NHS "Fat Cats" ?

[Lost soul]

gruffalo said:

The NHS employs around 1.3 "million people and I agree it does need a very good management team, one though.

Not all under one roof or manager though

[Rovinghawk]

tdog7 said:

I work in the NHS and get so fed up of hearing it described as inefficient by people who have no concept what the delivery of healthcare involves.

Are there no inefficiencies? Do you genuinely believe that?

If so then you're deluded to believe that an organisation that vast has no waste or mismanagement. If not, please tell us what waste you've seen, so that we can hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

[mph1977]

Lost soul said:

gruffalo said:

The NHS employs around 1.3 "million people and I agree it does need a very good management team, one though.

Not all under one roof or manager though

here in lays one of the problems , the span of the NHS is such that if it were run as a monolith the inertia would be huge - as seen in the period 1974 -1990

also there would be no incentive for organisations ot maintain or develop services - the complacency of the Ambulance service over PTS contracts has demonstrated that as the contracts go to none NHS trust operators

[spaximus]

There are some huge savings coming as the back office functions are getting ready to be shook up with the facilities being opened up to the private sector. At present my wife works in the NHS and is part of a team that is working on this. The big problem is what has been said in this thread, people in the NHS are seen as successful if they surround themselves with a large team. The more people the more you get paid within a banding, until you reach that top level and get rebanded. And to really make it have lots of meetings and away day team building avoiding confrontation by allowing staff to work badly.

So there has just be an amalgamation of some CSU and my wife has one office with six or seven staff doing the same work as three elsewhere. They cannot possibly do anymore work as they are stressed etc. etc. They are now doing more work but their boss, who has now gone had built this up.

At present there are many stalling tactics being used all over as there is this hope from some that Labour will win and totally reverse every change and allow the empires back in again. Not a chance of that happening.

It is true that not all NHS back office staff are lazy inefficient but there are too many who see there jobs as being untouchable. But without doubt the worst are those in charge of procurement and facilities, They sanction jobs that elsewhere would be half the price, but because they have a list of approved bidders, it means the prices are always high.

We can have the best health service in the world, which for the most part we do, but we can have it much cheaper if we stop changing everything because the other party did this, stop needless reporting to a centre who do little to add value and make those in charge accountable.

The final bit that gets me is in a hospital in Bristol we pay for three full time union officials, allegedly, and provide free office space, that should come out of their coffers not ours

[bodysnatcher]

spaximus said:

But without doubt the worst are those in charge of procurement and facilities, They sanction jobs that elsewhere would be half the price, but because they have a list of approved bidders, it means the prices are always high.

after over 35 years at the sharp end, this rings so true.

The problem seems to be that the managers of non-frontline services spend about a year in post polishing their CV and their arse. So just slightly shorter termism than the politicians & their political appointments.
Every bleeding year it's the same, collect data according to the requested style of the new chair polisher, wait 3 months for him or her to formulate a plan that will only be slightly different to what you were already doing. 3 months of discussions (that could easily be done in 1) about how it will be done. Then 2 months delay because they forgot some important/critical piece of hardware/software. Implement, one month later new bod bails out before everything is working smoothly or is showing signs of failure...

meanwhile on the front line more patients are coming through the door with increasing expectations.

CV shows -
joined St Elswheres
initiated critical treatment data collection
implemented new working pathways/practices
exited St Elswheres in order to assist St Nowhere's on it's road to ruin.