tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86065240926162271362024-03-05T23:43:34.579+00:00One Armed MaverickNHS campaign blog. Resources and news for Lancashire about STP plans to privatise the NHS and how to stop HS privatisation. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-26829647923022029922023-11-06T11:48:00.008+00:002023-11-06T12:19:56.211+00:00Ever decreasing NHS budget held together by service cuts<h1 style="text-align: left;">We don't want to say it but we will “We told you so!” </h1><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORE1as9fGXVMygbqLrLvS6eTmKB6osc3PEjaHrk7R6h-52aQvwnd7QylCzA3fQlOpbDV4vwUn39t5H2VP4GLL48b1tFa7TXA86MA6QX769Cp1jCa5s3Obnrs3tVIF8moyGSxvC689XwROO8gzbcUlfcjvIThHhREa1-IfqdNVTitLcXeB4pkg-d5BAhk/s750/conference-nhs-for-sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORE1as9fGXVMygbqLrLvS6eTmKB6osc3PEjaHrk7R6h-52aQvwnd7QylCzA3fQlOpbDV4vwUn39t5H2VP4GLL48b1tFa7TXA86MA6QX769Cp1jCa5s3Obnrs3tVIF8moyGSxvC689XwROO8gzbcUlfcjvIThHhREa1-IfqdNVTitLcXeB4pkg-d5BAhk/w400-h266/conference-nhs-for-sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The Health and Care Act of 2018 broke up the NHS in England into 42 separate regional health authorities and introduced private firms into the central direction of the regional NHS management, through, what is called a “Provider Forum” of the local, Greater Manchester Integrated Care Structure (GM ICS). </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We, in Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) Greater Manchester</b> warned the 11 local Councils in Greater Manchester who welcomed the new “integrated” care structure, that they were <b>not acting in their constituents' best interests</b>. The new system was <b>undemocratic</b>, with <b>no local control of the Integrated Care Board</b> (with only </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>one </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">elected representative on it); and by accepting a Tory budget that went along with the new structure, they would be forced to make Tory budget cuts for them – <i><b>doing the Tories' dirty work for them.</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Five years later, all 42 regional Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England are in deficit</b> - in total, by about £1000 million". </span></blockquote></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But Greater Manchester ICS (and North East London) are the most heavily overdrawn. From April to the end of August 2023, the GM Integrated Care Board thought they would be £20 million overspent. In fact they were in deficit for £125million.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So Greater Manchester ICB brought in some so-called “turn around” directors - and is desperately negotiating with their financial masters in NHS England and The Treasury. But as a spokesperson for Greater Manchester ICB said ”...with multiple pressures.... we need to put measures in place to ensure we save money...” that is, their only way forward is to cut more NHS services and bring more distress to Greater Manchester service users.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><b>From April to the end of August 2023, the GM Integrated Care Board thought they would be £20 million overspent. In fact they were in deficit for £125million.</b></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Every independent NHS management association and think tank, besides us NHS campaigners and NHS trade unions, recognise that the Tory budgets are totally inadequate to provide a humane, decent health service. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But you won't hear anything like that from the public consultations or websites of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We say “Come clean, GM ICB!” Don't hide what the real situation is in the NHS, with glossy brochures and “public consultations” which lack any financial information in them. Declare to the millions of NHS supporters in Greater Manchester, that you are trying to manage an unsustainable, faltering, crisis - ridden NHS – deliberately engineered by a Tory government. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Join with NHS campaigners in your area, sympathetic political parties and trade unions to lobby for a decent, public, free NHS that the people of England deserve (and that UK can afford).</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-15580344340194151892023-03-09T10:47:00.002+00:002023-03-09T10:47:53.322+00:00The NHS is now just a 'Logo'<h1 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkZG7CZ4a1Z-lw-G-cOA5Gb_aUWx0C_gUHGgMqUCWBP-8C6lfT3mwbgvQJMijcuptPsIpZ9h7IOIxnsp2J7BSP1mouIRa8VNDtbxKuPfHwWkC6qKnDQTGdbgmMK1T0IvOpzR3JSo2nJh_n71v2RDcJn6-oC75UhVDqIQrLGaXCaBOdlk5b3JS8_yz/s688/NHS_hammer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="688" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkZG7CZ4a1Z-lw-G-cOA5Gb_aUWx0C_gUHGgMqUCWBP-8C6lfT3mwbgvQJMijcuptPsIpZ9h7IOIxnsp2J7BSP1mouIRa8VNDtbxKuPfHwWkC6qKnDQTGdbgmMK1T0IvOpzR3JSo2nJh_n71v2RDcJn6-oC75UhVDqIQrLGaXCaBOdlk5b3JS8_yz/w400-h266/NHS_hammer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">'NHS' is Now Just a Logo</span></h1><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>by Dr Bob Gill</i></b></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The NHS has already been privatised in law. </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The <b><i>Health and Care act 2022</i></b> completed the legislative transition from a publicly provided service to a tax funded, privately controlled and run service resembling American '<b>managed care</b>'.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The NHS has been reduced to a logo and a funding stream from which profit can be extracted through staff wage suppression, down-skilling and task shifting clinical work (employing the cheapest least <span style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a style="animation-name: none !important; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>qualified staff to provide care outside of their competence). </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote><b><blockquote>Most dangerously, profits are to be made through the denial of care to the sick.