NHS Reform: Space, Snorkel & Scotland

Sometimes in life the solution to a big problem could be so simple.

Now that David Cameron and Andrew Lansley are faced with major delays in the proposed NHS reform, the Cockroach Catcher may have a simple solution for them.

Remember the very old Urban Myth about NASA spending millions on developing a zero gravity pen:

The Myth did get into one episode of The West Wing: We Killed Yamamoto

Leo: We spent millions of dollars developing a pen for the astronauts that would work in zero gravity. Know what the Russians did?
Toby: Used a pencil?
Leo: They used a pencil.

Well it was not exactly true but it illustrated a very important point: solutions could sometimes be very simple and cheap.

 

Now most readers know that I love snorkeling and when I started my wife on it she, being a scientist, wanted to know the names of things she saw whilst snorkeling. The West Wing came to mind.

We used a polypropylene chopping board (the smaller one), drill a hole in the corner to tie a strap so that the hand could sometimes be free to operate the camera. We then use a golf pencil tied to the board with a fishing line to write.

Blue Brittle Star ©Am Ang Zhang 2010

So what about The NHS:  A pencil solution?

Just copy Scotland; that “country” north of the border.

As much of the opposition to the new Bill is to do with the simple fact that it was a back handed way to privatise a major part of the NHS, the profitable part. Ordinary citizens without insurance will be left with a much depleted hospital service and those with insurance may find that over time they too might be dumped by their Private Health Insurers.

The Herald

Bid to ban private GP surgeries

JULIA HORTON

25 Feb 2009

Radical new legislation stopping private companies from running GP surgeries in Scotland is to be unveiled by ministers - further widening the divide between how the health service is run north and south of the border.

Explaining the purpose of the new legislation, which won near "unanimous" support from Scottish doctors during a recent consultation, Ms Sturgeon told The Herald: "We have decided to go ahead and legislate to effectively remove the possibility of commercial companies running GP practices.

"We want people providing GP services to be committed to the NHS and not to see it as a way of making a profit. I would hope that we would get considerable support for the bill from opposition MSPs."

The legislation, which ministers also expect to garner cross-party support, was sparked by concerns over a legal loophole which could allow into Scotland the kind of "creeping" privatisation of the NHS which is supported by the UK Government south of the border.

Trust in the government will return. There will not be any privatisation of primary or secondary care and that it would not go the way of the dental services.

Then those of us who could not afford private health care might be able to accept genuine and well thought out changes to the way the NHS will be run.

No more internal market, no more cherry picking and back to an integrated service.

By the way why not use the Scottish model that has now survived 10 years.

Nottingham University: NHS Scotland a role model for reform

After devolution the NHS in England increased its reliance on a market-based approach – now one of the various controversies surrounding its future direction.

By contrast, NHS Scotland set about developing partnership agreements at national and board level as part of a strategy to engage staff in improving services.

The result, according to a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is an “incredible common agenda” among interested parties from all quarters.

Research co-author Dr Peter Samuel said: “Although partnerships are found elsewhere in the public sector, NHS Scotland’s stands out as distinct and novel. It has survived for over a decade, defying reorganisation and changes in administrations, and it can offer valuable lessons in how to improve industrial relations.

………Dr Samuel said: “The policymakers of NHS Scotland clearly concluded the only way to deliver better healthcare was to improve the way staff were engaged. This led to the establishment of various structures at national and local levels to give staff more say in decisions affecting their working lives and healthcare provision.

“NHS Scotland has even passed into law a ‘staff governance code’ that compels all its health boards to engage and involve staff and their representatives.

“This innovation in industrial relations is arguably one of the biggest examples of industrial democracy to be found anywhere in the world – and they have made it work.”

NHS Scotland: Patient Care! No Market Vision!

……….. We need to get back to using clinically relevant measures of performance that tell us how we are doing in comparison with our peers.

This has been repeatedly shown to be one of the most potent ways of modifying GP behaviour, and we should go back to it as a way of influencing clinical practice.

Scotland has no real truck with private medicine; APMS (Alternative Provider Medical Services) is not allowed. There is no market in healthcare as health boards keep primary and secondary care working together, and we actually speak to each other. Some of my best friends are consultants.

………… that trusting us to do our job is more effective than micromanagement.

NHS Scotland: Patient Care! No Market Vision!

Scotland abolishes prescription charge.

English prescription charge to go up to £7.40.

Scotland: Serco NOT allowed to run GP practice

 England: Circle to run NHS Hospital
Scotland will not follow England into competitive NHS