Yes, I kind of owe my life to the NHS (National Health Service) BUT, since COVID it's all turned to sh1t. I was speaking to a number of older gentlemen last week and one went to the Doctor who sent him directly to A&E. He spent 18 hours and then overnight in a chair there. He's had tests and scans and has been back three times each time lasting more than 8 hours.
So why didn't the Doctor's surgery deal with it? I don't know. Then another chap was stating how long he waited and it's a recurring thing. Only the Press think we have a world class service. If you criticise them you get pilloried and then you hear the Politicians stating that they are "investing" more. It takes £1/2 Billion a day to run now! 1 in every 22 people in the UK works in the health service! Throwing money at it doesn't work and no one wants to tackle what's at the bottom of it all.
They don't actually concentrate on patients at all. They say don't privatise it but perhaps if it were it would run properly. Whenever I've been to a private hospital the difference is amazing. Unbelievably you get seen on time, greeted with a coffee or tea and looked after, kept informed and it's almost like being in a hotel! Totally different. It's been decentralised and because previous administrations played a little blinder by selling off the premises and renting them back to the NHS it costs a fortune to run. Little stock control and appallingly bad management have meant that they concentrate on navel gazing and spreadsheet management and are not "customer focused" that is where the problem lies. Too busy making sure the planet isn't boiling over - 138 climate change senior director/managers, inclusion officers, HR types and all that malarkey. There's jobs for the boys everywhere.
Add to that the waste and incompetence displayed and the useless systems that don't appear to work properly (remember they sent me to the wrong Hospital and then had the temerity to strike me off the list for non attendance at an appointment - knowing full well as I spoke to them - they had sent me to the wrong place). When you get there, there's no where to park, you have to pay to park and it's a bit rich if you don't know how long you will be, if you get delayed you get a fine for overstaying your allotted parking time.
Having worked there and been a patient, I have seen first hand the level of service and it needs to change but no one has the balls or the inclination to change it. All the time they spend out money making the mistakes and out money trying to put those right whilst programming in even greater failures to come.
I really hope that I will not need these people. It is ludicrous that we have to settle for such poor service and it is getting worse and not better.
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