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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Jul 2010 : 18:54:07
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Just a question of time!
There must be plenty of staff presently employed in the 10 Strategic Health Authorities and 150 Primary care Trusts who will be a bit concerned about the announcement in Parliament today.
If some of them get new jobs in the G.P. practices,the surgeries will be bursting at the seams. |
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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2010 : 22:04:21
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Rabbit do you think that this is a coalition positive as difficult decisions have to be made or a theoretical move that will fail in practice?
With your experience of friends working in the NHS, do you think it is a just decision to focus only on the Wynyard Hospital?
Do you think that the Wynyard Hospital is a feasible goal?
What are your views on the current Hartlepool Hospital?
I would just like to consider your views on these questions in parallel with your input on the changes being considered for the PCT's. |
Edited by - Christine Blakey on 13 Jul 2010 22:10:10 |
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Tom
Occasional Contributor
36 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 08:51:01
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| If the PCTs are dumped for good I will be very happy. Also, I see absolutely nothing good about a couple of hundred thousand people from Hartlepool and North tees areas having to lose their hospitals and go to Wynyard which has a very small number of people there. The Hartlepool MP is intent on us losing our hospital, but what does he know about anythging, take a quick look at his past record and see what he has done for Hartlepool. I have to laugh when he keeps repeating the words "Hartlepool is a deprived area", as if it is an award of merit that we should strive to keep. He is seen as being like Mandy where everything he lays his hands on turns immediately to scrap and debris. |
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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 11:42:08
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I was going past the street where Iain Wright's surgery is. I noted the slogan about being 'wright for the town'. Then looking at the street next to his surgery, I have to say that he could support his neighbours a little and encourage tidiness and pride. I am sure some people are not interested in where they live though I feel to consider a neighbourhood, there is nothing wrong in making it nice where as everything is wrong with making it a mess!
I am considering sending a letter asking him if there is anything that can be done to tidy up that street. Maybe my expectations are too high but there is no harm in wanting Hartlepool to be proud. It would not take very much to sort some things out, just attention and genuine concern? |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 16:22:44
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Rabbit do you think that this is a coalition positive as difficult decisions have to be made or a theoretical move that will fail in practice?
Answer: Getting rid of the present structure of Regional Health Authorities and the underlying Primary Care Trusts does appear to me a step too far. There are problems and inefficiencies with the present system, but rather than move eighty percent of local funding control over to the General Practitioners, it would be preferable to improve what we already have. General Practitioners may be willing to take on the extra work, but it seems as though other health providers such as pharmacists, dentists, hospital specialists, ambulances, health visitors etc will also wish to have some input into the new arrangement. We all ready have this potential in the current PCTs. If the proposal is accepted, GPs will need to take on more admin staff (probably some from the PCTs), thus more preparation work/building work may be necessary, all adding to the total cost.
With your experience of friends working in the NHS, do you think it is a just decision to focus only on the Wynyard Hospital?
Answer: It depends who is doing the focusing. The Darzi plan seemed to be the way forward as it utilised the existing, not very old hospitals in a more efficent manner. However, when the offer came for a new state of the art hospital to match that South of the Tees, it seemed a positive move. Was Darzi given the option of a new hospital build? (Is it better to buy a new car or repair your old one?)
The cost of the new hospital at 460 million pounds represented a cost of about 1300 pounds for each patient in its catchment area (350,000 people), No doubt that construction figure is optimistic, but it doesn`t seem a lot of money as a capital sum to spend for a modern hospital provision
If it can be salvaged, all well and good, but if not, the recommendations of Darzi should be adhered to. The government could spend a small portion of the money saved on Wynyard to upgrade our own hospital.
North Tees at 11 miles from our town is just too far and impractical.
Do you think that the Wynyard Hospital is a feasible goal?
Answer: I`ve sort of answered that above, but also make the comment that the North East Health Authority and the Stockton PCT and Hartlepool PCTs (now renamed) must have spent money, time and effort in planning for Wynyard. They got kicked in the teeth by the announcement of the Wynyard no-build. They have further got kicked by the announcement of the shutting down of their own units. There is nothing I can see in any of their websites regarding the Wynyard Hospital scrapping. I guess they may be keeping their heads down! I cannot see either any mention of what we can look forward to regarding hospital provision in the future.
What are your views on the current Hartlepool Hospital?
Answer: It works.
I would just like to consider your views on these questions in parallel with your input on the changes being considered for the PCT's.
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Mea Culpa
Occasional Contributor
42 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 19:41:14
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With reference to doctors having total responsibility for patients and staff and the current (politically motivated) furore;
How come people simply accepted Head Teachers being tasked with not only a teaching role but also then tasked with the budgets for their school?
Apart from the teaching and staff aspect, they now look after budgets for school fabric mtce., grounds mtce., school dinners etc.
Where was the great outcry when that lot was forced on the Heads by the labour Govt.?
There wasn't one, because it made sense, and they have managed admirably.
If Head Teachers can micro manage the schools in this town, doctors can micro manage their surgeries across the town.
At £150,000 per annum, per doctor,(and practice nurses adopting more and more of the doctors role in the surgery), I don't believe it is too onerous a task for them.
The problem with the PCTs (and all of the other quango's, so beloved of the labour party trotskyists) is that they are filled with non producing chief executives, asst. chief execs, directors, asst. directors, senior managers, assistant managers, ad infinitum.
It is only the bottom layer that actually does anything!
I feel confident that doctors will rise to the challenges ahead and those that can't (or won't) should have to face what everyone would face in the real world......the boot!!
