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More Reality III - The NHS Nine
R. Alex Whitlock
A couple weeks ago, Sammler used GoogleNews to
illustrate a point:
This persistent idea that the socialized systems of Europe offer superior healthcare is simply an ahistorical folly. On a day of your choice, just search GoogleNews for "NHS" to taste the fate of those dependent on government care. I chose today, and found...
I said that I would do it the next week, but I fell asleep at the wheel so he did it
again.
This time I made sure not to forget, so here I go. In the interest of fairness, I am going to highlight the first nine* articles, whether they are positive or negative (in cases where there are "related" articles I will take the first one before moving on to the next big headline):
- Top chiefs discuss debt-ridden NHS (The Scotsman) "The extent of measures being taken by debt-ridden NHS trusts in efforts to balance their books was disclosed in a poll of NHS chief executives."
- Hospitals on critical list as NHS cash crisis spirals (Times of London) "THE full scale of the crisis facing the NHS was laid bare last night by ministers who admitted that up to 50 trusts had lost control of their finances."
- NHS trust is blasted for £35,000 PR exercise (The Scotsman) "THE debt-crippled NHS Lanarkshire trust has been labelled an "absolute disgrace" after spending almost £35,000 on spin doctors to soften the blow of a casualty unit's closure."
- New Hospital a Step Closer, Say Bosses (Hemel Today) "Health chiefs have signed an agreement setting out the terms on which land will be bought for a new hospital in Hatfield."
- Minister reveals new NHS research strategy (Financial Times) "A new research strategy for the National Health Service was launched by the government yesterday. It includes a "radical shake-up of the way research is funded" and measures to "tackle the increasing red-tape that is stifling research"."
- NHS figures show wait times fall (BBC) "The latest NHS figures released by the Welsh Assembly Government have shown a fall in waiting times. The figures show that in the past month, the number of people waiting more than 12 months for inpatient or day-care treatment fell by 29%."
- Patients 'failed' as six hundred beds blocked every day, say Tories (icWales) "THE Welsh Assembly Government has been accused of failing patients as it emerged more than 600 hospital beds are unavailable on any given day."
- KPMG slams NHS managers (Financial Director) "KPMG has found that NHS managers' capabilities were 'inadequate' to turn around the dire financial situations of their organisation, according to the latest report from Department of Health finance director Richard Douglas."
- City to get new health services (BBC) "New GP surgeries, health centres and clinics are to open in Wolverhampton. The city is one of only six areas in the country to benefit from millions of pounds of government investment."
* - It was originally going to be ten, but the tenth was a press release from the opposition Conservative Party, which does not qualify as "news" in my book. Neither does the nurse staffing come-on that was next. Besides... NHS Nine has a ring to it.
Observations
Wonder what the stats are here for people waiting more than a year for their appointments?
I suppose that the NHS, by gathering these damning statistics on itself, may be making itself look even worse than it actually is.
However, one must also bear in mind that the NHS hospitals are aware of the benchmarks to be used, and have in many cases been accused of shortchanging service to improve benchmarks (e.g., disqualifying hip-replacement patients to shorten the apparent waiting list).
The British police -- since they are answerable to Westminster, more than to any local constituency -- have a similar problem; in this case the symptom is artificially lowering crime rates by making it harder for officers or citizens to officially report a crime.
"That government governs best which governs least" is actually a pun, since "least" can also validly mean "the smallest constituency".
As the saying goes, "Tell me how a man is measured, and I will tell you how he behaves"... or something to that effect.
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