Current Affairs The Conservative Party

[Minimeister]

Productivity in NHS hospitals

Lord Carter's review of efficiency in hospitals shows how large savings can be made by the NHS.

www.gov.uk

£5bn could be saved by more efficient procurement.

Getting It Right First Time

www.boa.ac.uk

Similar figures could be saved by reducing variation in clinical care.

I know you're more interested in points scoring than actual improvements in the NHS though.

There is currently a round of Mutually Agreed Resolution Scheme open for the non-clinical staff in our Trust. There really is a load of waste of spaces they can get rid of but it'll be the lower banded do'ers that go. There'll then be another few expensive 'project' people hired to look at what went wrong. Rinse and repeat every 2/3 years.

 

[abelard]

If there really always is so much money to be found via cost-savings and efficiency (£5 billion, apparently, a small fraction of NHS shortfalls debt - much of it paid to the government at exorbitant interest rates to gloss the Treasury's own balance sheet), isn't this really just reinforcing that the Coalition's approach was a disaster?

Why not have focused on these efficiencies, if they're so glaringly obvious, rather than freezing spending increases (de facto cuts given the growing, ageing population) and vastly increasing demand for NHS services via Social Care cuts and the general destruction of austerity?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

lol

Top of the morning to you too!

At least @davek knows that he's @davek ; )

Morning

There is currently a round of Mutually Agreed Resolution Scheme open for the non-clinical staff in our Trust. There really is a load of waste of spaces they can get rid of but it'll be the lower banded do'ers that go. There'll then be another few expensive 'project' people hired to look at what went wrong. Rinse and repeat every 2/3 years.

It's much the same in my line of work. Lots of (well meant) initiatives that usually fail to deliver much. I would be staggered if the new NHSx doesn't fall into the same camp, as I know some of the people high up within it, and talking to them its like they live in an alternative reality. It reminds me of when you get parents who gush when their toddler eats something without smearing it halfway across their face. Basic stuff is treated like it's the most amazing thing. It's very strange.

If there really always is so much money to be found via cost-savings and efficiency (£5 billion, apparently, a small fraction of NHS shortfalls debt - much of it paid to the government at exorbitant interest rates to gloss the Treasury's own balance sheet), isn't this really just reinforcing that the Coalition's approach was a disaster?

Why not have focused on these efficiencies, if they're so glaringly obvious, rather than freezing spending increases (de facto cuts given the growing, ageing population) and vastly increasing demand for NHS services via Social Care cuts and the general destruction of austerity?

Well, productivity across the entire economy typically grows by around 2% per year. In the NHS it typically grows by 1% a year, so if you could fix that alone it would save about £1.5bn. Just for the record, I haven't ever suggested that the government are good guardians of the NHS, as they're not. No political party is as it's always so tempting to play politics with it. All I'm saying is that they aren't solely to blame for some trusts, and some services, being basket cases, as our beloved NHS also has to take some accountability for how it's run. I know we have this culture where it's blameless for everything, but that in itself probably doesn't help matters.

 

[abelard]

Well, productivity across the entire economy typically grows by around 2% per year. In the NHS it typically grows by 1% a year, so if you could fix that alone it would save about £1.5bn. Just for the record, I haven't ever suggested that the government are good guardians of the NHS, as they're not. No political party is as it's always so tempting to play politics with it. All I'm saying is that they aren't solely to blame for some trusts, and some services, being basket cases, as our beloved NHS also has to take some accountability for how it's run. I know we have this culture where it's blameless for everything, but that in itself probably doesn't help matters.

I think the UK barely managed 2% productivity growth over the last decade? (!!!) Again, largely due to the harm caused by austerity.

So if the NHS is getting 1% annually, presumably it's been a driving force.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I think the UK barely managed 2% productivity growth over the last decade? (!!!) Again, largely due to the harm caused by austerity.

So if the NHS is getting 1% annually, presumably it's been a driving force.

The stats are over a prolonged period, and obviously the post-crash period saw a bucking of the long-term trend.

