Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

That's still the middle of nowhere though isn't it?

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

I might just be missing something but how many new, not replacement, hospitals have opened in the last 10 years?

And what's been the increase in the UK population over that time?

I can only think of A&E units being merged or downgraded in the West of Scotland and would be interested to find out if this was happening elsewhere or are services increasing.

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

And with up to a third of attendees at A&E being 'non-urgent' cases (neither Accident or Emergency), it's just going to get worse...

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

How much of this issue is down to a lack of recources and how much is simply bad management

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

Some expert opinions on that.

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

On the A&E situation the reason they are so busy is misuse by joe public. Many people do not need to attend. GP surgeries need to look at putting on more GP sessions and the majority of people can be seen there or with a walk in/minor injuries unit.

The ambulance service is stretched and needs serious funding that is the biggest problem with that there are just not the crews needed.

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

Blaming the Tories for what they've done/haven't done is one thing but letting Labour claim that it's nothing to do with them is quite another. In spite of all the money they chucked around (including the massively expensive PFI contracts they've tied the taxpayer too) things were not significantly better when they were running the show during their supposed 'boom' years. All was not rosy in A&E in 2010 and that was after 13 years of supposed Labour TLC and a parliamentary majority which enabled them to do as they wish. What a crock! Contrast that with the situation HMG - an unhappy coalition - inherited and then tell me that they were ever going to be able to reverse the situation, especially given Labour's renegotiation of the GP's contract which has led to so many people not being able to get appointments.

What Labour 'care' about is very different from what they actually 'deliver' IMHO and they weren't part of a coalition struggling with a massive deficit and pathetic notes telling them all the money had been spent FGS. More Labour 'care' eh?
They really care about social engineering and creating a dependant society. Chucking money at the NHS doesn't mean they care about it - IMHO it means they care about the votes their supposed 'care' generates. They introduced plenty of private enterprise into the NHS all on their own without any help from evil NHS hating Tories or did you miss that bit? Private involvement which we will be paying for for decades. In Staffs, they presided over just about the single worst example of institutionalised abuse you could wish to imagine with hundreds of deaths due to negligence and neglect. Odd how we don't hear them talk much about that now eh? Too busy hoping we've all forgotten about that scandal and banging on about A&E in winter. How's about that for Labour 'care' eh?

If we contrast the 13 years they had and wasted with the 5 years HMG has had, it's perfectly clear who's had the harder job and in the worst of economic environments. If Labour had carried on where they left off the NHS would have collapsed. As for your 'targets', during their period in power, we used to get all sorts of hospital appointments which, when we turned up were nothing more that box ticking exercises, nothing new, no treatment, no nothing - a total waste of time for all concerned but a nice shiny star on the target chart showing how much they 'cared' about us. More people seen more often!! Great eh??!! Real success in terms of outcomes... :rolleyes:

---------- Post added at 08:58 ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 ----------

That's where a lot of the problems lie IMHO. You only have to look at what the various exposes of the NHS over the years demonstrated to see how inefficient so much of it is. Albeit not connected with sexy 'A&E', James Martin's documentary about hospital food revealed massive waste, outdated methods and inept management which was frankly scandalous. Small beer you could argue except that we've seen it repeated in procurement, IT etc. involving vast sums of money which could have been spent on what really matters - treating people.

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

Sorry Dave. you've had 5 years. and all we've heard is you banging on about the old residents.
now you're telling us that if we give you another 5 years you'll do what you haven't managed to do in the last 5 already.

sorry. enough is enough.
the NHS is obviously not safe on your watch.
and the rumour is. your plan was to destroy it anyway.

start packing.

Re: Emergency A&E/Ambulance service debate
 

---------- Post added at 09:42 ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 ----------

From what I've read/heard, including from Ambulance Service staff, many of the problems come not from a shortage of ambulances and personnel but those resources being held up in A&E depts. because they can't offload their patients and move onto the next call. Something needs to be done to take the pressure off A&E, and filter out those who don't really need to be there. Our local A&E screens people so that the more serious cases stay in A&E whilst others are directed to on site nurses and GPs. It works well but I have no idea how widespread that system is - it seems like common sense to me.

Another part of the problem is bed blocking by older people who in many cases cannot be discharged because there are no other services available to them at the time. Some, maybe a lot, of that will be down to cuts in community based services but there's no doubt in my mind that some is down to those elderly people being intentionally 'invisible' to the system.

I have personal experience of several elderly people who refuse to seek help at home. They don't want strangers coming into their homes and will do almost anything to avoid it, including lying to medical staff about their situation. They refuse to ask for/accept outside help, choosing instead to rely on A&E on an ad-hoc basis. They are not in the 'system' and if the worst happens and they can't cope, it'll be a trip to A&E and a hospital bed blocked because nothing else has been put in place for them. I dare say there are a great many such people who're in the same situation but nobody can force them to accept help.