Latest moan from you and me 2026

It's to do with the different sensitivities of the detectors.

 

I had both of mine done in a purpose built unit, run by a private company with an NHS contract, also did private work. Three months all done. Picked me up and dropped me back. Hot drink, chocolate biscuit excellent care.
Local hospital did the difficult cases.

 

@pete , F1 teams making resprirators was far from a publicity stunt. They used their, research resources to analyse the issues and come up with a cheaper more efficient device. A fine example of people from a different background coming up with a novel solution, that probably wouldn't have come about otherwise.

 

@pete The Nightingale Hospitals weren't a publicity stunt, but thankfully most of them either weren't needed at all or were only in use for a comparatively short time. They had a specific role, and that was for people with Covid or other respiratory illnesses. They were equipped to deal with that. Most were then dismantled after Covid as they were only ever intended to be temporary structures.

 

The problem is that if they are to change how they work they will end up spending millions on consultants to tell them what everybody already knows. That is that there are far too many chiefs and managers, and consequently too few people actually doing the work. Massive overpaying for goods with, apparently, nobody responsible for ensuring everything the get is the best value for money.

 

One of the biggest problems still being seen from covid was the switch to phone appointments instead of face to face consultations. I know many more examples I could list as I'm sure most of us probably do but here's two.

During covid my dad was diagnosed with asthma over the phone and only recently, after years of asthma clinics, medications and vast amounts of money being thrown at the diagnosis, was he found not to have it at all. Our neighbour had a similar thing where she was diagnosed with arthritis over the phone and only a week ago, again after many appointments and money had been thrown at her, was she correctly diagnosed with gout by a doctor with a brain in a&e.
I wonder how many and how much these legacy diagnosis have cost patients and the NHS and wonder why they never even considered to look into it.

 

I will also add, as it's a similar thing about medications. I know a few people including my family that take meds that are supposed to be only used for a short period of time but they just keep being renewed without consultation. As an example, my brother suffers from severe acid and painful stomach aches and has meds that are only supposed to be taken for a period of 3 months. At this point I think he's been on them for 3 years. He limits himself to their use but none of the medical practitioners he's seen are remotely worried that he needs to take them when they should, in my view, be looking into the root cause of why he needs them. In their eyes, if they are working, that's good enough.

It's no wonder I see people with enormous bags of meds coming out of the pharmacy everyday.

 

Was they actually used, was the Nightingale hospitals really used to any great extent.

My reference to nightingale hospitals was that they could suddenly mobilise and get things moving, hospitals are in crisis, but all they are doing is stacking people, lots with communicable diseases, in corridors.
Its madness.

 

Every thing is in a right mess and will take a lot to sort it out if it ever would be

 

Many moons ago, I attended a management course run by my then local FE college. There were people from various sectors attending. We were told very firmly that compared to other sectors including commercial IT and other industries that the ratio of management to staff in NHS was VERY LOW. It may not be properly managed but it's not over managed.
My last job was in a private lab (not by choice). The main testing lab did analysis for both NHS and private sectors . We worked alongside NHS staff.
A simple example quoted by one of my NHS colleagues. " If my printer breaks and it needs to be replaced, I have to go through central procurement, they have put out tenders for "Approved" suppliers, supposedly for the best prices but it takes months and must cost a fortune in admin. If you need a new printer the head of your IT gives the company credit card to one of his team and sends them down Tottenham court Road. (Literally just round the corner) You get your new printer the same day"

On another note there is so much outsourcing, they all have fingers in the pie. Try to look up a GP result .
This service is provided by, xxx, this service is provided by yyy. and so on.

 

I had mine done 5 yrs apart. Ist one at my local hospital - let's just say it was an experience I was reluctant to repeat (hence the long gap), with a poor outcome due to an error during the procedure. 2nd - like you, a private enterprise with an NHS contract. No transport or biscuits, sadly, but nonetheless a positive experience and a good result.

 

On one level I was unlucky in that they both developed within a 12 month period. On the other lucky with the swiftness and quality of the service.
The reason I had to go Exeter was nobody to run me around, if there was I could have gone to a local private hospital.