</blockquote></b></blockquote></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">Managed care allows money not spent on patients to be kept by private corporations as profit, thus creating a perverse incentive to let the sick suffer or die. This has been the well documented experience in America. </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The NHS now resembles Medicare and Medicaid, both public funded but privately delivered healthcare for most of those excluded by the US private insurance industry.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Labour party and the health unions have colluded with this process. </div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">From 1997 to 2010 Blair/Brown governments saddled the NHS with toxic PFI debt and began outsourcing medical services. In 2006 the health unions were co-opted by signing up to the <a href="https://www.socialpartnershipforum.org/partners" target="_blank">Social Partnership Forum</a> (SPF) agreeing <b>not to oppose privatisation</b>. [<i>Health unions signed an updated SPF agreement in 2019 to support the Conservative rollout of a 10 year NHS privatisation plan</i>].</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">Streeting and Starmer, both in reciept of funding from wealthy donors with financial interest in private health, have loudly signalled their intention to keep lining the pockets of private healthcare with a commitment to public-private partnerships, while remaining silent on the catastrophic impact, happening now, of shrinking capacity, dismantling public health and driving staff out of the NHS.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, "segoe ui", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "open sans", "helvetica neue", sans-serif; white-space: normal;"><blockquote>Labour leader Keir Starmer has committed to almost all the Tories’ policies on NHS privatisation and general austerity. His health spokesman, Wes Streeting, took £15,000 from a hedge fund manager connected to vulture healthcare privatising. <a href="https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/108777/08-03-2023/the-fight-for-our-nhs/" target="_blank">source here click link</a></blockquote></span></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZOPgTzR0qNiO_NLX2D-ZVDOHrWxXmQKJb2irKHe64aDNa5pwj9bZqy2D6qH2f3ReKdi5Z0NH4UpvVRRv_qSM9Che0Z8BxrZrFco_4e-I8c8Zk-YZnhCvU9xSJDsRtxB7Xw2yxXUyYVBy8aZ05X9eIOpyjFsFSMPKiceLgWSeBYNQvjuc0VYwLulp/s211/footprint-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="112" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZOPgTzR0qNiO_NLX2D-ZVDOHrWxXmQKJb2irKHe64aDNa5pwj9bZqy2D6qH2f3ReKdi5Z0NH4UpvVRRv_qSM9Che0Z8BxrZrFco_4e-I8c8Zk-YZnhCvU9xSJDsRtxB7Xw2yxXUyYVBy8aZ05X9eIOpyjFsFSMPKiceLgWSeBYNQvjuc0VYwLulp/w74-h140/footprint-small.jpg" width="74" /></a></div>42 new legal entities called <b>Integrated Care Systems</b> are public-private partnerships [PPP], handing control of NHS budgets to private corporations to decide on who gets care and what care is provided. NHS England call these 42 split NHS business areas '<b>footprints</b>'.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">The intentional collapse of NHS service provision - in particular emergency care, rising waiting lists and struggling GP surgeries is contributing to record excess deaths and preventable harm.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">This avoidable inhumanity is the catalyst for a public shift into paying out of pocket for private treatment or for top-up private insurance in an attempt to insulate themselves from future risk of sickness.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to call for renationalisation. Health unions must abandon their current complicit stance and embark on industrial action in good faith. Memberships of all unions should demand that their leaders fund mass public awareness campaigns and co-ordinate strikes. Only grassroots awareness and action stands any chance of there being a renationalisation.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">If not reversed, healthcare in England will exclude many, worsen health outcomes further, cost more than double, exploit psychologically damaged staff and continue to waste £Billions in bureaucracy, dysfunction, fraud, enriching shareholders and CEOs.</div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Bob Gill</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-29247455839437133932022-05-13T11:01:00.007+01:002022-05-13T11:16:07.112+01:00New Lancashire Wide health system starts with "truly massive deficit"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUa9dDWw_mapAbxOVAed2jXX3sEnnMKzdlctFQKcMn7VNVZ0Ykuknl3dxSUQCkGYjuqHICMcBwCpkH0e59E9Z9bQ9tuaoAuR3BDdMMyBM82Jh0wurdmLQkFB_o0bXS2HZvUImxXMF1pCVHeeiI0h7xXzHZ8WLOYQHflk8lX7aDuZOjBoyD0ysxp2G/s581/map-lancs-south-cumbria-footprint.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="546" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUa9dDWw_mapAbxOVAed2jXX3sEnnMKzdlctFQKcMn7VNVZ0Ykuknl3dxSUQCkGYjuqHICMcBwCpkH0e59E9Z9bQ9tuaoAuR3BDdMMyBM82Jh0wurdmLQkFB_o0bXS2HZvUImxXMF1pCVHeeiI0h7xXzHZ8WLOYQHflk8lX7aDuZOjBoyD0ysxp2G/w376-h400/map-lancs-south-cumbria-footprint.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><h1 style="text-align: left;">CHORLEY, PRESTON, SOUTH RIBBLE NHS ICS STARTS OFF WITH "TRULY MASSIVE DEFICIT"</h1><p>NHS Campaigners have been warning about the disaster that awaits when the new American style <b>Integrated Care System</b> (ICS) is introduced into the NHS in England in 2022. </p><p>Contrary to their manifesto, the Conservatives are forcing a top-down reorganisation of the NHS which aims to mimic profit-seeking American <i><b>health maintenance organisations</b></i> (HMO) and make it more profitable for NHS contract shareholders known as <i><b>Integrated Care Providers</b></i> (partners in an <i><b>Integrated Care System</b></i>).</p><p>The recent parliamentary approval of the governments <a href="https://lowdownnhs.info/comment/parliament-finishes-with-the-health-and-care-bill-but-what-does-it-look-like-now/" target="_blank">2022 Health & Care Bill</a> means the new ICS system, which splits the NHS in England into 42 areas and changes the method of funding, now has statutory approval to go ahead.