Thought you'd like to read this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...-NHS-cuts.html
Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said plans to find £20 billion in savings meant that at least 27,000 NHS workers would lose their jobs, with “many more” at risk.
While overall the NHS budget is ring-fenced, increased costs in areas such as drug procurement mean that efficiencies must be found elsewhere.
As experts warned that the country could be facing its first flu epidemic for a decade, Dr Carter accused the Government of breaking a promise to protect the NHS.
“The gap between protecting the health service on the one hand, and cutting services and jobs on the other, could hardly be wider,” he said.
“Safety and quality should be the number one priority for the NHS. However, more than half of nurses have already told us that they are too busy to provide the standard of care they would like.
“When they are seeing further cut-backs, less shift cover, more patients to attend to, they will have less time to give each patient and there is no doubt care will suffer."
"The worry is that we have seen time and again what happens when staffing levels are slashed without thinking of the impact on patient care.
"The NHS is not yet returning to the days of interminable waits for treatment and trolleys in corridors, but we are worried that on the trajectory already started, it may only be a matter of time until it does."
Recent scandals showed the impact which staffing levels could have on patient care, the nursing leader said.
At Stafford hospital between 2005 and 2008, up to 1,200 patients were found to have died because of poor care.
Another 90 people who sought treatment the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospital trust in Kent between 2004 and 2006 died after catching the superbug C difficile.
Dr Carter told The Observer newspaper that there was an "indisputable link" between staffing levels and mortality rates, with one study showing a 26 per cent increase in levels of deaths at hospitals with the highest patient-to-nurse ratios.
"Take some of the well-documented examples in recent times of disastrous failings that can occur in part through staffing deficits,” he added.
"While [nurses)]are seeing further cutbacks, less shift cover, more patients to attend to, they will have less time to give each patient and there is no doubt care will suffer.”
But a spokesman for the Department of Health said that plans set out in the recent NHS health white paper meant that the patient care would be protected.
He added: "Reform is not an option; it is a necessity. If we are to make patient outcomes truly world-class and respond to rising demand, we must reform the NHS so that it can focus its resources on patients and quality."
"The NHS white paper will help to protect patients and give commissioners the powers to take action if unacceptable mistakes happen. Unsafe care is not to be tolerated."
This is just a preview of what the US has to look forward to - Socialized healthcare in European countries is crumbling under the unsustainable cost - 20 years from now we'll be in the same place.
Don't forget to say I told you so!
Peace and Namaste
Hppy
I heard you the first time, Hppy. If it's any consilation, I never voted for Obama.
I get a little hot on this topic - Because I think too many people see rose bushes but forget about the thorns that are always there.
Hppy
A little hot? Hahahahaha! I wish I could laugh more, but too many are trying to blow sunshine up our butt with the talk of 'Change'.Originally Posted by hppygr8ful
We see what has happened to England: Take a look at Prince Charles' teeth.
There was a "Simpson's " episode years ago where the dentist is trying to convince Ralphie that he needs to brush and he pulls out "The Big Book of British Smiles" It would have been hillarious if it weren't true.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/26212/the-...british-smiles
Hppy viewing
Hppy
Last edited by hppygr8ful; 12-28-2010 at 03:35 PM.
Please do not blame this on Obama. Health care cuts had to start some where and the good has to suffer for/with the bad. We all are aware of scams in health care. Long term care facilities promising to bring back the dead. Medicare and medicaid programs having clients who are in better than the care takers, doctors scamming the system, administrators, nurses. Not to mention, doctors offices, asking my son for repeated return visits after surgery. I asked the scheduler what is he being seen for, she could not answer me. I refused the appointment.
Nobody disputes that there are serious problems with the health care system - but socialized medicine (Obamacare) is not the way to fix it. In my personal experience most physicians are not greedy but many have up to a million dollars in student loans to pay, exhorbitant malpractice insurance to pay, staff to compensate and lets not forget the cost of buying new equipment and keeping the lights on at the office. Those repeat visits you talk about are to monitor for long term problems that you might sue the doctor for even years after the fact. Some doctors and dentist do bilk the system - one dentist I know was seeing my consumers and charging state Medi-cal $1300 a visit. No wonder the state cut adult dental from the state program.
Under Obama care all consumers will be required to buy insurance (unconstitional and illegal) and most cover a families children until age 26. Insurance companies announced this year that to cover all the freebies in Obama Care - Mammogram,Pap, Prostate, colon screenings etc......they will raise rates 9% to 15%. A third of my paycheck already goes to health insurance and now I have to pay more!!!! How does that help the middle class?
My Dr. Actually told me he would rather see me on a cash basis than go through insurance.
If we really want to fix healthcare we don't go after DR.'s we should look seriously at Tort reform to stop the tidal wave of frivolous lawsuits that cause the cost of all medicine to go up. Did you know that John Edwards (liberal democrat) one of the richest men in the East made his millions sueing Dr.s in OB/GYN cases. The malpractice rates in the Eastern part of our country are so high that many physicians are leaving the profession. Also there is specific language in the health care reform that will directly affect nurses in that it legislates certain tasks to non-licensed personal "To save money and reduce the cost of professional staffing".
Oh and did you see yesterday's news - the death panals are back!
Just some thoughts to chew.
Hppy.
BTW - I am not now or ever have been related to any physician by blood or marriage
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