS dentists are now routinely demanding a credit card payment for the full price of the check-up before giving a check-up appointment over the phone

And demanding a £100 deposit before offering an appointment to look at someone with tooth ache, similarly to be paid by credit card over the phone

What is going on? Even top flight consultants see private patients on the more traditional basis of getting paid after the event

The NHS really is crap

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

Lots of patients think Coventry PCT is Rubbish

thanks

I hereby give credit to the great GP's, the great nurses, other health professionals, workers, cleaners, receptionists, in the best practises in the country

I give credit to the warm caring folk in palliative care, the consultants, docs, nurses, auxiliaries, volunteers, cleaners, all of them

Merry Christmas

And may all the patients in NHS hospitals be given their pain relief much more promptly after requesting it in NHS wards

May the Healthcare commission be banned from giving good and better ratings to any hospital repeatedly slated by the local coroners

Unlike Dr Crippen I've been spending the days of the Christmas season on NHS premises, and in homage to the great Dr Crippen if anyone comes up to me and says "you're not Dr Rant" I'll give them a sweetie

What would I do instead of the NHS?

In a quick (no time) nutshell
1) Everyone pays whatever they currently pay in tax for the NHS into a new "state backed medical insurance fund"
2) That fund has minimal headcount, circa 20 or 30 people max, less if they outsource more of the donkey work
3) All NHS providers of care are sold or given away to whoever wants them, else they get shut down, all hospitals etc are then forced to compete for patients directly with patients (and by implication with their GPs, but patient keeps the ultimate choice)
4) For most secondary care on diagnosis patient gets give a cheque by "state backed medical insurance fund" to take anywhere they dam well want, including abroad, including to BUPA etc with a top up of their own if they so choose
5) State stops funding cheap/infrequent stuff for the vast majority, so GP appointments are charged at full commercial rates, free market allows some innovation, and patients and doctors come to better compromises about what suits both sides
6) Central NHS IT is shut down, all senior bods involved sacked from where ever they are in government/public sector and never allowed to work again, lock them up, throw rotten fruit at them
7) To compensate for 5 above, SBMIF covers expensive stuff much better, much better funds for cancer treatments, heart treatments etc
8) Special dispensations to 5 for folk with long term life threatening conditions, diabetics etc, SBMIF picks up tab
9) Some subsidies for rare places, remote parts of Scotland etc, dished out directly to patients for them to spend locally as they see fit
10) Any patient is allowed to go to any doctor or consultant, no artificial barriers to access
11) All doctors are forced to work one year in four in an inner city
12) Task force sent round "best of rest of world" such as Europe, New Zealand, States, and brings back best practise from those areas and refines regulations with this in mind
13) Medical business becomes a state regulated not a state run business
14) NHS dentistry is abandoned, poorest patients given cheques to take to any dentist they choose
Needs a good transition plan, wouldn't want to do it overnight, but over the course of say 4 years this could be implemented easily