</p><p>However, many of these 42 areas have been putting the ICS framework in place with other partners (including councils and private healthcare providers) since early 2019 using shadow boards and directors, even to the extent of drawing up their own ICS "constitutions" in anticipation of getting the green light to go ahead to form the ICS. All this was done without scrutiny and <b>without agreement from local council/county authorities.</b></p><p>Lancashire & South Cumbria ICS includes the area of Central Lancashire consisting of Chorley, South Ribble, and Greater Preston.</p><p>The shadow ICS Board for Lancashire & South Cumbria (L&SC) has been warning since the end of 2020 of the threat of a truly massive deficit, with the Feb 2021 forecast concluding<b>*</b> : </p><p></p><blockquote><p><b>“all in all the implication of the guidance is that L&SC could be in deficit somewhere within a range of £240m to £340m”.</b></p><p></p></blockquote><p>This is of grave concern for everyone considering the current situation. Starting off with such a massive deficit can only lead to cuts and rationing of health services and treatment, something NHS campaigners in Chorley have been warning about for years. </p><p></p><blockquote><b>NHS Campaigners are however just as concerned that private health companies, now partners in the ICS, could step in and provide private investment to make up any shortfall, thus tying the NHS into a private irreversible long-term contract similar to previous Pfi (Private finance initiatives).</b></blockquote><p>This will effectively end the NHS as a universal, comprehensive, public service freely available for everyone and convert it into the profit seeking American health system which the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/05/john-major-nhs-risk-brexit-pythons-johnson-and-gove" target="_blank">Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already stated he prefers</a>.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><b>*</b>source (PDF) Integrated Care System (ICS) Board Agenda 3 February 2021: <a href="https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/application/files/3816/1192/9693/Formal_ICS_Board_-_One_Pack_Papers_-_3_February_2021.pdf">https://www.healthierlsc.co.uk/application/files/3816/1192/9693/Formal_ICS_Board_-_One_Pack_Papers_-_3_February_2021.pdf</a></p><p><a href="https://lowdownnhs.info/news/north-west/?fbclid=IwAR1ubMAvAAke4ezNYTMJBna_IGGW4QXkn149SPPp8YiINE9nGRfl8ZeQiBk">https://lowdownnhs.info/news/north-west/?fbclid=IwAR1ubMAvAAke4ezNYTMJBna_IGGW4QXkn149SPPp8YiINE9nGRfl8ZeQiBk</a></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-41832040721826741832022-05-06T11:37:00.003+01:002022-05-06T11:37:41.688+01:00Dozens of NHS services handed over to private sector<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyPYTeP1dxSfgwYqVgtdWG4w_hpnGMCQRWLjfzUOTOqOk9VGIdvfW5SucpxxRat43_OjiYPlYJf3bxTiNBe0erTyyiYPOxQ8m3dwK6lL98tQx19qp810HT9HNx8H2pdHz7vzv21hy8MXZDXDc1gDiPACy1IQRBuu0TMDi7XhoheZ_qKHEIczp63w1/s396/branson-belly-laughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="396" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyPYTeP1dxSfgwYqVgtdWG4w_hpnGMCQRWLjfzUOTOqOk9VGIdvfW5SucpxxRat43_OjiYPlYJf3bxTiNBe0erTyyiYPOxQ8m3dwK6lL98tQx19qp810HT9HNx8H2pdHz7vzv21hy8MXZDXDc1gDiPACy1IQRBuu0TMDi7XhoheZ_qKHEIczp63w1/w400-h289/branson-belly-laughs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Richard Branson has sold Virgin Care to US private equity company Twenty20 Capital. Its new name is <a href="https://www.hcrgcaregroup.com/" target="_blank">HCRG Care Group</a>. The US outfit will be responsible for around £2bn of NHS contracts.</p><p>HCRG Care group are now one of the UK’s leading private providers of community health and care services. </p><p>Basically it's our NHS being handed to the private health sector on a platter...</p><p><i><b>HCRG Services ....</b></i></p><p>■ adult and children community health services, </p><p>■primary care services including urgent care, </p><p>■ sexual health, dermatology and MSK services,</p><p>■ adult social care and wellbeing services.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>Twenty20 Capital Ltd, the current owner of HCRG Care Group, is a private equity investment company. The company aims to make as much profit for shareholders in as short a time as possible. Such companies often buy businesses that are either non-profitable or failing and use strategies, such as asset selling, redundancies, and mergers, to create shareholder value.</b></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links to the new NHS U.S. Integrated Care System (ICS)</h3><p></p><p>In May 2021, Virgin Care representatives were reported to be on the board of the fledgling ICS in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire region. A report in The Lowdown noted that Virgin Care’s local managing director Julia Clarke is already listed as a member of the Integrated Care Partnership Board, the unitary Board which currently runs the ICS covering Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW).</p><p>source: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/2p8fcfcd" target="_blank">NHSforsale.info</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-50621128387869932672021-11-19T17:40:00.006+00:002021-11-19T17:40:55.586+00:00New Hospital's Plan said to be "unachievable"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BB_7cmJ37rqONK4hpIgZPfhlsHPJcrtGGNMQ3saINUenXKHPP1QbcO-gwtIkzzGxz4KAzSIiZn3xwDktFhb7mwhIeapRqAnXvwZz6HfksHCDi_m60kKSbnFDGIs9qSWuR85T3U9skhg/s676/NHS_for_sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="676" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BB_7cmJ37rqONK4hpIgZPfhlsHPJcrtGGNMQ3saINUenXKHPP1QbcO-gwtIkzzGxz4KAzSIiZn3xwDktFhb7mwhIeapRqAnXvwZz6HfksHCDi_m60kKSbnFDGIs9qSWuR85T3U9skhg/w400-h240/NHS_for_sale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b style="font-size: large;">New Hospital's Plan "unachievable"?</b></p><p><span style="background-color: #f0f2f2; color: #444444; font-weight: 600; text-align: center;">A government infrastructure watchdog has raised serious concerns about the lack of progress made to build “40 new hospitals” by 2030, HSJ has learned.</span></p><p>Boris Johnson's election promise of "40 New Hospitals" has now been declared <a href="https://www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-efficiency/exclusive-watchdog-says-new-hospital-building-programme-is-unachievable/7031359.article?" moz-do-not-send="true">unachievable by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.