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| Conman and his faithful companion Dobin |
The cost of the NHS in England for 2012/13 it is around £108.9 billion. An additional £500m bailout over two years has been announced to help struggling A&E departments through the winter months providing a sticking plaster for the period up to the general election. To put these numbers into proportion: "Out of every £100 of national wealth (GDP) we spend £8.70, compared to the US £16 and are well below the Western average. Greece and Portugal spend proportionately more on health than the UK. The public need to understand that this is a major reason for some of the NHS problems."
This morning BBC Breakfast TV was targetted by Conman following his whirlwind visit to an A&E Dept leaving them in a whirl while saving his wind for the TV audience. I have rarely heard such distortions from a communications man determined to hoodwink the public. His message was that if people know where to go there is no problem with A&E services quoting the failing '111' service, inadequate 'out-of-hours' services and yet to come integrated 'care in the community' provision which is why people go to A&E. Amongst all the NHS upheavals, A&E Depts have become the ultimate points of delivery where other services fail. Louise Minchin didn't sound convinced. Neither was I.
Physician heal thyself!
National wealth is not the same as GDP. If can get those basics wrong it does say much about the validity of your statistics.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you are being deliberately obtuse Anonymous. What you refer to is a quote from an eminent professor which he uses for illustrative purposes when presenting his statistics; hence the quotation marks.
DeleteIf you are to be a regular critic it would be helpful to other readers if you would read what is written more carefully since the point has been missed on the last three entries. Also, a suitable pseudonym would be appreciated to distinguish your anonymity from others to avoid mistaken identity. Thanks
Eminent professor? Bournemouth University!!! No eminent professor would use lines like 'Of course the treatment and care was not always 100 per cent perfect but 99 per cent ...' What is 100 per cent perfect care? This is pseudo-science and fluff statitics used to peddle a narrow minded blogger's agenda.
DeleteAnonymous, wrong again. Not Bournemouth University but Southampton University.
ReplyDeleteI can understand you wanting to wind me up but whatever you might think of me or this blog, please spare a thought for the author of the article who was seeking to be helpful to others after losing his wife.
Read the bottom of the artcle, 'School of Health & Social Care, Bournemouth University'! He is also a visiting professor at Southampton. There is a difference, which is significant.
DeleteGetting the facts and stats correct would help address the health care issues rather than trying to score polticial points.
Quite so Anonymous but leaving aside your elitist attitude to education, it is the Southampton association with the professor's late wife who was cared for in the Southampton General Hospital that is relevant to the article quoted.
DeleteAs for scoring political points feel free to claim a victory and move on to address the health care issues if you have anything to contribute.
I am all in favour of an elitist attitude towards education. My own university has been awarded more Nobel prizes that the whole of France.
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