"We're shut", says hospital as dying stroke victim, 89, turns up at 4.57pm

[Dedworth]

"We're shut", says hospital as dying stroke victim, 89, turns up at 4.57pm on a Friday: Hour's delay taking John to another hospital in the rush hour meant clot-busting drugs were administered too late, says family

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2nxEvTIHQ

Disgraceful

Still no doubt attitudes will change once some of these slackers start getting their P45's

Senior NHS doctors who refuse to work weekends face the sack: Hospitals with poor records could also face fines of up to £12m

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2nxFFF64Y

[Doc Alan]

I don’t comment on individual patients, not least because I don’t know all the facts. However, a stroke is a serious medical condition at ANY age, especially in someone who is already a decade older than the average male life expectancy at birth in the UK.


In 4/5 cases it’s due to a blood “ clot “ stopping the blood supply to part of the brain. “ Clot – busting “ medicine is most likely to be effective within the first four hours of a stroke. But it’s highly unlikely at an advanced age that only ONE artery is diseased. Fatty deposits on arterial walls ( on which clots form ) are likely to be widespread - so there’s a risk of blockage elsewhere, such as heart and leg arteries. Even prompt treatment at this age may not be curative.


In other cases a stroke is due to bleeding, a medical and surgical emergency which requires completely different treatment.


As for “ slackers getting their P45’s “ - sacking consultants who refuse to leave the golf courses at weekends ( who would then do their work ? ) ; fining already cash-strapped hospitals up to £ 12 million ; and not even allowing junior doctors to work in them unless adequately supervised by consultants, are extreme measures ! They are NOT the main points of the plan to drive seven day services across England over the next three years.


Ideally, hospitals should move to a seven day service – not just in England, as proposed, but also the rest of the UK, and elsewhere in the world, like the Philippines.



Nobody, least of all doctors, disputes that ! NHS England’s National Medical Director ( Sir Bruce Keough ) recommends new clinical standards for urgent and emergency care that all patients should expect seven days a week.


There ARE increasing numbers of doctors being trained in the UK. Persuading them to enter unpopular / shortage specialties is another matter ( which is why 1/3 UK doctors qualified abroad ).


Keogh and others DO also realise the need for “ support “ services - like imaging ( not just X-rays ) ; laboratory ( blood tests, biopsies, transfusions ) ; physiotherapy ; pharmacy ; specialist and general nursing ; operating theatres ; administrative and clerical support. A fully integrated seven days service must also cover primary and community care.


Not as “ headline grabbing “ as making “ lazy overpaid consultants “ work harder, of course, but with cost implications. This may be through increased general taxation ; “ hypothecated “ ( dedicated ) health service tax ; insurance ; direct payments ; or a combination.


It could be the lack of response to this thread is because the topic has been raised before, and also Christmas is round the corner. Many people WILL be working over the “ holiday “ period, not just health workers. We should be grateful to them .

[andy222]

Its amazing how these things come to light under a cost cutting tory government. I for one will be working over the christmas period like many others have to.

[Dedworth]

Did we have 7 day Consultants under Labour Andy?

[andy222]

There has always been consultants available 7 days a week for emergencies. There is one fact the waiting times were a lot better under Labour.

[joebloggs]

dedworth, if consultants only work 5 days a week, who's looking after the patients from 5pm Friday night til 9am Monday morning ?

i'll tell you FY1 and FY2 doctors, yes they are not consultants but also ST (specialist trainee's) and GPST's some with many years of experience (upto 7years for some ST's) also you have specialist nurses and as Andy has said consultants on call.

[gWaPito]

We're shut, says hospital as dying stroke victim, 89, turns up at 4.57pm on a Friday: Hour's delay taking John to another hospital in the rush hour meant clot-busting drugs were administered too late, says family

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2nxEvTIHQ

Disgraceful

Still no doubt attitudes will change once some of these slackers start getting their P45's

Senior NHS doctors who refuse to work weekends face the sack: Hospitals with poor records could also face fines of up to £12m

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2nxFFF64Y

The National Health Service "became too powerful to criticise" with even the most senior staff afraid of speaking out despite millions of patients receiving a "wholly unsatisfactory" service from GPs and hospitals, the official regulator has said.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/nhs-39-too-...8.html#0ggKVXI

[joebloggs]

"There is an obsession. It's crazy to have a Secretary of State doing that. Of course he's doing it, because he's held accountable "

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/nhs-39-too-...8.html#0ggKVXI

since when has any politician been held accountable for their results or lack of ? the only time they are sacked is when they do something dodgy

it looks to me politicians are making everyone else accountable for their actions and results but not themselves

[Doc Alan]

No one at the “ top “ of the NHS is ever accountable for anything ! “ Leaders “ carry out the orders of politicians as interpreted by civil servants. Politicians only respond when forced to do so in response to public enquiries. Keough is a heart surgeon, but you don’t get to be a professor and have a knighthood for operating 7 days a week – he doesn’t.


England’s current Secretary of State for Health has been in post since September 2012. He may be bright, but he can’t possibly have the depth of experience to make quality judgements on the NHS. In any case, he only claims responsibility for England. Out of total annual UK expenditure on healthcare of around £ 143 billion ( less than 10% of GDP ) England’s share is about £ 100 billion.


Health matters have been devolved to the Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Assembly, and Scottish Parliament since before 2000. Members living in these parts of the UK must look on with bemusement ( if not boredom ) at English health politics ! Our Filipino friends also look on with envy - the Philippines annual total health expenditure is P 43 billion ( just over £ 600 million ) ; less than 4% of GDP and less than half paid by the government .



Now I’m retired, I’m STILL accountable for what I say on this Forum, just as I was during a working lifetime in hospitals. The buck stopped with me for a quarter century as a consultant. But I prefer to offer advice on health issues, which some may find helpful, than get bogged down in politics .

[gWaPito]

Our Filipino friends also look on with envy - the Philippines annual total health expenditure is P 43 billion ( just over £ 600 million ) ; less than 4% of GDP and less than half paid by the government .

I prefer to offer advice on health issues, which some may find helpful, than get bogged down in politics .

Excellent post Alan. Although it's no consolation for those who've been personally affected by what been happening in the NHS I wouldn't swap my health service with any other in the world.

I watched a programme on cancer drugs last week. ..there's drugs out there what can save lives but, if you can't afford to pay for them, you die. ..All this is happening in the USA The pharmaceutical companies have a strangle hold and there's nothing the ordinary Joe can do about it.
Much like the greens here in the UK they've got their fingers in everything. .even the top office. ..it's disgraceful