</a><br /></p><p>The plans to downgrade both Epsom and St Helier Hospitals and replace the acute services they provide -with a much much smaller, more distant alternative, co located with the Marsden in Belmont- have been declared as unachievable, along with all the other 39 such plans.<br /><br /></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Many of the so called "40 new hospitals" involve cuts, downgrades and closures sometimes with smaller replacements and often involving NHS land sales, just like the Epsom and St Helier model.</span></b></blockquote><p></p><p>"According to sources, the New Hospitals Programme – which was created to deliver the key manifesto pledge – has been downgraded to a “red” rating by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority following a review of the programme and its leadership."</p><p><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">"....a “red” rating means it “appears to be unachievable”.</span></b><br /><br /></p><p>The “red” rating also means there are “major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable”.</p><p>We wait to see what this might mean for Chorley, Preston & Lancaster.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-90688476455122198472021-11-16T13:12:00.007+00:002021-11-17T21:30:21.663+00:00Health & Care bill could destroy the NHS with a PACS model<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xMgj7-47M7msoxbDc6iGYcWKwDucbnAh-8OGd67DY2ngdyk471VwG0Ep1YnUHjAKwq5wNut0wYqqONcHptfvXSfvtQGEsINfDdFzzKeG1k7AI2lI2BlfpO1ISQTJFGkTtLoaYyuCSgQ/s664/footprints-north.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="529" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xMgj7-47M7msoxbDc6iGYcWKwDucbnAh-8OGd67DY2ngdyk471VwG0Ep1YnUHjAKwq5wNut0wYqqONcHptfvXSfvtQGEsINfDdFzzKeG1k7AI2lI2BlfpO1ISQTJFGkTtLoaYyuCSgQ/w319-h400/footprints-north.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Could the English Health & Care bill destroy the NHS with a PACS model?</h2><p>The newly proposed integrated care system (ICS) includes several 'new' ways of working - these are called new 'models of care'.</p><p>Here, we look at the <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/integrated-primary-and-acute-care-systems-pacs-describing-the-care-model-and-the-business-model/" target="_blank">PACS business model</a> of care which is included in the governments Health & Care Bill before parliament mid-Nov (2021). </p><p>Observations here are from the Salford Together trial program report; and summarises the key findings, learning and recommendations from the end of programme evaluation of Salford Together’s Adults Integrated Care Programme (ICP).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Integrated <b>P</b>rimary and <b>A</b>cute <b>C</b>are <b>S</b>ystems (PACS)</h3><p>Vanguard (kaiser beacon pilot program): <b>Salford Together</b></p><p>The PACS model is to be applied to all footprint regions across England.<br /></p><blockquote><b>The PACS model is a population-based new care model based on the American Accountable Care model (pg 5 pacs framework NHSE).</b></blockquote><p></p><p>It appears rollout will be done regardless of whether the Salford Together vanguard program is successful or not (surprise surprise).</p><p>Since the program is running in parallel with existing services, it does not and cannot, truly be presented as an '<b>evidence-based</b>' model. </p><p>Rolled out on a larger scale the PACS model could be a disaster due to existing services being closed before any meaningful results are recorded.</p><p>The evaluation report ran up to the pandemic (up to June 2020).</p><p>When reading through the report it's important to look closely at the figures - however, it was soon discovered existing figures (eg A&E attendances) were either omitted altogether or presented as percentages. </p><p>Further, when part of a program or pathway wasn't working they changed it. But fail to say what these changes were.</p><p>Also, in an integrated combined system that must work together, "pockets of success" equates to "failure of the rest of the system. </p><p><b><u>The summary from stakeholders described the PACS program as:</u></b></p><p></p><blockquote><b><span style="font-size: large;">"an aspirational aim, which had not been fully achieved"</span></b></blockquote><p></p><p>The report (link below to PDF) then proceeds to the "what have we learned and recommendations" (page 7)</p><p>Some high-risk problems encountered on the scheme include:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Problems accessing data [<b>catastrophic in an integrated system</b>], </li><li>quality and complexity; [<b>high risk on any risk assessment</b>]</li><li>challenges of accurate demand forecasting due to <b><i>limited data available</i></b>; lack of clarity among stakeholders about new roles, [<i><b>nobody truly knows who's responsible for what</b></i>]</li><li>responsibilities and governance; [<b>crucial for any ICS to function</b>]</li><li>stakeholder engagement challenges; <b>staff recruitment and retention</b>; <br /><b>limited estates accommodation to enable co-location of teams</b>; and </li><li>IT systems interoperability impeding implementation.</li></ol><p></p><p>Notes: The <b>limited estates accommodation</b> needed to re-locate hospital services into has been the main reason for failure of most STP. The original idea was to partner with local councils and have the council provide empty spaces/buildings for the clinics. </p><p><b>The lack of available and suitable accommodation may result in an ICS refusing to proceed.</b></p><p></p><blockquote><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">If a non-evidence based PACS does proceed, it is likely local hospital services transferred into community clinics will fail, with the hospital or most of its assets sold.</span></b></p><p></p></blockquote><p>If there is a lack of staff at the vanguard stage then any attempt at a larger system footprint -wide rollout could end in disaster. </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>According to the results: there would be a shortage of staff to look after and treat patients, and with no estates available, there would be nowhere to treat them. There would also be no IT network in place and little if any access to patient data.