It was officially announced on this evening's London Tonight that the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich is on of the worst hospitals in London for the superbug C-Diff.
And to think there are potential cuts to staffing being disussed. Words fail me.
A spot the link competition sprang to mind this morning as I quickly browsed through the online Sunday papers, and spotted the top story on the Telegraph's website. The government have constantly waved the banner of lower waiting lists as being their one big major success within the NHS.
However, it appears that other factors are playing a major part in that number reduction with, as the opening paragraph states: "Record numbers of Britons are flying abroad for medical treatment to escape NHS waiting lists and the rising threat of hospital superbugs."
So that would explain the reduced waiting lists statistics, no wanting to wait on them.
For years we have had to put up with the Labour spin that "the Tories will privatise the NHS". Well, after looking at today's front page of The Times, I think the general publice should finally realise the damage this government has caused.
The story's opening paragraph reads: "Family doctors have been warned that unless they agree to open at evenings and on Saturdays, private companies will be contracted to take over their practices."
So after cocking up the GP's contract in the first place, they now threaten them with privitisation. And who do you think will suffer? You got it, us the patients!
NHS reforms:
Conservative Definition
Scrap unnecessary league tables, and government targets. Eliminate bureaucracy, red tape, and the endless amounts of administrative tasks caused by the "top down" targets. This will also have the knock-on result of giving more money to Doctors and nurses to provide a better health service. In addition, stop wasting money on failed IT initiatives, and supply a system that is fit for purpose.
Labour Definition
Impose target after target, and put enverything in a league table which will require an extra adminstrative team. Close hospitals, and claim that the hospital is "specialising" its services. Or, just close A&E departments, and scale down maternity services to save money. Cancel operations that will not meet government targets saving more money, and hire more administrators to bend the figures. Slash budgets for medical training and public health campaigns.
Those are the differing party stand points on the NHS, and I know which one sounds better. The problem is that the Labour one is actually happening.
Comical Pat, has confirmed this morning that the NHS has made a financial surplus of £500million. Now, that would sound great if it weren't for the fact that there has been no "reform" of the NHS, just jobs being lost, a derisory pay rise for nurses, operations cancel and services cut. In addition to this there are still a large proportion of hospitals that have a multi-million pound defecit. My local hospital is one of them.
So will the government do the right thing and use this surplus to benefit the NHS, and wipe out some of the individual trusts' defecits. Don't bet on it.
As Blair's lap of honour gather pace, will attempt to use the old chesnut of being the saviour of the NHS, as justification of his tenure. However, there are few holes in this utopia that Blair speaks of. He will today, point to lower waiting list, new hospitals and new doctors as being his successes. But, will obviously gloss over the fact that there are more administrators than nurses, because of the targets, the job application website fiasco, ward closures, MRSA outbreaks, ill-thought out GP contracts, and the ever increasing financial defecits. Plus, don't even get me started with what is going on with dentistry.
I will, however, give credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to the decrease in waiting times, but at what cost to the NHS. The root of the problem is the New Labour unwillingness to allow people to do there jobs. After all, a lot of the targets the government sets are unrealistic, and to achieve them NHS trusts are having to live serious beyond their means, hence the financial defecits. It also doesn't help that the trusts have to pay an exhorbitant amount of money in wages for administrators to keep track on how the trust is doing against their target. It just doesn't make sense.
Which brings me nicely on to dentistry, the one NHS service the Blair has to take the credit for practically destroying, as it emerged today that Dentists may have to pay back millions of pounds to the NHS because they have failed to reach their targets in the first year of their new contract. The problem is the latest issue to hit the flawed NHS dental contract, which rewards dentists for the “units of dental activity” (UDAs) that they complete. Many dentists (and nobody yet knows how many) have failed to achieve the UDA targets that were set by primary care trusts, and for which they have already been paid. Is it any wonder that so many dentists are turning private, as when they do private work, they treat the patient and get paid for the work. Which seems a lot more sensible than being paid, working out how much they have done, and then paying back the difference.
Mind you, this doesn't come as much of a surprise after the GPs contract debacle, in which sees GPs paid more for working less hours. No wonder GPs love the contract, and who could blame them, but it doesn't solve the problems of night time coverage by GPs. Yet another wonderful example of forward thinking by this government.
But that won't stop Blair's spin machine today on his lap of honour saying theat he is the saviour, despite him having to face yet more calls for his Health Secretary, "comical Pat", to resign. Although, we should really be thankful for small mercies as I suppose that with Blair leaving, Gordon Brown will have to get rid of her as part of his first cabinet.