 

[peteblue]

What is my "usual list?" .....Please dont patronise me Pete....are you happy with your party's attitude to those who are the most vulnerable in our society? In answer to your question, no council homes have been built for those who cannot afford exorbitant rents or mortgages and and its not going to happen under this administration is it? Local authorities have been starved of the money to build such housing....but then you would say its their own fault for misspending...

How would you solve the housing crisis ?

There are regulations in place to force housebuilders to include ‘affordable housing’ in any development, so just split the affordable housing section into affordable housing and local housing. Housing associations tend to buy up these houses, but the councils could just tell the builders no planning without a percentage (and it doesn’t have to be large) that belongs to the council. Building massive council estates was wrong back in the day, but so is only building for private use. There has to be a bit of a mix....

 

[roydo]

There are regulations in place to force housebuilders to include ‘affordable housing’ in any development, so just split the affordable housing section into affordable housing and local housing. Housing associations tend to buy up these houses, but the councils could just tell the builders no planning without a percentage (and it doesn’t have to be large) that belongs to the council. Building massive council estates was wrong back in the day, but so is only building for private use. There has to be a bit of a mix....

This is true. Even the most eye catching new development has loads of social/affordable housing squirrelled away so no one even knows they are there. Unless they live there, or, like me, you deliver stuff there. Was a right eye opener when I started my job. (Most are noticeably smaller, and many are flats off the main drags).

 

[summerisle]

The definition of a scummy Tory : no principles whatsoever.

 

[Tea_drinker]

The definition of a scummy Tory : no principles whatsoever.

And yet people vote for him so presumably believe him. This lot now are the worst in living memory.

 

[Dharma]

I see those horrible, disgusting pair of scumbags Ian Austin and John Woodcock have been given peerages by Johnson.
Traitors.Rotten to the core.

 

[havrey0123]

Scummy Tories at it again.

Tory civil war: MPs and campaigners stunned over planned tax raid

BORIS JOHNSON and Sajid Javid are considering imposing a "mansion tax" on the owners of expensive homes and cuts to pension tax relief in the next budget.

www.express.co.uk

Oh wait

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

This is true. Even the most eye catching new development has loads of social/affordable housing squirrelled away so no one even knows they are there. Unless they live there, or, like me, you deliver stuff there. Was a right eye opener when I started my job. (Most are noticeably smaller, and many are flats off the main drags).

Id be very wary of going for a new build... Huge problems stacking up as well, little thought goes into infrastructure impact etc.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Bye bye northern power house, you've missed the train it's now somewhere between Birmingham and London, next one and it's only a maybe, will be in the revised timetable in the 2030s.

HS2: Government to give high-speed rail line the go-ahead

The rising cost of the project and accusations of mismanagement have provoked anger from critics.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[zzr45]

Bye bye northern power house, you've missed the train it's now somewhere between Birmingham and London, next one and it's only a maybe, will be in the revised timetable in the 2030s.

HS2: Government to give high-speed rail line the go-ahead

The rising cost of the project and accusations of mismanagement have provoked anger from critics.

www.bbc.co.uk

HS2,has always been a two phase scheme. By the sounds of it there’s going to be more thinking about how to link into existing lines to actually reap the benefit. Also of note in that is that phase one will now also include the Crewe terminus, rather than being in phase two. That means the NW gets benefits earlier than expected. Presumably, that’s a reward for voting Tory rather than return the god awful ex-Labour MP.

 

[roydo]

HS2,has always been a two phase scheme. By the sounds of it there’s going to be more thinking about how to link into existing lines to actually reap the benefit. Also of note in that is that phase one will now also include the Crewe terminus, rather than being in phase two. That means the NW gets benefits earlier than expected. Presumably, that’s a reward for voting Tory rather than return the god awful ex-Labour MP.

Are they going to do the London/Birmingham bit first, then the Birmingham/Manc/Leeds bit after? Why not start the two links at the same time, then have a party in Birmingham?