In this time of massive debt. (thanks gordon, for selling our gold reserves at rock bottom price, within 2 months of coming into office ..lower case on purpose...he doesn't deserve a capital letter..he and his cabal disgust me), we MUST live within our means (as all householders have to).
I am sure that once we are 5-8 years down the road and the Govt. finances are secure, we WILL be building schools for the future.
At this moment in time, we MUST 'make do and mend', as our grandchildren certainly won't thank us for saddling THEM with the trillions of Pounds of debt. |
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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 20:17:49
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Thank you very much Rabbit, your answers are really appreciated.
Mea Culpa, thank you too. |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 21:05:29
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I expect that the BMA will press for salary increases for the GPs if they take on work which is at present done by others.
Also the presentation by the Minister to Parliament inferred that the improvement for the health of the population will transfer from the PCTs to the local authorities- I assume this means our local councils.
No comment. |
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Mate_of_Wilf
Frequent Contributor
401 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 21:43:55
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Motion to Council - Funding for New Hospital
To consider the following motion which has been submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.1 by Councillor Beall:-
This Council expresses its deep disappointment at the decision of the Government to cancel the Treasury funding for the new hospital designed to replace the North Tees and Hartlepool University Hospitals. Council agrees with clinicians, NHS Stockton & Hartlepool (formerly PCTs), North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and other health bodies that the current Momentum strategy, developed and planned over several years, to provide both a new hospital and health facilities closer to communities is the right one - and that the new hospital is an integral part of that strategy.
Council notes that the Health Secretary, in answer to a parliamentary question on Tuesday 29 June asking him if he agreed with the strategy, did not dismiss it but said that he would expect a Foundation Trust to use the freedoms it has, and should not ask the Department of Health to meet the whole capital cost of whatever it proposes. This council therefore calls upon, and supports in doing so, the NHS Foundation Trust, other health bodies and local MPs to work together with the Government and the private sector to secure alternative finance to deliver the new hospital for our communities.
This was debated tonight by STOCKTON Borough Council |
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Christine Blakey
Frequent Contributor
1206 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2010 : 22:36:40
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I would really like to hear in these statements why the current hospital is simply disappearing. Why no retention plan for our current hospital?
For someone who has not been involved, as a resident of Hartlepool, I would like discussion to at least highlight why the current hospital is not an option. It is as if it doesn't even exist when it is currently delivering a stripped down range of services to the area. |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2010 : 11:02:25
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Some figures:
BBC News shows that the cost of the NHS reorganisation will mean 1.7 billion pounds being put aside this year to pay for extra costs involved.This will,according to the Minister result in savings in years to come.
see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10647910
Note that the present management costs in the NHS are 1.85 billion, the total NHS budget is over 100 billion pounds, so management costs less than 2 percent of this.
All companies require management of some sort or another. What is important is that there is is value for money and that management is efficient in its role. Whether the proposed system will deliver all this is not certain.It should save money,but as to efficency we do not know.
The new structure in the proposed new management system is shown in the report. Also to be added to that is the local council`s (eg HBS) new role in local health.
The cost of the Wynyard Hospital was 460 million. A similar sum for a new hospital development in Liverpool has been confirmed by the Minister. This was announced by the previous government last March, as was the Wynyard, but the development has now been definitely approved this June "because the trusts proved their case fully".see Liverpool Echo at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10647910
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
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rabbit
Occasional Contributor
84 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2010 : 15:02:32
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A little rant (rant I said!):
The links above show that a Liverpool hospital new build is going forward wheras ours isn`t.
I`m not being jealous of Liverpool regarding this. (they`ve got their own issues). They and two other PCTs have justified their new hospital in a better way than did our own PCT..
Cameron and his government had promised the country severe cut backs, so while they also promised to ring-fence the NHS, they are still trying to make some savings.
And where else to do it by using the bandwagon of "too many managers."?
I will say at this point I am not, nor ever have worked in the NHS
I am just having a rant.
In effect, the 0.5 billion pounds Wynyard would have cost will be used to fund the 1.7 billion pounds (plus?) required to reorganise the NHS. Without proof it will work.
On another note, which is sort of linked, is that Liverpool, like other areas, has been hit by the cancellation of the School rebuilding programme.
Mr.Cameron is delivering a speech in Liverpool round about now I think on the Big Society. There will also be protests there about the closure of the School building programme.
What happened to "Education, Education, Education"? Yes I know this was Blair`s mantra, but money has been stuffed into the Education system, and now the new Prime Minister wants it back (while ring fencing Education of course).
So it`s back to asphalting the leaking school roofs again! Anyone wants to volunteer? Unless perhaps we can build a new "green" school with a roof that cuts down on heat losses etc. One is just opening in Darlington.
And round and round it goes! |
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snowy
Frequent Contributor
161 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jul 2010 : 21:25:37
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I'd like to know, when they show these pictures of 70's schools with their multitude of defects, why they class such buildings as 'old' and why they're in such a state of chronic disrepair to begin with...? If we applied the same rules to housing there'd be an uproar. Fact is that there's only two reasons for this sorry state of affairs ...the buildings were badly designed and constructed, or ..... they have just not been properly maintained because from personal experience, people in authority can always find something 'better' to do with their money than something as boring as maintenance ...and then they wonder why their shools is falling apart before their eyes ...Doh! |
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angela
Occasional Contributor
47 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jul 2010 : 10:34:10
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Is anyone aware of any of our elected representaives calling for the services lost to North Tees to be brought back to our Hospital?
Or, to put it another way, are ANY of our elected representatives actually speaking for us? |
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Wynyard/Hartlepool Hospital Issue