One of the most divisive debates around at the moment, caused by a Labour policy, is that of the usage of Cannabis, and the effects that it has on the brain. Experts say that it causes long term mental health issue, and users say that it doesn't.
However, if you ever needed any clearer evidence that smoking cannabis can cause insanity then all need to do is read an article in today's Daily Mail, in which Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt admits to smoking the drug while at University.
In an interview she is quoted as saying "I tried cannabis once when I was a student. It didn't do anything for me and I never tried it again."
I'm sorry Pat, but after your comments about the NHS having it's best year ever, something tells me that you are still feeling the effects of it.
Today will not be a very happy Easter Sunday for Gordon Brown, by the time he finishes reading the Sunday papers, as they do not make pretty reading. The lastest round of polls have thrown up his lowest personal rating yet, with just 28% of the public thinking that he'll make a good Prime Minister. A slump of 10 points, not what you would call a little blip.
This of course seems to be the expected reaction to the revelations that he has finally been caught with his hands in the till, with pension funds.
However, these polls are again being dismissed by Labour as mid-term jitters, and in truth they have a point. The problem is, for Gordon Brown, that for him they aren't mid-term, as for him they could have a real effect on his chances of becoming Prime Minister. After all, would you want to appoint an electoral liability as leader of your party? I wouldn't.
The chickens are finally coming home to roost for this government, the spin that has covered up their poorly thought out policies, is now as transparent as a window. Blair's insistance for a legacy is in tatters, as the electorate now don't trust his party, and especially Gordon Brown. He may have been the Chancellor for ten years, but the stealth taxes, NHS cuts, money for Education that never materialised, and the "theft" of billions of pounds of the people's pensions, will tarnish him as you seeks higher office.
One of the first things I was taught as a spotty teenager trying to understand how the world works, was that people never "piss on their own doorstep". Now that, at the time, didn't really mean that much but over time, and the duration of this government, i'm starting to think that my old man may have had a point.
This morning the Healthcare Commission have published the results a poll, in which nearly two thirds of NHS staff stated that they would not want be a patient as they would not be happy with the care provided by the NHS trust! If that doesn't tell you how bad the health service has become in this country what will. After ten years of a "the party that are the saviours of the NHS", we now find ourselves in the position that not even nurses want to be treated in an NHS hospital.
However, the damning poll didn't stop there. The poll also concluded that only 45% of healthcare workers said that patients were a top priority. Less than of half! A fairly damning statistic. So, let me guess, the priorities would be instead: hitting government targets, government star ratings for the trusts, cost cutting efficency savings, and league tables, maybe?
This poll should concern us all.
According to the Daily Mail, the NHS is a staggering 10,000 midwives short, leaving an ever increasing number of women having to cope alone in maternity units.
Is this a surprise to me? No it isn't. Two years ago when my youngest child was due to be born, Mrs Last Boy Scout and I had to suffer that very experience. Now, we had always planned on having a home birth, so all of the necessary kit was at my home. But when the time came, no midwife was available. In fact, after several phone calls, and still no midwife, I ended up delivering my youngest child myself.
But to add insult to injury the midwife finally showed up, 10 minutes after the ambulance crew, and then filled in her notes, from the information and times that I gave her, as I had luckily kept a log of events on my arm. Now, i'm not having a pop at the midwife, just the situation as she was very friendly, but she had rushed to us from another birth. Two births, one midwife, makes sense!?!
So when I read headlines like this it does not come as a surprise, and if anything the situation has got worse over the last two years. Although it wouldn't surprise me if Mad Pat Hewitt announced that Maternity services were having their best time ever, and will soon be made available at Supermarkets aswell.
I never thought I would see this day. Labour has always depicted the Tories as the party that will destroy the NHS. So why is that a Tory leader is being cheered by doctors, and a Labour Health Secretary is booed?
The Secretary of State for Comedy Health has struck again this morning, this time with one of the most laughable policy ideas ever.
It has been well documented that in a large number of areas that there is a shortage of GPs. But instead of coming up with a plan for addressing this shortfall, comical ali Patricia Hewitt has confirmed to the nation that she hasn't got a clue.
Her plan, (wait for it) is to open GPs' surgeries in Supermarkets!
Yes, I can hardly believe the lunacy myself, but it is true, leading retailers will be invited to bid to open GPs' surgeries in their stores in areas with too few doctors under an initiative about to be announced as part of the public services review. Although there was no mention whatsoever as to how they would get GPs to work in these, when they are short of GPs already.
The services, in these supermarket surgeries, will be offered by private providers, which will means that GPs working in them will not be covered by the controversial GPs' contract - which allowed GPs to opt out of providing 24-hour cover - and so can offer "breakfast", evening and Saturday morning surgeries. Last week the Commons public accounts committee condemned the government's handling of their brainchild contract as shambolic. Personally, I think that was a rather kind statement.
