Improving NHS waiting lists

[Undesired Walrus]

One of the largest criticism's leveled against the NHS has been the long waiting times for various medical appointments, from surgery to mental health.

This is a legitimate criticism. For example, my sister is currently waiting until September 12th for an eye appointment, as her eye is presently very red and slightly swollen (Her GP suspects she has some minor scratches on her eyeball). Not pleasant, but if it got terrible she could go into (for example) Moorfields A&E and get it seen to by highly competent optometrist's today. On the bright side, waiting lists have dropped for Cancer screenings, the waiting time has dropped to at the most 2 weeks after the GP suspects cancer.

Yet the biggest problems with waiting times seems to have been the privitisation of the NHS, to a certain extent.

Consider the Greenwhich Hospital for example, built by PFI contracters. Here is how it works, if I understand it: It seems that the deal which saw that hospital built means that if the NHS wishes to pull out of a 60 year PFI contract, the contractors (Skanskt and Innisfree) will have the right to use the buildings and land for whatever it pleases until 2120 or something.

I believe PFI works in the following way (Correct me if I am incorrect). The Government makes a deal with a private contracter who agrees to build the hospital and then rent it back to the NHS at a cost. This is why Greenwich is in so much debt, it cannot even cover the rent.

Now, if Andy Burnham (Health secretary) wishes to see more beds in this hospital, he essentially has no ability to do so, as he no longer owns the land.

How do we move from here?

 

[Rolfe]

This is quite a wide-ranging post. One could suggest that the system still needs more money, but as you say, that is over-simplistic.

Excessive bureaucracy and the money that sucks in seems to be a perennial problem, though I'm heartened by the fact that we're actually spending no more than our European neighbours and half what America throws at their broken system.

You seem to be highlighting the bad political decisions taken with regard to PPP and so on, and I think that's the thread killer. I don't know. I think some very bad things were done for short-term political gain, but I don't know how you get out of them.

I know the Scottish government tried, as soon as it got into power, but was last seen being lambasted by the opposition for "failing to build new schools and hospitals", and its proposed substitute funding mechanism was being opposed for what seem to me to be purely party-political reasons.

Rolfe.