</b></blockquote><p><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Related Links</span></b></p><p><a href="https://lowdownnhs.info/analysis/long-read/more-flaws-exposed-in-integrated-care/?mc_cid=8e1573cc1b&mc_eid=0822a8e5c3" target="_blank">More flaws exposed in ‘integrated care’</a></p><p><a href="https://www.salfordtogether.com/2020/09/salford-integrated-care-programme-2016-17-to-2019-20-evaluation-report/" target="_blank">The two-year Salford PACS evaluation report can be read in this PDF</a></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-50818904955838446172021-09-04T11:33:00.005+01:002021-09-04T11:35:18.189+01:00Southport and Ormskirk hospital trust likely to cut a dozen services<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3_1ZTvEujqtOI_F7okilvt0i9kPlibA6V8C94E8BHVyL658BekvT8slvrEK5qzsFjHlDaUUXP3PrLpP3MVbc3CmugrGYrsSWgU1I1nSWx2HoKMie0cQo1LAXfjCu871VDCZnFuRuvE0/s508/nhs_money.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="508" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3_1ZTvEujqtOI_F7okilvt0i9kPlibA6V8C94E8BHVyL658BekvT8slvrEK5qzsFjHlDaUUXP3PrLpP3MVbc3CmugrGYrsSWgU1I1nSWx2HoKMie0cQo1LAXfjCu871VDCZnFuRuvE0/w400-h249/nhs_money.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Southport and Ormskirk hospital trust "</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">unlikely" to be able to continue providing at least a dozen services.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The hospital trust recently <a href="https://www.southportandormskirk.nhs.uk/southport-and-ormskirk-to-partner-with-neighbouring-trust/" target="_blank">merged with neighbouring </a></span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;"><a href="https://www.southportandormskirk.nhs.uk/southport-and-ormskirk-to-partner-with-neighbouring-trust/" target="_blank">St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals</a></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.southportandormskirk.nhs.uk/southport-and-ormskirk-to-partner-with-neighbouring-trust/" target="_blank"> NHS trust</a> in a bid to make savings under a business plan that could see at least twelve services cut to save money.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The chair of the Southport & Ormskirk trust board </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Neil Masom claimed the hospitals had "</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">a dozen or so ‘fragile’ clinical services" which the trust were unlikely to be able to continue. Mr. Masom</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> apportioned this to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">weaknesses in the Trust’s finances and the inability to recruit and retain staff.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">The so-called 'partnership' between the two hospital trusts is inline with NHS cuts right across the board under the regions </span><a href="https://yoursayshapingcaretogether.co.uk/home-welcome" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #006ab4; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Shaping Care Together</a> program.</p><p>- ends -</p><p><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">related links</span></b></p><p><a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/southport-hospital-bosses-respond-claims-21340777" target="_blank"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Southport</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> and Ormskirk </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Hospitals</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> Trust has responded to claims the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">hospitals</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"> are at </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">risk of closure</span></a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/southport-hospital-bosses-respond-claims-21340777" target="_blank"> or downsizing</a>.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-13052175538536863692021-08-23T11:40:00.017+01:002021-08-23T12:00:26.703+01:00The NHS as a national service is about to come to an end<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWiFF-99dcN_BFdz__oe2cWicqbsAMaf9PddrPsPean3oMoMIjwtWWMkUrNc5Bz9VSxBb0ft31AfH7Lm1YZUNEWiyToJ4Pp7DrEejAEvj1LfvEiS5bgO721Q0uEgbGzTlmSnXO9gCCJY/s688/NHS_hammer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="688" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWiFF-99dcN_BFdz__oe2cWicqbsAMaf9PddrPsPean3oMoMIjwtWWMkUrNc5Bz9VSxBb0ft31AfH7Lm1YZUNEWiyToJ4Pp7DrEejAEvj1LfvEiS5bgO721Q0uEgbGzTlmSnXO9gCCJY/w640-h426/NHS_hammer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">The</span><span data-offset-key="68trr-1-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"> NHS as a national service is about to come to an end. It will be fragmented and replaced with 42 footprint regions run by private-public "Integrated Care Boards" operating as a financial profit-driven system.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">■ </span>The once publicly owned and run "NHS" is hanging by a thread....</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It will be fragmented and replaced with 42 private-public "Integrated Care Boards" operating as a financial profit-driven system. These areas, known as 'footprints' will be overseen by American corporations from commissioning support units and driven by American subsidiaries via NHS England's "</span><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/hssf/supplier-lists/#transformation-and-change-support" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Approved provider" framework</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="cgq3s-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cgq3s-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xMgj7-47M7msoxbDc6iGYcWKwDucbnAh-8OGd67DY2ngdyk471VwG0Ep1YnUHjAKwq5wNut0wYqqONcHptfvXSfvtQGEsINfDdFzzKeG1k7AI2lI2BlfpO1ISQTJFGkTtLoaYyuCSgQ/s664/footprints-north.