However, there is a key phrase that every voter must remember "services will be offered by private providers", yes you did read right "PRIVATE". The government have always used the arguement that the NHS will be privatised under the tories, and only safe with them, but this statement is a clear example of them hiving off parts of the NHS to the private sector, something they said they would never do. Which I don't remember seeing in any of their election manifestoes, and would therefore make this another Labour lie to the electorate?
So, apart from the lunacy of opening surgeries in supermarkets when there isn't enough GPs to run the existing surgeries, we will also see the provisions of GP services farmed out to the private sector, under a Labour government!
Somebody was definetly using their "Divi Card" when they came up with this one.
Hat-tip to Beau Bo D'Or for the graphic.
The comical Ali of the NHS, that is Patricia Hewitt, has yet again shown how much disregard she has for the nation's health service, as it was revealed thatSpin Doctors Guide to hospital and ward closures, to Hospital Managers.
The guide tells NHS bosses how to close hospitals and wards more easily without upsetting the public, and that they must "butter up" journalists to make them write more positive articles about the closure of beds and maternity wards.
The guide also tells trusts about the type of spin language that they should use, such as, instead of talking about cuts and closures as "downgrading", they have been told to refer to local changes as evidence that Trusts are "adapting", "developing", "evolving"; or "specialising".
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, famous for saying the the health had its best year, while it was facing a number of closures around the country, is said to be furious that hospital chiefs have failed to put a positive gloss on the changes in the NHS. Changes that mean 18 A&E wards are facing the axe while 43 maternity units have either closed or are facing of closure.
So when Patricia Hewitt next speaks about the NHS "is having its best year", what she actually means is the "she" has had her best year in achieving her goal of cutting NHS services.
An NHS trust is asking staff to work a day for free to help ease its financial crisis. Workers at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust have been sent a letter asking them to help balance the books.
It has asked staff to donate "just one extra day of work without additional pay as a voluntary contribution" which would benefit the trust, which has a current defecit of almost £17 million.
The leaked memo, written by the trust's human resources director Terry Coode, warns it is facing a "significant financial challenge" this year and hints at dire consequences if the trust fails to hit its March targets.
The trust now finds itself in the unenviable position of being a clear product of the government's failure with NHS policy. Labour have destroyed the NHS most trusts are in a financial defecit, but they are still forced to achieve more and more targets.
The main problem with those targets, is the targets themselves. In order for a trust to account for how well they perform they have to hire administrators, instead of doctors and nurses.
If I was the Director of Human Remains Resources I would be writing to the administrators and asking them to work for free, whilst they are monitoring the government's targets, and leave the front line staff alone. Perhaps Patricia Hewitt should offer to pay a day's worth of her salary to the trust, after all she's caused this mess.
I love a good conspiracy theory, especially when there is a slim chance that it may be feasible. But last night, when all talk of football was banned for obvious reasons, a friend of mine came up with a rather interesting one about the NHS.
On Friday, James Johnson Chairman of the British Medical Association, claimed that there was only one year left to save the NHS. But, it has been widely tipped that Gordon Brown may call a snap election within that year.
The conspiracy theory is that Brown will call an election, and lose, the Tories gain power just in time for the NHS to fall apart, and as the Tories are in power they get the blame. Plus, whichever party is in power when the NHS collapses will never be forgiven by the electorate and face a very long spell on the opposition benches.
Now, I have to admit this is a bit far fetched, and was conceived over a beer or two, but in the cold light of day it does seem to have a hint of credibility.
Only time will tell.
When you consider that Labour are supposed to be the party of the NHS, it makes you wonder as to their thinking when you look at the current crop of headlines.
For example, in today's Times it has been revealed that patients are being denied basic operations, including treatments for varicose veins, wisdom teeth and bad backs, as NHS trusts try and balance the books.
In addition, the Telegraph has reported that a severe shortage of nurses and GPs in the next few years is predicted in a leaked Government report. The document, which was written by senior civil servants in the Department of Health, also discloses that there will be an estimated 37,000 job losses this year as trusts in deficit struggle to balance their books.
So why is the government still so insistent that trusts have to balance the books, with no help.
Haven't they realised that it was down to their meddling, and implementation of league tables, targets, and bureaucracy, that has left the trusts with such large deficits.
As I have said many times if there weren't any league tables or targets, think of the money you could save on administrators and managers, then there would be no need to cut nursing jobs.
Is it any wonder that senior ministers are having to join protests against the NHS cuts? even though they are the ones that caused them.
As 2006 comes to an end, so does the unity which was Blair's New Labour project. No longer does Blair have control over his party, even the most loyal are fleeing the sinking ship. So much for leaving behind a legacy.
As civil war breaks out, and MPs realise that it's own party's policies are failing, we start to see their true colours.
First the removal of her son from a flagship City Academy, by former transport Minister Karen Buck, to a standard comprehensive school.
Then came the revelation that Labour party Chair Hazel Blears has been out in her constituency joining a protest about the partial closure of a hospital. Now, isn't that a result of Labour Policy? But then again it's quite understandable, as it appears she will be out of job at the next election, and needs to be seen as a local saviour, and not as playing a leading role in NHS closures, of which she is.
But for Ms Blears, it got worse as the party tried to rally round her and defend the actions, with Health Minister Ivan Lewis backing her to the hilt, and then having his attendance at an NHS protest revealed. Protesting against your own policy, you couldn't make this stuff up.
The hypocrisy argument then got a whole lot worse for the government when it was also revealed that Labour's Chief Whip Jaqui Smith, and Home Secretary John Reid, had also attended NHS protests.
So what next for Labour? If the government's own ministers don't like it's own policies why are they still following them, or is it the sudden realisation that they will actually have a fight on their hands at the next election, with Gordon Brown at the helm.
The sad fact is that, the government has lost touch with the people so much that they didn't realise how badly the NHS cuts would affect services, until they realised that their own jobs were on the line.
Policy climbdown's seem to be a regular occurence at the moment from the government, and today is no different.
The Government has today performed another policy u-turn, this time on it's plans to put details of patients' records on a national computer system, and agreed to proceed "with caution" with a limited list of medical information.
Or, to put it in laymans terms, anyone who doesn't want their records on a national database has got the right of veto.
Doctors and patients have expressed fears that a compulsory electronic record system could damage the GP/patient relationship, and compromise confidentiality. Following local publicity and possibly individual letters, patients will have eight to 10 weeks to opt out. Later they can view the information on paper or on a secure online site, HealthSpace, and correct it if necessary. They can also choose to opt out now by completing an "Opt Out" letter available from TheBigOptOut.org.
The U-turn by the government was prompted by a report led by patient's tsar Harry Cayton, which argued the system must be introduced with "public support and clinical confidence".
So the fact that the opt out clause is even there, pretty much shows that the public have no faith in it at all.
Back in November I wrote a post about GP's being in revolt over Labour's plans for a database holding all of our Medical Records.
Last week NO2ID, together with the foundation for information policy research (fipr), launched 'The Big Opt Out' - a campaign to draw people's attention to the growing database state in the guise of the government's NHS Care Record System.
Their website www.nhsconfidentiality.org pretty much explains your rights, and how you can Opt Out of having you details entered on to the "NHS Spine".
It says:
"You can opt out of having your medical records that are currently kept by your GP uploaded to the NHS ’spine’ - or so ministers have promised in the past. To do this, you need to write to your GP. But before you do, please read the following:
The Department of Health (DoH) have tried to argue that by having your details uploaded to the spine, they will be available in an emergency. You may indeed wish to consider this if you have a long-standing medical condition.
However A&E Departments do have established ways of handling patients for whom they no medical history. Logging in to a centralised database to refer to what might be the right person’s medical records does not happen at present - and seems unlikely to happen in the near future.
If you do have a relevant condition, e.g. diabetes or a penecillin allergy, it would be far better to wear a medical alert bracelet, because that way they don’t have to discover your identity to look up the details.
Aside from this there should be no impact on your medical care, unless DoH changes the rules to make it so. Your GP will still have access to your records, held locally on the practice’s systems."
The Opt Out letter for you GP can then be reproduced from HERE.
According to the world of Patrica Hewitt, a closed A&E department is not about saving money, but in the interest of patient's health.
Yesterday, she presenting the closures as part of a plan to create “super-A&Es” to deal with heart attacks, strokes, and aortic aneurysms, Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, sought to spin herself out of the opposition to the closures.
However, as Andrew Lansley pointed out, "If that were true it could have been done before, not after, financial deficits in the NHS had come to light."
This is another clear case of the government dragging out the tired and worn out spin doctors, to try and save face, as they rapidly lose the arguement over the NHS. The problem is that we have been spun so many lines from them over the years that they simply can't be believed anymore.
After all, by claiming that closing local A&E departments, trauma units and intensive-care facilities will improve services is beyond all common sense, and totally illogical. People across the country are fighting these closures in their tens of thousands, becausee they know that closing local services and increasing journey times puts lives at risk.
