NHS waiting lists get longer

[rov1100]

How is this possible when Cameron promised to maintain funding?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14111452

[Gromit]

I assume that costs have gone up with inflation, but the funding is the same, so effectively a cut.

[rov1100]

That would be the case but Cameron promised real adjustments taking note of inflation. I have since come across this which asks a similar question.

http://www.guardian.c...h-service-cuts-report

[jno]

people get sicker under the Tories. Even bankers have to cope with growing obesity.

[anotheoldgit]

The more people in the queue, the longer the wait.

Until they get this immigration under control, the further the service we once expected from our NHS will go down hill.

Only British nationals, should be eligible for NHS treatment.

[arwyn]

I agree with anotheroldgit..

[Sqad]

Nothing to do with funding, nothing to do with Politics......one can see as many patients in OP as one likes, one can target to see every new patient within one year, BUT one thing remains static......the number of beds and theatre time.....only a pint of milk will ever go into a pint bottle.

This has been the case for 50 years and will continue to be so for the next 50years until funds are diverted from GPs and primary health care int a hospital based health service.

This will NEVER happen because the UK public will never let it happen, so don't blame Politicians of either persuasion.

[roxie_09]

Completely agree with AOG. X

[emmie]

Perhaps its more a case of how many people are accessing the NHS, that haven't paid a penny into it. Don't care who it is, their background, colour, creed, whatever, before anyone says lay off immigrants, its an unfair system,
plus people do expect more and more. If there is insufficient money in the pot, then some things have to be cut back. The NHS is a wasteful machine, and had it been a private business would have been bankrupt years ago.

[rowanwitch]

More treatments available for things that were previously untreatable... people living longer with increasing numbers of health problems, difficulties in recruitment to key posts resulting in cancellations and deferrals, fear of litigation resulting in over investigation and possibly some degree of overtreatment and definitely a fear of discharging patients so they keep coming back for 'follow up ' for years.... a requirement to employ non care staff to produce statistical data for the DOH.... and more besides...

[emmie]

Rowanwitch, not sure about the discharging patients, as statistics bear out, that people are often released too early after their surgery, they go home, have problems and then end up back in hospital. Had the same problem, and any number of people i know. Costs twice as much, or more, if they made sure people are fine to go home, have sufficent back up when home, then you wouldn't see so many readmitted.

[rowanwitch]

What I mean is discharge from care rather than from hospital which are two different things... I agree discharge from hospital is often seen as too soon and can be a problem with rapid readmission etc.... what I mean is the patients who go to clinics every few months for years and years they have a cumulative effect on waiting times as they take up a large proportion of outpatient slots delaying first appointments for new patients

[rov1100]

I cannot disagree with many of the comments above but this deterioration has happened under Cameron. Although I do not agree with many of the past Labour policies they seemed to be getting the NHS into shape with shorter waiting times. Maybe NHS staff are getting browned off with how its heading under the Tories?

[Sqad]

rov

<<I cannot disagree with many of the comments above but this deterioration has happened under Cameron>>

That statement is just not true.....the NHS has been stable in it's mediocrity for the past 40 years.......but if you think that it has deteriorated under the Coalition, then so be it.

[NoMercy]

The departmental big wigs are safeguarding their own very well-paid jobs by trying to keep to impossible budgets. The surgeons are offered extra lists but are told they won't be paid for it. Staff have the workload of 3 people to every 1 and we are not allowed to dare complain or we are hauled over the coals. We can do as many hours as we like to catch up - just don't put in for the overtime. The departmental managers are okay though, which is such a relief to the overworked "minnows" as we were once pejoratively described by a senior colleague of mine!

The reality: Too many chiefs and not enough indians!

[Sqad]

NoMercy

.<<< The surgeons are offered extra lists but are told they won't be paid for it.>

That is a nonsense.....an extra list, means an extra theatre slot, an extra anaethetist an an extra 10-15 beds ..........there is no slack in the NHS.

If that WAS possible which it isn't tell me any public sector worker who would do an extra shift for nothing..................nobody.

[rowanwitch]

not true Sqad extra 'initiative' lists usually of short stay cases are a regular feature...usually on Saturdays in existing daycase or 5 day wards. They may be problematic in turms of finding staff but the theatre staff would have been 'on call' anyway and there are usually nurses who want to get a bit of week end 'bank or agency' work They are often popular with patients too who can have their op on saturday recover on sunday and in some cases get backto work on Monday or with patients who are carers and find it easier to arrange alternatives at weekends when other family members are available

[NoMercy]

It's not nonsense, Sqad. When one surgeon take A/L his theatre slot is offered out, firstly to his departmental colleagues and then to everyone else. I've had meeting about why our Consultants won't pick up extra lists to expedite surgery for those patients who are severely breached, and they reply was because they won't get paid for it. The Business unit managers then ask us, the administrative team, to come up with bright ideas as to how we can get the lists down. Please don't accuse me of talking nonsense, Sqad. I haven't just dreamt the last few months.

[Sqad]

rowan....these are day cases not ward admissions for operation.

Are they done by the juniors or the Consultants both in the surgery and in the giving of the anesthetics?
Do the doctors get pain extra?

[Sqad]

NoMercy.....I may have replied inadequately and mislead you.........I was meaning that it was nonsense that extra lists could be inserted to get the WL down.
I didn't mean that it was nonsense that the doctors wouldn't do it because they wouldn't get paid.

If the Consultant was on A/L then the registrar would organize his own list for his Consultant, it would have been given to another Consultant.