freeing up beds in hospitals

[nevermind, neoliberalism has had it 159]

The issue is acute and like a tug of war between NHS and non existing care services, our hospitals are unable to work for being starved of innovative action.

here is a letter I sent to Archant's pages, although one never knows whether they published it. Currently the flow of ambulant patients is snagged as it is being made impossible to arrange care services. Alternative short term care easing people's ambulant abilities once existed, but have been shut for over ten years.

We can't have it both ways, something has to give

As I am not an expert in the NHS and its employment or admission policy, taking a keen interest and listening to the various messages and
interviews since this simmering dispute started seemed vital to form an opinion.We all are aware that some staff left due to Brexit, that other staff was hired from non EU countries, whilst some parts of hospitals and services have been shut or privatised since 2010.
As an ex cancer patient it is also important to take the comments from nurses and clients into account.
Many older facilities, such as the Henderson ward, have been discontinued and this in my opinion is amplifying the pressures felt.
At present, members of the public deliver family members to hospital, some feel unable to take them back when they do not need nursing or treatment anymore, because 'they can't continue to care for them', who feel entitled due to 'having paid national Insurance all their lives.

Should the public reconsider using hospitals as nursing homes?
And should patients over a certain age be assessed by social service at point of entry into a hospital to highlight long term problems sooner?
Should we re open a spruced up intermediate care home, outside the hospital were clients ready to go home but requiring further care are looked after by care staff for a daily fee, for which the person or the care home will be billed for?

Could we reopen the Henderson ward for such purpose? This would, in my opinion, speed up the return of ex patients back into their home environment, freeing up beds that are desperately needed for
emergencies and routine surgery of all kinds. These homes need to be co-sponsored by monies given to County councils/central Government,

for care purposes, whilst also offering

possibilities for apprentices or care staff being trained on the job. We should not have to wait for political procrastination to shut down
our abilities to look after those in need for treatment in an emergency and the ambulance services, patient flow will improve as a result, in my

humble opinion.
with sincere hope for change

 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,613]

On 26/01/2023 at 12:34, nevermind, neoliberalism has had it said:

The issue is acute and like a tug of war between NHS and non existing care services, our hospitals are unable to work for being starved of innovative action.

here is a letter I sent to Archant's pages, although one never knows whether they published it. Currently the flow of ambulant patients is snagged as it is being made impossible to arrange care services. Alternative short term care easing people's ambulant abilities once existed, but have been shut for over ten years.

We can't have it both ways, something has to give

As I am not an expert in the NHS and its employment or admission policy, taking a keen interest and listening to the various messages and
interviews since this simmering dispute started seemed vital to form an opinion.We all are aware that some staff left due to Brexit, that other staff was hired from non EU countries, whilst some parts of hospitals and services have been shut or privatised since 2010.
As an ex cancer patient it is also important to take the comments from nurses and clients into account.
Many older facilities, such as the Henderson ward, have been discontinued and this in my opinion is amplifying the pressures felt.
At present, members of the public deliver family members to hospital, some feel unable to take them back when they do not need nursing or treatment anymore, because 'they can't continue to care for them', who feel entitled due to 'having paid national Insurance all their lives.

Should the public reconsider using hospitals as nursing homes?
And should patients over a certain age be assessed by social service at point of entry into a hospital to highlight long term problems sooner?
Should we re open a spruced up intermediate care home, outside the hospital were clients ready to go home but requiring further care are looked after by care staff for a daily fee, for which the person or the care home will be billed for?

Could we reopen the Henderson ward for such purpose? This would, in my opinion, speed up the return of ex patients back into their home environment, freeing up beds that are desperately needed for
emergencies and routine surgery of all kinds. These homes need to be co-sponsored by monies given to County councils/central Government,

for care purposes, whilst also offering

possibilities for apprentices or care staff being trained on the job. We should not have to wait for political procrastination to shut down
our abilities to look after those in need for treatment in an emergency and the ambulance services, patient flow will improve as a result, in my

humble opinion.
with sincere hope for change

 

Great post. I have to say that health care is a subject I'm pretty weak on, but the impression I've had from friends is that the whole thing has just been battered by the pandemic and the loss of staff from leaving the EU.

Generally, I'd say a big flaw in British health care has been that it's pretty good on A&E, but poor in being pro-active as far as any sort of screening is concerned. Screening programs cost money of course, but they potentially save a lot of money by catching many illnesses early, making treatment cheaper and faster, and also reducing a lot of suffering.

[Van wink 2,994]

The problem has its roots buried in decisions years ago to start closing intermediate care facilities, selling the land and building houses on it. The whole policy revolved around a promise that more money would go into care in the community so that patients could receive care in their own homes, inevitably of course the money was grabbed but the new funding promised never delivered.

