When I think about how many thousands of patients I have seen in the NHS over the years, it really hits home what a brilliant institution the NHS is. I have literally seen sight restored to the blind, the lame walk and heartbeats return – and no-one then crippled by the bill. A national structure for treating the sick, the original model was literally a framework to enable health professionals to get on with their jobs.
This isn’t exactly how most people would describe the framework now. Excessive targets, activity pressures and perverse incentives are undermining the delivery of care. Professionals can feel at times that they have little influence on priorities, the public still struggle to have their opinions heard, and volunteer fundraisers are now threatened with nationalisation. Expertise, pride and goodwill are all being undermined.
I set up the web-based think tank 2020health.org in order to give frontline experience a voice, so I am delighted that the Conservative Party is engaging with both the public and health professionals in a special online ‘Cameron Direct’ devoted to its healthcare policies.
If you go to the Draft Manifesto page you can vote on what questions should be asked to David Cameron about those policies – either by submitting your own question, or rating others. Then on Friday I’ll put the most popular questions to David in a live webcast. There have already been 25,000 votes in the last day or so, so I hope you will have your say too.
This sort of direct exchange has to exist if we are serious about both democracy and improving the NHS and healthcare in the UK. I’m really excited about the public meeting on Friday – not because David will necessarily have all the answers, but because it’s a step towards re-enfranchising all of us who want to see the NHS thrive in the years ahead.
( 17 comments ) Tags: Cameron Direct, nhs
Comment by Buenaventura on January 7, 2010 at 12:45 pm
I’ll be really interested to take part in this.
I have little knowledge of what the Tories really stand for these days, as both main parties seem to have drifted to a middle ground.
I really want to know who I should be voting for in the next election
http://i-remain-to-be-convinced.blogspot.com/
Pingback by Creating a Worldclass Health Service « Stephen Oliver's Blog on January 7, 2010 at 12:53 pm
[...] in all there is much to welcome in the Conservative proposals published yesterday. As Julia Manning suggests on the Blue Blog, you can even make your voice heard on the future of the NHS by submitting or rating questions for [...]
Comment by Barbara Arundel on January 7, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Doctors and nursing staff do a wonderfull job, coping with a very stressfull, badly run organisation. They are understaffed, shortage of beds, equipment, etc. The problem is with all public services, management problems, too many pen pushers. Silly organisations like trusts, who don’t have any idea’s at all. WILL YOU LISTEN. WILL YOU ACT, that is more important
Comment by Dee Speers on January 7, 2010 at 5:37 pm
The biggest problem wiht the NHS are some management teams acting with impunity in the face of passive regulation. sadly, when a report states “this must never happen again” it usually means until the next time when we will review and investigate and reach the conclusion “this must never happen again”
We have had Victoria Climbe, Baby Peter and numerous other children failed. We have seen vulnerable people with learning difficulties failed in Care Homes:
http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/news/news_six_lives.html
We have seen serious mentally ill people being failed at West London mental Health Trust and an Investigation launched just six moths after an excellent rating was awarded!
http://www.cqc.org.uk/preview.cfm?cit_id=35229&FaArea1=customWidgets.content_view_preview
and the Broadmoor Report published 5 years after ‘the incident’. The Report spoke of serious shortcomings at every level of the Trust WLMHT again!
http://www.cqc.org.uk/newsandevents/newsstories.cfm?cit_id=35282&FAArea1=customWidgets.content_view_1&usecache=false
and under the new 2 tier complaints service, thye PHSO can decide which complaints are investigated or not. Despite the PHSO system having public money to the tune of £34m per annum, the death of an inpatient detained ‘for his own safety’ and classified as a ‘never event’ by the National Patient Safety Agency is not deemed enough of a failure by the PHSO. Yet the CEO and Nursing Director, who have been proven to have failed by two investigation Reports, have been seconded on full pay to other public service jobs.The feeling left is “Oops! there goes another one!”How can we feel reassured by this injustice!
