Woody - actually I was a crap manager - hence I went back to shop floor work.
The simple thing is you get what you pay for. We don't pay top money - we don't get a top service.
When labour came to power NHS got under 8% of GDP. Its now around 9%. Germany and France have over 10% of gdp in their healthcare sytem. USA 16% + ( the figures in that graph above are lower than I have seen quoted elsewhere but eh comparison remain valid)
Some of the extra spending went on improving salaries that had fallen well behind, some on buildings and equipment, some on improvements to care.
The NHS is in a far better state for this extra money but if we want a service that matches Germany and France then we need to spend as much money. If we want to spend less money than similar nations then we have to accept a lower standard of service.
While there is waste in the NHS it is hard to eliminate in an organisation of this size and whilst the sums are huge the percentages are not. Elimination of waste is very difficult to do 100% and even if it was we are talking about such a small % of the budget as to make no significant difference. Thee is no way the % savings that the tories say are there can be made without service reductions.
So those of you that want to cut the budget - which areas of care do you want cut?
Transplant surgery? Very expensive and outcomes are not great.
cognitive enhancers for people with Dementia? Again very expensive and needs to be supervised by consultant psychiatrists. The patients are going to die anyway.
Health promotion? Several people on this thread mock the health promoters but all the research shows that this is actually cost effective. Stop one person having a heart attack and you save tens of thousands in treatment and care.
How about the provision of new technology for diabetics? 20+ years ago they got reusable glass syringes with thick reusable needles. Now there are all sorts of clever gadgets that make life easier for them and in some cases make the difference between independence and not. No great change to outcomes for the extra spend but a reduction in complications in the long term and a big difference in quality of life.
treatment for junkies? it is known that every £ spent on treating junkies £7 is saved in the criminal justice system
so - please let us know what clinical areas you want to cut - or how else you will save the money you want to save.
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