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Shame you are not going to get a sensible reform of NHS provisions from any of the parties. Who wants to campaign in a constituency after closing "a badly needed local hospital"

Well PFI will drain many trusts of funds for the next few decades so those with older hospitals will be forced to close as they will be the least cost option. The Coalition were both against PFI before the election seem to favour them again so expect further waste of money to balance the books as it will leave the debts to future governments.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-14746114



What? I mean, how...? I don't understand. How does this even begin to happen?

Not difficult really. A serious road accident alone could cost a trust a couple of hundred thousand pounds for one person, with surgery and rehabilitation, intensive care. I am surprised that trusts are not run on a much larger basis, say county wide. They might have some benefits in terms of some back office savings and procurement but that would mean getting rid of locally elected trustees. I do not care who runs them as long as it stays public and is well run. That could mean a private management team who get a fee for running the service with penalties and bonuses. It might get rid of some waste especially at the top of some trusts.

In 20 or 30 years' time, I agree. Doing it right now would be just ridiculously foolish.

Hospitals are becoming more and more specialised, which means GPs are taking on more and more roles. However, this politician Crisp also thinks that nurses should replace GPs. This'll mean that if you want to see a doctor, it's going to pretty difficult. Especially if my sister's recent experience was anything to go by - knee pain and swelling after exercise. Went to the surgery, seen by the Nurse Practitioner because couldn't get to see a doctor. Told it was arthritis and had blood tests done, except that she forgot to check the boxes for the arthritis blood tests! Told my sister that everything was normal, and there was nothing that could be done. I told my sister to come home, had one quick look at her knee, diagnosed prepatellar bursitis, advised her of the appropriate management and her knee has almost fully healed. If that's any indication of the future, I'm treating myself and staying away from the surgery!

Itr does not have to be done badly. The problem is that the NHS is being privatised but via private companies cherry picking the profitable services and avoiding the costly parts like A&E. Yet the core costs of the NHS will rocket once the plums are privatised and there is little competition left. The problem now is that many trusts budgets are already in trouble because of past PFI projects.

was also NHS CEO, and is now a paid consultant for one of our rivals in healthcare architecture.

Could the lack of money perhaps be down to the lining of some people's nests I wonder?

At least in Soviet Russia the corruption was above board, as it were.

Why doesn't everyone know a cloaked_wolf who can fix up their knee, in the same way everyone knows "a techi guy" that can fix up their PC

Because it takes five years of medical school and a minimum of two years postgraduate training to be of any use to anyone. Remember, it's expensive to make doctors!