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0xMgj7-47M7msoxbDc6iGYcWKwDucbnAh-8OGd67DY2ngdyk471VwG0Ep1YnUHjAKwq5wNut0wYqqONcHptfvXSfvtQGEsINfDdFzzKeG1k7AI2lI2BlfpO1ISQTJFGkTtLoaYyuCSgQ/w255-h320/footprints-north.jpg" title="each 'footprint' area has 1 or more ICP Boards" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">some footprint regions</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 18.75px;"><br /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="3ts95-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3ts95-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="3ts95-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">■ Integrated Care Systems aim to CLOSE most hospital outpatient services and move them into community clinics run under a Private public partnership. These multi-specialty provider (MCP) clinics bring together (integrate) the private and public sector, thus redirecting funding away from the NHS.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="49gij-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="49gij-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="49gij-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="4ee4m-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4ee4m-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="4ee4m-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">■ Since 2010, over 60 towns and cities across England have had vital hospital services either closed down or downgraded.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="4t6k6-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4t6k6-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="4t6k6-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="97k4j-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="97k4j-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="97k4j-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">■ American healthcare systems are some of the worst in the world for access & costs. The government are insisting England adopts a health care system similar to Medicaid & Medicare in America as the U.S. health schemes make 'greater savings' and are thus more 'profitable' for shareholders in private healthcare. </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="3mn57-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3mn57-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="3mn57-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="763g3-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="763g3-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="763g3-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">■ The government's 2021 health & care bill will ensure the NHS is opened up to large multinational companies who will sit on "integrated care boards" steering services towards private ventures for profit extraction. </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="76mfc-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="76mfc-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="76mfc-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our once publicly owned and run "NHS" is hanging by a thread....</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="m55g" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Only the people can save the NHS in England from a transformation of a state-owned asset to a corporate profit-driven health service as seen in the United States.</span></b></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><i>Links</i></span></b></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><a href="https://www.patients4nhs.org.uk/?s=integrated+care+systems" target="_blank">About Integrated Care Systems from Patients 4 NHS</a></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="6b5p0-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br /></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-61437894063552421942021-07-01T21:16:00.005+01:002021-07-01T21:17:48.152+01:00Private health firms without adequate diagnostic equipment are still being awarded NHS contracts<p> <span data-offset-key="eer44-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">TREATMENT </span><span style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">DENIED</span></p><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="4c9kh-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4c9kh-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="4c9kh-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS foundation trust appear to have been sub-contracting out some of their MSK work to private health 'Partners' Ascenti physio who in turn seem to be doing their utmost to keep NHS patients referred to them out of hospital. </span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="7ckp7-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7ckp7-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="7ckp7-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="dq5lk-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dq5lk-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="dq5lk-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">This is very dangerous for patients since NHS hospitals provide the more expensive diagnostics equipment needed for MSK such as MRI and CT scanners, which Ascentii don't have. </span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="cc2r4-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cc2r4-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="cc2r4-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="4kei-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4kei-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="4kei-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Without these diagnostic and access to more experienced consultants the patient is being denied their right to a universal NHS coupled with a higher risk of mis-diagnoses.