no wonder the NHS is in dire straights

[Parkgate]

Both my parents were in hospital, both were ready to be discharged after operations, my my mum took 3 days before a consultant even saw her to sign the release papers, my dad took a month as he caught a superbug whilst waiting to be released! And the cheeky sod told my dad he was safer at home..where he would of been if they'd released him! And then he had six months of treatment to cure the ****** superbug three times a week in a hospital twenty miles away! ****** madness!!
Bed blocking my arse!

 

[Frontstep]

I think we should wait for the facts to emerge about this mans stay.

It defies credulity that a normal well person would in effect be allowed to stay for two years lounging around there has to be more to it.

Still its a crumb to savor for those who think the key to the NHS's rosy future is a bit of cost cutting.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Maybe he liked the food...

 

[prwales]

Both my parents were in hospital, both were ready to be discharged after operations, my my mum took 3 days before a consultant even saw her to sign the release papers, my dad took a month as he caught a superbug whilst waiting to be released! And the cheeky sod told my dad he was safer at home..where he would of been if they'd released him! And then he had six months of treatment to cure the ****** superbug three times a week in a hospital twenty miles away! ****** madness!!
Bed blocking my arse!

That's most likely due to putting cleaning out to the lowest bidder, regarding discharge, if you're feeling well enough, why wait for the Qwack to discharge the bed, just go.

 

[davemercedes]

Maybe he liked the food...

I'm sure he really loved it!

My time in dock was worthy of an epistle - I expected to get out in 3 -4 days but was kept in for 3 weeks due to complications. Suffice to say I couldn't get home to proper food quick enough. I do appreciate that they are catering for hundreds but... Thank heavens SWMBO used to bring me a poly box of salad with real cheese and pieces of fruit/a few grapes and some 'proper' coffee (the hospital stuff was a la Baldrick)!

I felt really sorry for anyone who didn't have a SWMBO etc popping in to keep them topped up.

 

[Parkgate]

That's most likely due to putting cleaning out to the lowest bidder, regarding discharge, if you're feeling well enough, why wait for the Qwack to discharge the bed, just go.

try telling that to a 75 year old, they still believe everything a doctor tells them!

 

[davemercedes]

try telling that to a 75 year old, they still believe everything a doctor tells them!

...Or they totally ignore it!

 

[prwales]

try telling that to a 75 year old, they still believe everything a doctor tells them!

I'm not sure that age comes into it; there are those who like to give orders, those who like to think things through, those who obey every order, those who couldn't care less and the ****** minded who oppose all types of authority as an end in itself. Where we are on this spectrum can change over time but a stubborn child will most likely be a stubborn adult.

 

[davemercedes]

I'm not sure that age comes into it; there are those who like to give orders, those who like to think things through, those who obey every order, those who couldn't care less and the ****** minded who oppose all types of authority as an end in itself. Where we are on this spectrum can change over time but a stubborn child will most likely be a stubborn adult.

There was a time when whatever the doctor prescribed/advised was followed with fairly "blind faith". I'm very glad that most of us have learnt something about the effects of medication etc and aren't afraid to politely question what a doctor says/treatment offered.

Our daughter suffered dreadful cystitis when she was a child - she had the top bunk in the kids room and I recall standing for hours, cuddling her and asking "Him up there" to give me her pain instead. The doctor used to make her pain killing prescriptions out to SWMBO because he knew the chemist would query it for a child! But thankfully, even then about 40 years ago I was knowledgeable enough to question the repeated prescriptions for antibiotics which led to a very helpful discussion of alternatives etc.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Both my parents were in hospital, both were ready to be discharged after operations, my my mum took 3 days before a consultant even saw her to sign the release papers, my dad took a month as he caught a superbug whilst waiting to be released! And the cheeky sod told my dad he was safer at home..where he would of been if they'd released him! And then he had six months of treatment to cure the ****** superbug three times a week in a hospital twenty miles away! ****** madness!!
Bed blocking my arse!

We know from the NHS' own figures that bed usage- not availability- is around 80%. So there are 20% more beds available than there are patients to pop into them.

Nationwide, ^^^ but you take the point- blocking up a single bed even for 3 years isn't an issue. There are more beds than the NHS can fit patients into.

 

[Frontstep]

We know from the NHS' own figures that bed usage- not availability- is around 80%. So there are 20% more beds available than there are patients to pop into them.

Nationwide, ^^^ but you take the point- blocking up a single bed even for 3 years isn't an issue. There are more beds than the NHS can fit patients into.

Up to date figures https://www.england.nhs.uk/statisti...ily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2016-17-data/

 

[Xtractorfan]

We know from the NHS' own figures that bed usage- not availability- is around 80%. So there are 20% more beds available than there are patients to pop into them.

Nationwide, ^^^ but you take the point- blocking up a single bed even for 3 years isn't an issue. There are more beds than the NHS can fit patients into.

Nationwide indeed, but until we can 'beam them up Scotty' those beds might as well be on Mars.
The other bigger problem is we can fit in more beds and fill them, but the NHS doesnt have the staff to service thar influx.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Up to date figures https://www.england.nhs.uk/statisti...ily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2016-17-data/

Won't have the chance until this weekend to crunch the numbers

 

[Craiglxviii]

Nationwide indeed, but until we can 'beam them up Scotty' those beds might as well be on Mars.
The other bigger problem is we can fit in more beds and fill them, but the NHS doesnt have the staff to service thar influx.

Well this is just it. The beds exist. That's not fallacious. If the beds exist and there is a need, then either the Service as a whole needs to move the beds to the need, or the need to the beds... understanding that the requirements in different areas will wax and wane dependent on time of year, changing demographics in a given area etc. Given that the country is not really that big, and that the density of available beds tends to follow the population density (I don't have the data here- that's my supposition, but it's a reasonable one) one could make the case that the beds are, generally, in the right places for where they're needed.

Conversely, if an area has more patients than it does beds to fill them, then it needs deeper scrutiny...

Now, we know that the NHS already has a patient-transport ambulance scandal kicking off - was in the news last week - so it sounds like they have been investing internally in moving patients to beds. I will assume for now they have calculated the benefit ratio between moving patients and beds and decided in favour of the former.

 

[Xtractorfan]

So we really can't move patients too far away from their local area. And we have the beds and the space to house them. So next things is a flying squad that can go there and sort the short term need ...

 

[Craiglxviii]

So we really can't move patients too far away from their local area. And we have the beds and the space to house them. So next things is a flying squad that can go there and sort the short term need ...

Well there is a private tender permanently out for patient transport ambulance services... that's pretty much the function you describe.

Only- it's in a shambles.

 

[prwales]

Well there is a private tender permanently out for patient transport ambulance services... that's pretty much the function you describe.

Only- it's in a shambles.

Amazon's flying drones spring to mind

 

[Craiglxviii]

Amazon's flying drones spring to mind

Just need to make them bigger- but then you run into the new law proposed, to fly a drone bigger than 1.7kg or X size (I forget) will require a Microlight Pilot's license...

 

[Xtractorfan]

We would have to centralise a Hospital, use its facilities and open possibly a 100 bed unit and send in the flying squad to sort out the Emergencies, with the needy patients catered for on the spot and then transferred when able back to their own local hospital.
Local doctors surgeries could cater for the drunks and the walking wounded.

 

[prwales]

Worse is coming if Ms May decides to allow US healthcare companies in, it would effectively privatise the English nhs, cue an exodus of Doctors and Nurses, possibly to Wales, Scotland and NI but probably to warmer climates, Oz and NZ