Using private companies to bring down NHS waiting lists isn’t a great plan, because the private companies poach NHS staff to do the work. Politicians should be properly investing in the NHS instead. 🚨 www.bbc.com/news/article... - ThreadSky

jujuliagrace.bsky.social • 192 days ago

Using private companies to bring down NHS waiting lists isn’t a great plan, because the private companies poach NHS staff to do the work. Politicians should be properly investing in the NHS instead. 🚨

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqxpxp17ngo

Comments

stereid97.bsky.social•192 days ago

There's a private hospital close to me in Belfast, it was flat out during covid with minor operations, (it never took any covid victims)
there are coach loads every weekend from the south of Ireland come up for operations, I'm sure most of these are done by NHS or former NHS staff.

mike02959207.bsky.social•192 days ago

Don’t forget, Private companies primary focus is profit?

ewen-macalister.bsky.social•192 days ago

Ah yes but the politicians pension companies do very well out of it thank you

juditty.bsky.social•192 days ago

Spot on. The NHS needs more beds and more staff; no organisation can run efficiently when it is constantly chasing its tail. And to move to a more preventative model you need to increase funding again, because demand for acute care won’t stop overnight.

troygold.bsky.social•192 days ago

Could they just look over the pond at how privatized medicine has LITERALLY killed people?

psylocyt.bsky.social•192 days ago

Private companies don't have their own staff?

williamsaled.bsky.social•192 days ago

I agree with you in principle. Except eye surgeons in a local hospital agree to do private work on a Saturday morning, paying for the theatre, using the same anaesthetist and paying the nurses double time that recover the patients during the week (because 'complications' will be minimised)...

ivorf.bsky.social•192 days ago

But in the short to medium term it may be necessary to use the private sector to reduce NHS waiting lists. You can't ask patients to wait a couple of years longer till we increase NHS capacity.

evamontemaggi.bsky.social•192 days ago

Yes, also if they wanted to cut NHS waiting times they should invest in social care. They should also invest in prevention, including cycle paths, free/cheap access to leisure centres, urban allotments, community groups.

eileenk.bsky.social•192 days ago

I worked as a ward clerk on an acute ward when Blair tried that. The lists dropped. The lists skyrocketed. And some people made a ton of dosh

kingless2.bsky.social•190 days ago

Politicians should be properly INVESTIGATED.

marmk.bsky.social•192 days ago

They also refer all their complications back to the NHS.

jezbox.bsky.social•192 days ago

I object to sitting in meetings hearing them referred to as 'The Independent Sector'. I make a point of calling them 'The For Profit' sector. Which is usually frowned upon.

marmk.bsky.social•192 days ago

It's interesting that the consultants here who have private lists are those that get annoyed most at the complications being referred to them by other consultants.

jezbox.bsky.social•192 days ago

Taking up their moonlighting time?

marmk.bsky.social•192 days ago

It's baked into their schedule.
Most of them work for the in-house private division.

babybropatto.bsky.social•192 days ago

“Private” health care is often nothing of the sort.

My wife need back surgery for prolapsed discs.
Talked with NHS team but times were too long.
Went thru BUPA (work insurance) for speed.

EXACTLY the same team & hospital.

Bleeding NHS of time, equipment & resources.

doctorace.bsky.social•192 days ago

Is there not also an issue with private companies taking lower risk/difficulty tasks,which puts up the average cost per patient contact to the NHS?

jujuliagrace.bsky.social•192 days ago

Yes!

doctorace.bsky.social•192 days ago

We can't get rid of private healthcare - heck I went privately for a recent operation - but we need to stop using private healthcare to meet short term targets whilst undermining the NHS. Have health secretaries who are ideologically and financially aligned with private healthcare is not the way.

chris-collis.bsky.social•192 days ago

That's true, but the spare capacity now available in private sector cannot be created overnight within the NHS .

ladyjan.bsky.social•192 days ago

Politicians have bought into this idea that adding private companies cut wait times, when reality proves this is not the case. Provinces in Canada have concrete evidence this doesn’t solve the waits. But destroying public health is a sacrifice they’ll make.

4202ajaj.bsky.social•192 days ago

Happened during last Labour government. It was called Waiting List Initiatives.

heptaglemious.bsky.social•192 days ago

Yeah, you have to wonder who thinks this shit up. Mind, some of the problem actually is theatre capacity. I think barn theatres can help with this.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply