Forum Topic

The NHS needs help.

There seem to be 'doom and gloom' indications about our valued NHS - we're told it needs much more funding.  Question is, are we prepared to be taxed more to fund the NHS?  I'm willing to pay more taxes - is the whole population prepared to do so? Apart from adequate funding, how could the NHS ne improved?

Gerry Tan ● 4135d14 Comments

Parking one's car at Ealing Hosp was always a problem - still is I believe - when we visit friends there we alwaysgo by bus - its so convenient and the buses are plentiful and quite frequent.

Gerry Tan ● 4133d

I think actually it was one surgeon complaining about one occasion.

Sue Rowe ● 4133d

Congratulations on so comprehensively missing the point, Chris, which is that the surgeons have been called in as an emergency, so time is of the essence, and there is nowhere for them to park.

Susan Kelly ● 4133d

Every time governments try and improve the NHS they get in the experts who make things worse. also they tried to open up management to external people. however all that has happened is that existing pen pushers get more money. PFI is the key factor as health authorities juggle the finances. So each beautiful new hospital built in the last 15 years or do carries a financial burden that is unsustainable. Like a mortgage from Wonga.com these financial instruments are what is killing the NHS. Labour and the Tories are silent on this bad value. Investment bankers love it.

Peter Chadburn ● 4133d

"Heard an emergency surgeon on the radio a few weeks ago, called to hospitals at short notice, never anywhere for him to park while all the reserved spaces by the hospital entrance are filled with BMWs belonging to the managers. It's that sort of think that really hacks people off."Makes for a nice story but misses the fact that many hospital doctors are on well over £200K a year including pensions, and some closer to £300K including the clinical merit awards they dish out to each other.A close look at many hospital car parks shows the Doctors are swanning round in Jags and Aston Martins - so what?

Chris Martin ● 4133d

Wonder if those managers get taxed for the parking "perk" which they enjoy?

George Knox ● 4134d

The administrators aren't good administrators either, though, but you're right that the doctors should be doctoring not pushing papers about.Heard an emergency surgeon on the radio a few weeks ago, called to hospitals at short notice, never anywhere for him to park while all the reserved spaces by the hospital entrance are filled with BMWs belonging to the managers. It's that sort of think that really hacks people off.

Susan Kelly ● 4134d

"Put doctors in charge instead of old hack self interested accountants..."I'm not so sure about medical doctors being in charge of the NHS. They may be good at prescribing drugs and medicines and dealing with medical matters, but my experience of them are that they're not good administrators. I don't know really.

Gerry Tan ● 4134d

Put doctors in charge instead of old hack self interested accountants.The political conferences seemed to suggest that the Labour Party deficit will be sort of history towards the end of this decade. Then more real money should be available for the NHS. Ho ho.Labour Andy Burnham MP doesn't seem to want to save Ealing anymore than the other would be health politicians.Ealing closure is one the most shameful acts of destruction perpetrated in West London.

George Knox ● 4134d

Build more flats ;-)Only when the NHS has gone will some people know how good it is.The population in Ealing and every area of London is getting larger and larger and the NHS Hospital's are getting smaller and smaller with more and more cut backs which will never make the service better its only going to get worse im afraid. God help the poor old NHS.

Stephen Scott ● 4134d

I had my son there and it seemed then (20 years ago) like a reasonably bright and modern space - better certainly than the main hospital. What are they going to do with the building itself.....surely not pull it down?

Penny Crocker ● 4135d

"Over £300,000 spent only last year to refurbish it and announced today that it will close 'as soon as possible' leaving the borough without a single NHS maternity bed."Yep, the NHS is a management disaster zone. £300K isn't small beer.

John Walker ● 4135d

Too many administrators and nowhere near enough joined-up thinking.Well evidenced by the Maternity Unit at Ealing hospital.Over £300,000 spent only last year to refurbish it and announced today that it will close 'as soon as possible' leaving the borough without a single NHS maternity bed.You couldn't create such incompetence in a work of fantasy.

Nigel Brooks ● 4135d

A behemoth like the NHS will gladly suck up as much money as governments are prepared to give and will always claim they need more!I tend to agree with Lord Digby Jones who says, "it isn't more money the NHS needs, it's better hands-on management in the trenches that's urgently required ..."Anyone remember 'Can Gerry Robinson fix the NHS?' That also pointed the finger at bad management.

John Walker ● 4135d