http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22767241 - that is an article saying that the NHS needs to be more brave in deciding which services to cut.
So - my question is - if you were in a position to be making that decision what services would you do away with?
I'd be cutting out gastric bands for one, time for people to take responsibility for their own actions. Likewise smoking related illnesses.
IVF.
Home help for fatties.
Anything that happened at a trail centre.
That's got to save hundreds.
Obviously anyone on benefits, twice the savings there to be had!
I'd kill every third pensioner that turned up. Thus reducing the care and treatment bill, and also providing some excitement in their dull confused lives, with a game of state sponsored Russian Roulette
Its a win win
Not an NHS service as such but I would chop WRVS (or RVS as they are now called)
The well meaning but bumbling old ladies never, ever, seem to get the hang of operating the tills. They also occupy some of the most profitable retail space available which could be better used to return more money to the hospital.
Other than that I struggle to think of anything that wont make me sound all Daily Mail!
I'd be cutting out gastric bands for one, time for people to take responsibility for their own actions.
Your problem there is you will then spend more treating their weight related illnesses than the cost of the gastric band surgery!
I'd be cutting out gastric bands for one, time for people to take responsibility for their own actions. Likewise smoking related illnesses.
But both your ideas would end up costing the NHS more money...
Your problem there is you will then spend more treating their weight related illnesses than the cost of the gastric band surgery!
Not if you cut spending on treatment of obesity related illness you wont.
you can save a fortune by getting rid of all of the anesthetists and just getting everybody to MTFU.
But both your ideas would end up costing the NHS more money...
Lets simplify then - healthcare for fatties and smokers
Edit: and if your ever abusive towards staff, you're out too.
extraordinary rendition to somewhere that does really cheap surgery ?I'd be cutting out gastric bands for one, time for people to take responsibility for their own actions.Your problem there is you will then spend more treating their weight related illnesses than the cost of the gastric band surgery!
What about drinkers and junkies?
time for people to take responsibility for their own actions.
Does that included banning treatment for idiots who fall of their bikes? 😉
Would you therefore cut spending on all weight related illness, including anorexia?
If the suggestion is that people choose to be fat, you could apply that to people who crash cars, fall of bikes, burn themselves on a barbecue................................... all of these people have an element of choice.
Why not just privatise the NHS. The greater the level of risk you expose yourself to, the higher your insurance premiums.
I'd cut the tiers of 'management' for one - there's bound to be a few roles that we could do without - consultancy gets the same treatment.
Maybe we should make them ask random people on the street if costs sound daft or not before approving projects - "£xxxm for an extention to the bosses office ok? .... no? .... declined!".
The best thing IMO would be allow people to finish their own life.
The NHS spends a fortune keeping people alive for longer with very little quality of life. Let people end their life when they want, and save a fortune.
I'd cut the tiers of 'management' for one - there's bound to be a few roles that we could do without - consultancy gets the same treatment.I am so glad your not an NHS manager! Tiers of management have been cut from the NHS. Most clanicians I speak to say this has gone too far to the extent that now clinicans are spending time do management, as opposed to doing their clinical roles. Plus the fact that they have little/no management experience. So come up with a more realistic cheap attack please 😆
Stop free boob jobs~ they're milking the system
Get rid of the homeopaths
Homeopathy.
Edit: and psychics.
How about getting rid of half these "managers" that do sweet FA on the wards.
Seriously I wonder how much of the NHS huge wage bills are taken by middle management.
sweepy - MemberGet rid of the homeopaths
which would also add costs to the NHS...
Choosing to be fat is never likely to work out well, choosing to drive will generally be ok, choosing to do exercise probably shouldn't be frowned upon even if it goes wrong now n again, burning yourself on a BBQ means either MTFU or removal of their Man Card
I would do away with free prescriptions here in Scotland. I can afford to pay for mine, if I couldn't then I would probably be exempt anyway. That would be a huge saving.
Get rid of interpreters and producing documents in 27 different languages. It is a UK service that should only work in English. You dont expect english version of everything in french or spanish hospitals so why in UK ones?
I would also nationalise the GP service so GP's are paid to see patients and not run their own businesses.
Why not just privatise the NHS.
The more time I spend in the NHS the less I think that privatisation would be a bad thing.
It's all arse about face; we should be aiming to provide the best care that we can, not attempting to save money on healthcare.
There will come a time in all of your futures when you will appreciate why.
Why not just privatise the NHS. The greater the level of risk you expose yourself to, the higher your insurance premiums.
I think we'd find a refreshing honesty on the insurance application forms...
Qu: Do you participate in any extreme sports?
A: Y, Mountain Biking
Response: Gnarl factor 9, High risk of trauma.
Qu: Do you post regularly on STW?
A: Y
Response: Gnarl factor 1, High risk of obesity, RSI, high blood pressure, ostriches. Low risk of trauma.
which would also add costs to the NHS...
No it wouldn't, you could just give out water, with a bit of credible mumbo jumbo. Any minimum wage fool could do that.
we should be aiming to provide the best care that we can, not attempting to save money on healthcare.
...but...reviewing how to pay for it.
Get rid of all the 'made up' admin / managerial jobs that are there to analyse figures that another made up department has created.
