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**JazzFunk** · 13-08-2009, 14:36

I work for the NHS also, and 'cutbacks' are really hitting low-level staff, such as myself, with job vacancies not being filled and short staffing much of the time, resulting in rock-bottom morale and longer waiting times for patients. What's mad is, I and most of the guys I work with work their absolute bollocks off for what is a pitiful wage in comparison to the wealth of things we do - and then we get crap off the patients for keeping them waiting so long, and it's not our fault, we are always on demand and undermanned!!!

And, like Buster says, drunken arseholes DO take up a lot of time - and also injuries inflicted upon people BY drunken arseholes. Friday/Saturday night is always nuts busy. But, even though I disagree in some ways with them being treated, it is quite quaintly, Britishly admirable that the service caters to everybody, drunk bastards included.

I love the NHS but bad management is screwing it up big time.

**saif** · 13-08-2009, 15:34

To be fair, bad management does not help it function. Good management can make a huge difference though, I have no problem with spending for management, financial types and consultants if they pay for themselves. I good purchase manager, for instance could save billions by negotations over drugs costs etc.
The fact that the NHS is *poorly* funded compared to other, supposedly, civilised countries probably has a greater effect. The US spends twice as much on healthcare (and still 40million people out of approx 250million - and remember the population of the whole of the UK is 56million) as we do.

People always complained that BR wasted public money before privatisation and gave abad service - no, actually it was just very very poorly funded. Same with the NHS, the reason the service was demonstrably poorer pre 97 (and it is better than then, not better enough imo) was because they didn't have enough money. It is classic grooming for privatisation, run the service down so that it loses public goodwill (and provide pivate companies many opportunities to invest) and then seel it off when you can, politically.

**ChrisF** · 13-08-2009, 19:05

Visited my dad in (an NHS) hospital today and he spent the whole visiting time telling me to take out BUPA.

To be honest, the fruit loops that were in the beds around him were driving ME crazy after the hour, so I completely understand when he said he was totally racked off. He had less than kind words for most of the staff as well and kept pointing at them and calling them lazy

**saif** · 14-08-2009, 21:38

To quote:

August 14th, 2009 by Ben Goldacre in bad science | 8 Comments »

Ok. This is seriously next level.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/08/national-healthcare-a-breeding-ground-for-terrorism/

**abigsmurf** · 14-08-2009, 21:58

That aired over two years ago (just after the attempted airport bombing)!

There was a lot of talk at the time in our media too about how safe it was to allow overseas doctors to practice in the UK with the current level of checks. It's a valid debate when you consider the amount of responsibility doctors have. Admittedly over here when debating it we didn't say Muslim every 10 seconds like in that fox clip (nor did we say it with the distaste shown there).

**Grapple Convoy** · 16-08-2009, 01:13

I have heard favourable things about the NHS from foreigns from countries with universal healthcare. For example, according to an Austrian family I know who live in the UK, the NHS is dirt cheap compared to how much they had to pay out in social health insurance contributions in Austria, with lower or non-existent co-payments in the mix too, which has the added bonus of making being self-employed so much affordable.

The thing we have to keep in mind, as British-type people (or at least British residents) is that the NHS is a social health insurance scheme and a single healthcare provider all in one. Most of us aren't really aware how unique that is. But at the end of the day, really, the massively comprehensive insurance element of the NHS is the most precious part of it, and we should all fight to save and preserve that if it is ever threatened.