NHS standing on burning platform, inspectors warn

[Northerner]

Safety at four in five hospital trusts in England is not good enough, a leading hospital inspector has warned.

Professor Sir Mike Richards says that the NHS stands on a "burning platform" and that the need for change is clear.

His warning follows a review which said staffing and overcrowding were major concerns and that unprecedented pressures on hospitals were putting patients at risk.

Ministers said the findings should be used to root out poor practices.

The Care Quality Commission review also highlighted delays getting tests and treatments, and poor care of life-threatening conditions such as sepsis.

But inspectors warned some of the problems were beyond the control of hospitals because of rising demands being placed on them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39071485

 

[trophywench]

He omitted to mention that the platform's situated in a shark infested sea .....

X-Ray bloke said to me this morning that though he doesn't approve of the NHS being privatised he actually thinks it will have to be - cos if you could just get rid of totally useless staff and he acknowledges there are plenty at ALL levels like normal employers can whereas there are so many 'safeguards' built into the NHS it's immensely difficult to get rid of anyone 'even if they're killing patients' (his words not mine) then the ones left would be the engaged folk who want to be there and help people - and when you join that sort of employer - it's excellent for morale generally and everyone works together as a proper team - everyone works better and most likely harder - because they ENJOY coming to work. In general terms actually - he's right - that is exactly what happens when you work for a 'can do' employer. I mean I was an insurance broker and was lucky enough to work at a 'can do' place - ridiculous though this sounds - all the clients were nicer there than other places I worked, too. Not necessarily more interesting businesses - just the people we dealt with. Grumpiness is hard to maintain when you are surrounded by sunny, relaxed yet efficient people!

 

[mikeyB]

If NHS England were privatised they wouldn't want to start from where they are now. There are so many ludicrous layers of management. Hospital trusts, CCGs, each one appearing after each "review" business consultants spotted jobs for the boys and added another layer. You just don't need that many people to run a hospital. Look at the larger private hospitals to see how it's done, then do that in the NHS. It isn't rocket science.