The State of the NHS
NHS Hospitals
Today I made a visit to an NHS hospital. It was much as expected on the ground floor, lots of people milling about, the cafe, the appeal, the charity shop all staffed by well intentioned people trying to do their best for society.
NHS hospitals still operate (pun unintended) on the ward system, an area (floor, wing etc.) where patients with similar problems are grouped together and looked after by hard working nurses and non-striking junior doctors.
All very well you’d think. . so far so good.
Life on an NHS Ward
It would seem that the older generation are content with the ward system, whether it’s rightly placed gratitude for ‘free’ treatment or somewhere warm and cosy for lonely people to talk to caring staff – but not other patients – who knows.
What is difficult for the casual visitor to get over is the complete lack of privacy in a ward with ‘bays’ where groups of up to six patients share the same space. The only privacy is the curtains drawn around the bed like some Victorian four-poster.
What goes in. . .must come out
It seems odd that in the interests of cost control, many of the NHS services are contracted out, specifically catering. Whilst the NHS menu is ‘stayed’ to say the least, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for a patient to expect the food to be as described on the menu. After all, we are biological machines and all the medical care in the world is worthless if the patient cannot maintain his/herself by eating a correctly targeted and balanced diet. Grey mush doesn’t cut the mustard.
Of course there is the problem at the other end. This is where privacy fails totally in the NHS, the almost full length bed curtain which allows the patient some perceived privacy, allowing them to use the wheelie commode and fill the ward with sounds and smells that other people should simply not be subject to.
The only way forward
The NHS’ problem is cash. Through lack of cash and plenty of political interference the NHS is is a sorry state. Yes it is trying its best but it simply can’t meet its budget and it never will.
Politicians continue to come up with short term fixes and badly managed investment whilst failing to grasp the problem of an ageing population.
Spending significant amounts of money on unnecessary treatments no doubt contributes to its woes. When the NHS was founded “free medical treatment at the point of need” was a great idea. Fortunately – or not – treatments have become more complex and costly. At the time of its inception the NHS was designed to fix broken bones and cure serious illness and it would have carried on being successful if the weak minded politicians hadn’t started to allow unnecessary treatment – for votes.
Politicians are and will remain the ruin of us all.