[Nuff Said 5,240]

I read, and it was a few months ago now so apologies for any errors relating it, that while on the backbenches, Jeremy Hunt had been part of, possibly even chaired a body which issues a report into the shortage of beds in the NHS, and the relationship with social care. The conclusion was that for a cost of about £7 billion (which was a one-off cost as I recall it, but clearly there would likely be some ongoing cost too but I think in part savings would offset these), additional social care facilities could be created to remove the bottleneck in the system and allow all those unnecessarily taking up hospital beds. This cost would improve social care while allowing NHS hospitals to function as they should, treating the short-term ill. 
 

Strangely once he became chancellor he appears to have changed his mind.

[KiwiScot 1,491]

We are simply too bloated as a society. Milk and honey is over and simply want to point the finger of blame knowing our hands are tied by the rules.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I also believe families are abrogating their responsibility to elderly parents.

[Canary Wundaboy 1,360]

18 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

I also believe families are abrogating their responsibility to elderly parents.

While true, the families now consist of 2 parents who both work full time to keep a roof over the heads of themselves and their kids. Like most economic issues in this country you can point the finger of blame squarely at the housing market and the failure of wages to keep pace.

[TheGunnShow 6,081]

6 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

While true, the families now consist of 2 parents who both work full time to keep a roof over the heads of themselves and their kids. Like most economic issues in this country you can point the finger of blame squarely at the housing market and the failure of wages to keep pace.

Agreed, and that also includes lower birth rates too.

[Daz Sparks 1,204]

4 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

I also believe families are abrogating their responsibility to elderly parents.

This is at the heart of the problem. Fifty years ago, as a family you found a way if an elderly parent or other relative needed full time care. 

[Daz Sparks 1,204]

4 hours ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

While true, the families now consist of 2 parents who both work full time to keep a roof over the heads of themselves and their kids. Like most economic issues in this country you can point the finger of blame squarely at the housing market and the failure of wages to keep pace.

I agree in part CW, but far too many families simply do not do enough. Myself and my wife both work full time, however, my elderly parents rely on us for support, and on the occasions they have had to go into hospital, as soon as they could, they were disharged and home where we could do whatever is needed.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

5 hours ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

While true, the families now consist of 2 parents who both work full time to keep a roof over the heads of themselves and their kids. Like most economic issues in this country you can point the finger of blame squarely at the housing market and the failure of wages to keep pace.

Thats what I meant. People finding excuses not to have to look after an aging family member.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,613]

On 01/02/2023 at 15:06, keelansgrandad said:

I also believe families are abrogating their responsibility to elderly parents.

Yeah, we have a demographic and a social problem there in that families have tended to spread out more geographically and also people tend to have less children, which means the supporting of elderly parents places much more strain than when there's a larger family to draw on.

[Midlands Yellow 4,118]

On 01/02/2023 at 14:06, keelansgrandad said:

I also believe families are abrogating their responsibility to elderly parents.

My partner is Indian, you don’t use sauce jars when cooking or put loved ones in homes. I’ve enjoyed learning lessons from her. 

[TheGunnShow 6,081]

Stuff like this is where I thank my lucky stars that I never had a paternal bone in my body and would probably just about have preferred incarceration over fatherhood. 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

11 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Stuff like this is where I thank my lucky stars that I never had a paternal bone in my body and would probably just about have preferred incarceration over fatherhood. 

Good job your parents didn't have that attitude though.

[TheGunnShow 6,081]

Just now, keelansgrandad said:

Good job your parents didn't have that attitude though.

Not relevant. Parents wanted kids, here I am. I never wanted them, so there won't be any.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Just now, TheGunnShow said:

Not relevant. Parents wanted kids, here I am. I never wanted them, so there won't be any.

You obviously don't agree that the least we should do as a species is replace ourselves then.

[TheGunnShow 6,081]

3 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

You obviously don't agree that the least we should do as a species is replace ourselves then.

Not if potential kids are not wanted, no. 

EDIT: After all, do you think unwanted/unplanned kids are that likely to thrive?

Edited February 3, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

6 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

Not if potential kids are not wanted, no. 

EDIT: After all, do you think unwanted/unplanned kids are that likely to thrive?

I have no idea. I was addressing the ideas surrounding population growth particularly the Chinese mistakes.

[TheGunnShow 6,081]

11 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

I have no idea. I was addressing the ideas surrounding population growth particularly the Chinese mistakes.

They certainly made those - and created a massive imbalance in the process as Chinese families wanted boys first, so whilst many correctly point out that there's an age imbalance in China, there's also a serious gender one with far more men than women.

That said, even India's birth rate has dropped below 2.1 (2.05 in 2020, apparently - and more pleasingly, due to contraceptive use) so there's still hope.