Cuts to remain untreated.

[accyman]

your probably right margaret that the quality of nursing was better back then.These days its temps or agency workers mostly at the helm but as far as funding goes and getting people treated i would say labour did a better job.I seriously believe that if the torys were in power when i needed urgent treatment i would not be here today because i would have died waiting .The nhs may be like a production line getting people in and out as fast as possible and quality of nursing may suffer but when your led in bed with a tumor getting bigger each day you just want it out as soon as possible.

Under labour surgeries were carried out at weekends getting the waiting lists down and you could even get treated at private hospitals to save waiting for the nhs option which also kept waiting times down.Im not saying labours approach was perfect i havnt worked within the nhs and those who have done will have a better informed opinion but as an average joe looking at it my overall opinion is that labour did a lot more good for ill people than the conservatives ever did.

saying that the shutting down of burnley hospital was a disgrace and a very dangerous move

[Margaret Pilkington]

It has always been the case(or that is the way it seems from my experience and recollection) that if you have what is suspected to be a cancerous growth then you were admitted and treated pronto.....I know of many women who came to a clinic and were admitted directly from there......not sent home to even get nightwear.
I worked for excellent consultants who had their patients interests at heart...they were not just ticking boxes set by the government.
Those cases that were done at the weekend were what were called waiting list iniatives....they were cold case surgical procedures...things that had no urgency(from the medical standpoint anyway) attached to them and a lot of what was done was for political window dressing and point scoring.......and that is never in the interest of the patient.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Nursing in the 80's was(as far as I am concerned) the most rewarding and satisfying job ever.
I was a newly appointed Junior Sister....had high hopes to develop myself and the nurses I worked with......improve the ward and the practices, teach students.....the horizons seemed boundless.
I enjoyed it immensely....it wasn't easy, we all worked hard.....but we were respected and valued...and the patients showed their satisfaction with the service we gave.

Would that we could return to those halcyon days...alas, not possible.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Nursing in the 80's was(as far as I am concerned) the most rewarding and satisfying job ever.
I was a newly appointed Junior Sister....had high hopes to develop myself and the nurses I worked with......improve the ward and the practices, teach students.....the horizons seemed boundless.
I enjoyed it immensely....it wasn't easy, we all worked hard.....but we were respected and valued...and the patients showed their satisfaction with the service we gave.

Would that we could return to those halcyon days...alas, not possible.

I'll bet there were the odd one or two patients that showed no gratitude and no matter what you did for them, still insisted on dying!
Everyone has awkward customers.

[Barrie Yates]

Originally Posted by Benipete

Maybe the person that insists on sending me 2 reminders for every appointment could be one of them.

Could also do without the one who sends an appointment one day and then 3 days later sends a letter explaining an appointment will be made - and the reason why - but this one sent to a previous address

[Less]

Originally Posted by Barrie Yates

Could also do without the one who sends an appointment one day and then 3 days later sends a letter explaining an appointment will be made - and the reason why - but this one sent to a previous address

Not their fault, GIGO!

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Less

I'll bet there were the odd one or two patients that showed no gratitude and no matter what you did for them, still insisted on dying!
Everyone has awkward customers.

The ungrateful ones(it seemed) were few and far between...although the time/distance thing does lend a little distortion.....I do not remember being Effed and Jeffed at like I was towards the end of the nineties.
People seemed to know all of their rights but none of the responsibilities.

Death, well yes, it did happen....but far less on the gynae ward than on medical or surgical wards........far more humbling was the death of hope, when women lost babies time after time. Heart breaking.

[Mancie]

I doubt this link will in any way convince the tory supporters on here (or those that cliam to be "neutral") that this government are hellbent on cutting the NHS..but here it is from the daily mail
NHS spending cuts: More than 50,000 frontline jobs axed | Mail Online

[accyman]

Originally Posted by Mancie

I doubt this link will in any way convince the tory supporters on here (or those that cliam to be "neutral") that this government are hellbent on cutting the NHS..but here it is from the daily mail
NHS spending cuts: More than 50,000 frontline jobs axed | Mail Online

ahh mancie but like any tory worth its salt will tell you theres always private health care

[jaysay]

Another think that should be looked into is buying for the NHS its already been said that by one central purchasing authority would save billions, but there are lots of other things where huge saving could be, no should be made, example, everybody on here usually has a printer for use with their PC I can pick up a ream of paper for around £2-50p without much problem, I heard the other day on good authority (some one was trying break into supplying stationary to the NHS) that they pay as much as £12 a ream, looks like somebodies having a nice drink out of that one. Last week I was looking for a small cabinet to place my nebuliser on next to my bed (its been on a chair for yonks) also wanted a few drawers in this cabinet to keep current meds in plus oxygen and neb spares (masks tubing cannula etc) so I went on line, try it, you will be absolutely amazed at just how much hospital furniture and equipment cost. Example one bog standard bed side cabinet one straight through drawer cupboard with one shelf with two doors , about 4ft high, 2ft wide 2ft deep, £800, somebodies having a laugh, I know I've been out of the trade for a while but £800, I trawled these sites for about an hour, its a joke