Comment by Dee Speers on January 7, 2010 at 5:48 pm
US President Barrack Obama said after the Christmas Day near miss disaster, that the US intelligence teams had the relevant security information “but nobody joined up the dots”. HOORAY for someone telling it like it is and not how it could be. Please can we have a Joined-Up Thinking Commission for NHS Complaints!
“It must never happen again” until the next time it does, when we will review and reach the conclusion “this must never happen again”
Please lets deal with reality and treat us with courtesy in our knowledge that things are dire and must be addressed…..but honestly and fairly please!
The All party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health had public funding to produce a report on mental health in Parliament. Please can we see this being addressed too!
http://www.mind.org.uk/news/2596_mps_not_immune_to_mental_health_problems
C
Pingback by The Blue Blog » Making your voice heard on the NHS Blue by about on January 7, 2010 at 5:58 pm
[...] here: The Blue Blog » Making your voice heard on the NHS tags: atlantic-ocean, clean-water, conservative, full-support, julia, julia-manning, [...]
Comment by Paul Topham on January 7, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Obama handled the security review very well. He was honest with the details and issues.
Here in the UK MPs cannot be trusted. Will they listen. Will they walk the say. Its good to debate the Health agenda, but at the end of the day none of the MPs will listen and lead.
It will be just Party and Career objectives.
There is no real choice. It seems that MPs are lagging behind the times.
Time for Obama Politics in the UK.
Comment by QED on January 8, 2010 at 9:15 am
Every Political Party and Governemnt promise to reform the NHS. All they seem to do is get in Business Consultants, Civil Servants and Managers in to look at new ideas, subsequently bringing in more Red Tape which costs excessive amounts of money.
When are we going to listen and take notice of the people who know the answers and that the Health Professionals(Doctors, Nurses etc) that work in the NHS?
Comment by NHS Pen-Pusher on January 8, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I’m intrigued by the generalisations that seem to litter opinion on the NHS, and appear to be the basis for much of this draft manifesto. Targets are all bad? Patients across England have benefitted siginificantly from the waiting time and referral-to-treatment time reductions that have been target-driven over the last few years. Bureaucracy & Management = Bad, Health Professionals = Good? I can only speak for the Primary Care Trust role in this but they’re there to look after the interests of their local population, commission care from hospitals and health professionals, many of whom (GPs & Dentists) are essentially independent businesses and all are busy enough without having to manage the service too. Like it or not a certain level of management/bureacracy is required, a service as complex as the NHS wouldn’t work without it and I’ll be interested to see which third is going to be cut. I’m sure there is waste, few services on this scale would claim otherwise, but everyone I work with has a clear purpose, and as we’re certainly not here for the money! I suppose what I’m getting at here, is that we shouldn’t indulge in gross generalisation, value the progress that has been made in the NHS, regardless of the policies behind it, acknowledge and seek to build on it and not devalue anyone’s contribution. Also, why are single sex wards such an issue? Society is mixed, and apart from people whose cultural beliefs make it desirable, I can imagine anyone would prioritise this over efficient use of bedspace? Before anyone asks – I’m writing this on my lunch break.
Comment by Joe on January 8, 2010 at 3:10 pm
The NHS, after 13 years of Labour mismanagment, is suffering from bueracratic nonsense and stiffiling targets. My parents work for the NHS and find it extremely difficult to get on with their jobs while being affected by targets and managment buereacracy. Mr Cameron, what will you do to curb Labour’s bogus target craze within the NHS?
Comment by Ron Gobell on January 8, 2010 at 6:01 pm
For many years governments have not prevented or stopped illegal immigrants, health tourists, the obese, drug addicts and binge drinkers obtaining free NHS treatment. Will the next Cameron government legislate to prevent these people getting free treatment? It is costing the NHS and the taxpayers a fortune, it is time to stop freeloaders. I suspect David Cameron will cherry pick the less controversial questions for his replies to questions on his draft manifesto, this one will have no chance.
Comment by P Mason on January 10, 2010 at 12:01 am
Two things: Firstly complete the separation of males/females in wards. Horrible for my late mum in her last days, in a bed with a ‘nappy’ on, in the bed closest to the corridor, with everyone passing through, males included.