</span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="1dj5r-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1dj5r-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="1dj5r-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="fs2ig-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fs2ig-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="fs2ig-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Since the advent of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) in 2013, almost FIFTY NHS treatments have been removed from the list of treatments available on the NHS. </span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="1efi1-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1efi1-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="1efi1-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none; transition-property: none;" /></span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="4hqob-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4hqob-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="4hqob-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none;">Contract regulations now apply conditions when a clinician refers a patient for a certain procedure/operation, including "is it financially viable". This 'funding request' is then either accepted in part payment, referred back for a 2nd opinion, or denied. </span></div></div><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="6b2nv-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6b2nv-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN-awZryxQY-dpyNLDB-eb2peXFdlDLnaaUZ2Lshyaw2N0ZK7LRxlCh0FlibUQ4Y82QvK-GieYL27_J9ZuD7PAvEbbJT8LazD3O5_xteOP46-dDYPPuKpuVvToOfSDxHtmYGNzN_Vg9I/s641/cap_in_hand.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN-awZryxQY-dpyNLDB-eb2peXFdlDLnaaUZ2Lshyaw2N0ZK7LRxlCh0FlibUQ4Y82QvK-GieYL27_J9ZuD7PAvEbbJT8LazD3O5_xteOP46-dDYPPuKpuVvToOfSDxHtmYGNzN_Vg9I/w320-h214/cap_in_hand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><blockquote class="h2mp5456 mk2mc5f4 peup4ujy m9osqain jq4qci2q cxmmr5t8 hcukyx3x sej5wr8e jei6r52m hv4rvrfc dati1w0a" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="96mt5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; border-left-color: var(--divider); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 4px; color: var(--secondary-text); font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.75px; margin: 20px 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 16px; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="96mt5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span data-offset-key="96mt5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; transition-property: none;">The clinician/GP now has to go cap-in-hand to the CCG, begging for funding to treat their patients. </span></div></blockquote><div class="bi6gxh9e" data-block="true" data-editor="7m05s" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; margin-bottom: 8px; transition-property: none;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The NHS is now being operated as a health insurer by denying treatment on the grounds that management believe it to be ineffective or unaffordable.</span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; position: relative; text-align: left; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="color: #050505;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">RELATED LINKS</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px;">In this article, a treatment that what was previously provided on the NHS was awarded to private physio firm Ascenti instead. But Ascenti Ltd admitted it didn't have the sophisticated diagnostics equipment to help the patient. </span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><blockquote><b>Instead of resolving the patients obvious postcode lottery problem, a spokesman for the local Clinical Commissioning Group - who awarded Ascenti the contract - refused to do anything. Instead they glossed over the problem by reciting such issues as how to self-refer.</b></blockquote><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none;"><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.lep.co.uk/health/chorley-woman-who-has-been-living-pain-her-foot-6-months-hits-out-medical-postcode-lottery-149574" target="_blank">Chorley woman who has been living with pain in her foot for 6 months hits out at ‘medical postcode lottery’</a></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ap8p5-0-0" style="animation-name: none; background-color: white; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-63047441156416984442021-07-01T20:42:00.002+01:002021-07-01T20:45:06.066+01:00The Lowdown June 2021, health, news, analysis<p> </p><div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-unicode">
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The Lowdown - health news, analysis </td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-16b9fc67-d73f-aa35-21a7-acf4652f0731"><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>29th June 2021</b></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">
Matt Hancock may have resigned but his fingerprints remain all over
the new reorganisation of the NHS that will likely be put before
Parliament soon. The proposals seen so far are controversial amongst
Tories and opposed by Labour. There is an opportunity for public
pressure to make important changes, and here at the Lowdown we have been working to raise
awareness about this and the huge challenges facing the NHS.</span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">
Thank you for your support, please share our articles where you can to help raise awareness and to get people involved.</span></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">
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<p style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 150%; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong><a href="https://nhscampaign.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f72f778439e38b1d18a28495&id=13be79252b&e=0822a8e5c3" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #007c89; font-weight: normal; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-decoration: underline; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: mediumblue;">NICE: Deciding what the NHS provides and how</span></a></strong></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 150%; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><br />
<span style="color: #202020; font-size: large;">in case you missed it...</span></p>