Let the clinicians / Drs / Nurses to get on with fixing / doing the medicial stuff and spending the majority of their time not filling out forms and reporting on made up subjective targets.
Choosing to be fat is never likely to work out well
Unless if you are one of those large women who get paid to sit on men.
Or a sumo wrestler
Its not Service cuts that are needed. It's slack, inept, multi layered management structures that need streamlined.
Get Gerry Robinson onto the case
Breast enlargements and other vanity operations. Plastic surgery should be there for people who have been disfigured or to correct a defect.
The right to end your life if you are of sound mind. I couldn't imagine anything worse than been locked in a body that no longer functions and us a burden on my loved ones.
Managers!!
I bet there's a manager for every aspect involved in the NHS, and they have to answer to another manager who reports to another for three or four layers until it reaches the main man.
Where Mrs J works, not the NHS but the Civil Service, there are folks who are "Managers" who keep a diary which the staff also do to progress work on time. Of course all management positions are "Ring-fenced" whenever cut-backs are going through, so you get rid of the staff.
The problem with medical cutbacks is that they often sound reasonable to people until they directly effect either you or your nearest and dearest. Medical advancements have been amazing since the start of the NHS. There are now so many treatments available(and to spend money on) that were not even dreamed of and cures which have kept people alive even longer(to suffer other expensive illnesses). Sadly it's now becoming a victim of its own success and becoming unaffordable. When I say unaffordable, what I mean is unaffordable unless the populous at large is prepared to elect a government that increases taxation even more to pay for it, or we choose another method of paying for it like a privatised system with some winners and lot more losers.
I'd hate to be the person that gets to make these choices in real life.
An axe through management and their band 5/6 PAs oh and PA assistants.
Bring back on call GPs 24/7
Increase the treat to relieve symptoms of long term conditions rather than people hanging on with little existence. Although that is finally on a snowball.
Stop stupid target times that invoke fines far too many pointless targets.
Stop free prescriptions for those on benefits unless it's their illness that means they can't work.
Hospital meals - if I'm sick I go right off my food, and if I'm healthy they're not appetising anyway.
If we're cutting out treatment on self-inflicted issues like smoking-related or obesity-related diseases, we'll probably save a fortune on mountainbikers' broken bones too.
Personally... We extend end-of-life and IMO we do it because we can, without asking enough whether we should. My grandma outlived herself- her body was well looked after but for the last years she wasn't there at all. I don't believe she'd have allowed that to happen had she known. My grandad refused care and died on his terms, dementia took that option from my grandma. But I have absolutely no idea how this can be dealt with morally, ethically, medically...
I'd sack all administrative staff that are only there to facilitate government driven NHS overhauls
All maternity services! Less babies being born = less patients to treat in the future.
binners - Member
I'd kill every third pensioner that turned up
I think they already do that 🙂
While I have some sympathy for the guys saying 'no treatment for fatties or smokers' it does point to an attitude of 'no treatment for anyone whose problem could be deemed to have been caused by themselves' ie a huge percentage of people in hospital. So in a car crash do we treat the victim, but not the guy who caused the crash? Or neither of them, they shouldn't have got into their cars in the first place coz they're dangerous.
😀 @ no anaesthetists MTFU comment
IMHO services do not need to be cut. There are so many efficiency savings that can be made that would save substantial sums of money.
A couple of examples;
1) Patient comes in to hospital with some strips of pills - some of them complete. All these are put in the bin and replacements prescribed. They come to leave - any unused medication is binned and replacements prescribed to take home. Costs a fortune in binned drugs.
2) Wards have special bins for clinical waste. Quite often these well outnumber bins for normal waste so patients and nurses alike use the most conveniently placed bin whether for meant for clinical waste or not. I have done a fag packet calculation for the ward where my wife works - they have 8 clinical waste bins emptied at least once a day = £360 per day. 4 wards on her unit = £1440 per day or over £500k per year. Better use and management of clinical waste disposal you could probably get this down by a half. £250k saving on one hospital unit alone.
3) Staffing levels. Most wards have to bring in bank workers as they simply do not have enough staff on the wards. They could employ a 2 more full time nurses for the amount they pay for 1 bank nurse. Employ more full time, contracted staff not less = savings (also less staff off sick due to stress etc so even less need for bank workers).
4) Delays in discharging patients - quite often a patient is due to be discharged on x day but due to delays in getting prescriptions sorted, seeing this specialist or that before leaving, care plans not being finalised they stay in a extra night or 2 - at £400 per night. I had an operation privately and was in for the absolute minimun I was medically required to be there. My wife reckons had I been NHS I would have been there another 3 days or so. Getting patients out on time but safely could saving £millions.
There are so many of these seemingly small improvements that could run up to £millions of savings. May be I should do some proper research in to it!
Cheers
Danny B
I'd sack all administrative staff that are only there to facilitate government driven NHS overhauls
So how would you overhaul things then?
Get rid of the fat cats,
no bonuses,
manage stock efficiently,
quality control of contractors to ensure that they are fulfilling their role,
cut the red tape involved in buying cheaper stuff,
reduce the current in defibrilators.