Secondly, improve the help available for people trying to give up addictions, including making access to individual therapies like CBT and psychotherapy as opposed to group therapies, or just handing out more drugs. My Dr agrees with this point!
On a lighter, but in a way, just as important, note: lovely as Mr Cameron is, I think he has either been overusing the Oil of Olay or his pic in the new NHS ads has been seriously airbrushed. He looks like Data! When will you people realise that we actually appreciate someone who has a few wrinkles? It adds to their character!!
Comment by Robbo. on January 10, 2010 at 1:08 pm
We have an NHS system that is under extreme pressure for many reasons. Would it not be unrealistic to expect longterm benefit claimants that are looking for work to become community workers for lets say 16 hrs a week, to assist in the NHS by doing the simple but important non medical jobs such as a meeter and greeter in the A&E department to assist the nurses in communicating to patients waiting times etc. assisting nurses on the ward in maybe providing that glass of water or a comforting chat,assist in cleaning and tidying the ward. In doing there 16 hrs they would receive full benefit and a small increase. As we are already paying these people surely it would assist in proping up the NHS and help people back into the working enviroment and carrying out a key role in society, this could be implimented in many government run establishments. Whilst I appretiate we as a society have to support a number of people who cant work for no fault of their own we seem to have too many people that are prepared to sit back and collect assistance with no input to society.We need a strong government that will let people know that there are many community jobs that are an important part in making this country great again and stop the so called “do gooders” who think it is beneath people to go cleaning or assisting to validate their benefit claim.Those who choose not to do the community work would get their benefits cut.
Comment by Peter Gordon on January 10, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Is any effort going to be made to make non UK residents pay for medical treatment and, as in Spain for example, they provide their own interpreters. Perhaps this should also apply to UK residents who have not bothered to learn English
Comment by simon armstrong on July 23, 2010 at 6:16 pm
its time for the talking to stop on the nhs,lets not delude ourselfs the nhs is in a rapid decline,i have some very poor expieriences of this first hand,i have emailed number 10 with the failings with regards my mothers death back in december 2009,and recivced NO response,the care for our elderly is poor,why operate on people then not care for them !!,thats the real nhs.
to much management,all hospitals looking to become foundations,even though there failing there community,and the small guy not getting listened to,then when in years down the line it comes out about the hospital the small guy was shouting about the blame game starts,but it takes years of no listening from goverments.
i have two personal expieriances and the only way i can get redress is to sue !!!,and take money away from the service.
so much for small goverment,if noone listens
Comment by edward on August 31, 2010 at 12:55 pm
The NHS is abused by users. People do not take responsibility for their own health. I see children and adults who are obese and they expect the NHS to resolve a problem of their own making. It is not valued as it is free! The NHS needs to bring in more technology the patients records technology would have saved large sums of money in tthe long term but labour ministers changed the specification on a regular basis sending the cost up. Wireless technology, patients records being written up on tablets etc. core technology able to deal with legacy systems such that docters social services poloice probation service use same system with differebt securuty levels. It is available but there is little political will and as there would be job losses in support staff including IT, it will be opposed by unions and senior management with vested interest in having a large staff.
Comment by Ken on October 28, 2010 at 11:42 am
My wife needs a diagnosis and treatment for a knee problem. Here is an interesting series of events. At the GP surgery, my wife was told that she needed to be referred to a consultant and that the Doctor would write to the hospital. 10 days later we received an appointment booking form from the local hospital with instructions to wait 7 working days before we tried to make an appointment. Even though a password was supplied, we were told it was no possible to book over the web and so a phone call was made to the local hospital. We were told that my wife would be given an appointment, but not so. In fact, we received a phone call 5 days later from another NHS office 25 miles away to tell us that an appointment woud be made for my wife at yet another hospital and she would need to wait for a letter. Does it really take a letter from the Doctor, 2 phone calls and 2 letters from different hospitals to organise an appointment at a 3rd hospital ? Looks like a great waste of resources to me