NHS woes

Cracking cartoon as always 

Think we are too quick to criticise and judge. We forget that the NHS is FREE to use (mainly) and their budgets are squeezed more and more, yet patient numbers are on the increase.

Nothing but praise for my fathers care during his final 2 months at my local hospital. but then horror stories emerge from the same hospital all the time.

Its easy to criticise and mock those trying their hardest to care for the ever increasing masses, but do we ever hear of any feel good stories, or NHS staff who go above and beyond every day? Their care and compassion is limitless yet they must be feeling pretty pi**ed off for all the bad press.

To those honest, hard working members of the NHS, I salute you and thanks for all you do 

Jan - had to explain HJ to Rachael - thanks for making me feel old !!!
 

OK, guilty - I too had to ask the question  Didn't realise that was her surname, ohhhhh matron 

image courtesy of wikipedia

Blimey, Jan getting political on us  

I've seen two sides to the NHS. Having nippers and some of the complications they had along with their mother during birth, then the NHS were outstanding. The previous NHS Direct helpline and the current A&E care have been exceptional. To be honest from GP's to minor injuries clinics, or seeing an out of hours doctor, the system seems to have worked incredibly well, from weekends to out of hours crisis.

I think a lot of the problem from what I see is people just turn up at A&E for trivia or stuff that can wait. Phone the helpline first and get an advice, see a GP, book an out of hours appointment if you are concerned but its not an emergency, normally run by the local hospital and takes the pressure off A&E. Common sense will dictate if you really need to phone 999. If you don't then then phone the 111 helpline.

But where the NHS does fall down IMHO, and only from what I've seen with family members ties in with what Jans saying. For older relatives care and compassion has been missing sometimes. Communication flow has been poor, which breeds distress. Some younger nursing staff can come over as condescending or patronising. Old folk can be hard work and cantankerous, but training needs to be able to deal with this. Imported night staff that can barely speak English hardly help things. Then worse, older folk getting shunted into a nursing hope to free up a bed while they convalesce but still need hospital care before going home, only for it to be a hellhole resulting in them getting readmitted in a worse state.

It seems to me that in ever increasing demands on the NHS as a whole, it is at the end of the lifecycle where care seems to be the worst, and which everyone concedes is consistently growing as we live longer. We should all be proud of the NHS and staff that work there, but a rethink is needed for how we fund and manage geriatric care, whilst ensuring dignity and compassion. Its going to need a lot more cash from somewhere, no doubt from all of us, but also needs a radical change in thinking, not just a blank chequebook.

Whoops, humour to politics! I blame Jan 

Think Clive and Steve said it all and balanced it up, wouldn't swap our NHS for any other medical health service.

Yes, health care in other places in the world can be wonderful...if you pay a premium and are able too! if not then tough you're screwed! Have lots of positive things to say regards the care my family and my parents over the years from excellent GP to caring hospital staff, the cartoon is just a wry smile thrown into the mix!.....Guessing it's just you and I Clive then who remember Hattie!