<span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> <strong><a href="https://nhscampaign.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f72f778439e38b1d18a28495&id=1351eb6b3d&e=0822a8e5c3" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #007c89; font-weight: normal; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-decoration: underline; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: firebrick;">What will be in the Health and Care Bill?</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://nhscampaign.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f72f778439e38b1d18a28495&id=4de4f35f1e&e=0822a8e5c3" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #007c89; font-weight: normal; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-decoration: underline; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: firebrick;">Inequality – from words to action?</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://nhscampaign.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f72f778439e38b1d18a28495&id=64b2e18d5c&e=0822a8e5c3" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #007c89; font-weight: normal; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-decoration: underline; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: firebrick;">Urgent calls to fix “incoherent” health and social care staffing </span></a></strong><br />
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And you can mail your MP with the evidence of the action needed on staffing and resources <a href="https://nhscampaign.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f72f778439e38b1d18a28495&id=73d0d89216&e=0822a8e5c3" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #007c89; font-weight: normal; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-decoration: underline; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">here</a>. </span>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-26203408156030998032021-05-31T14:36:00.005+01:002021-05-31T14:46:50.247+01:00Priming the NHS for privatisation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPhp_EFDYf_f8rX5NbOs96mMu00n53-WrNF-ajS-sd_h9xRhlOUtygA2511jvo7HffI0rN7Iw_QyhEayK_dl4pVH3dZ40-IR4hD7nP6Moyb19FWtHO1JPqs1SPkekNTxtVc4hAbi2sDU/s1200/BREXIT-ACO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1200" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPhp_EFDYf_f8rX5NbOs96mMu00n53-WrNF-ajS-sd_h9xRhlOUtygA2511jvo7HffI0rN7Iw_QyhEayK_dl4pVH3dZ40-IR4hD7nP6Moyb19FWtHO1JPqs1SPkekNTxtVc4hAbi2sDU/w400-h261/BREXIT-ACO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>NHS hospitals don't belong to virgin care or Richard Branson. Not yet anyways.....</div><p>NHS hospitals, particularly foundation trusts are however, semi-autonomous companies, each with a company secretary with financial targets to meet. They are also allowed to undertake up to 50% of patients using their private insurance cover. *Watch this BLOG for more on this later..... </p><p>This means NHS patients could now be seen either as a burden, or a profit. Not convinced? look what happened at<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/06/mid-staffs-hospital-scandal-guide" target="_blank"> Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal</a> where the race for hospital boards to become a part-private company led to years of patient neglect and hundreds of deaths.</p><p>Your NHS has already been part-privatised by stealth, the rest is coming soon....</p><p>The GP - led commissioning groups however did award some contracts for some urgent care treatment centres to virgin healthcare and are still awarding them. The fact that pre-2010 Lord Ari Darzi advised New Labour 'split' emergency triage into urgent and emergent is where the covert hospital primary care triage 'sell off' scheme started. </p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Urgent care alongside A&E is a Danish model of triage and only works well if BOTH are run by the same non-profit seeking organisation and BOTH are run on the same hospital site.</b></span></blockquote><p></p><p>Think about it, urgent care is triage done by Drs who generally work out of private practice (some are wholly employed by virgin or other company such as GoToDoc).</p><p>So to ensure a profit, the politicians knew they had to split emergency care up into serious cases and not so serious - and that caused confusion for patients and doctors alike. When to attend, self-diagnoses, which hospital to attend etc..</p><p>Blair had similar to what is being proposed currently as Multi-specialty Community Provider (MCP) clinics, he called them independent [private] sector treatment centres . In 2006 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/feb/16/health.politics" target="_blank">Blair welcomed 11 private healthcare providers into the 'NHS</a> ... the first wave of independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs).</p><p>The STPs/long term NHS plan pushed thru' by the Tories is merely an extension of Blair's (and Simon Stevens) <a href="https://mavericksunite.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-revolving-door-cross-party-white.html" target="_blank">2006 white paper titled <b><i>our health our care our say</i></b></a>.</p><p>The separation of Urgent care 'away' from the A&E (eg about 12 miles as with Burnley hospital), was a test bed to see how the public reacted. This is why NHS campaigners have a problem, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the 2 political parties on outsourcing NHS services and the benefits. There are no benefits for the NHS, only the private frontdoor triaging firms.</p><p>But as soon as Tory MP Andrew Lansley's 2012 H&SC act came into effect, the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England set up under the act began selling off contracts for hospital urgent care to private providers. So <b>the money (via payment by results/Pbr) no longer circulated in the NHS but went to the private provider</b> and some Hospital A&E's as a consequence began to downgrade or close.<br /><br />Many hospitals were straddled with debt from Blair's Private finance initiatives (Pfi) where private companies (instead of government) were allowed to build the hospital for infrastructure, leading to huge increases in payback interest over the contract term. Hospital boards were falling over themselves to get new hospitals and equipment using Pfi, as for patients?</p><p>Some U.S health insurance firms are similar frontdoor providers, but their profit comes from tax relief schemes and referrals. This is why the American system has a 2-tier pathway, one for the poor with VERY basic access, and another for insurance payers.</p><p>The Conservatives, particular Boris Johnson, has openly stated they prefer the payer system. And that's what people have voted for in England, whether they were aware, or not...<br /><br /></p><p>If we are to use the results of the latest by-election at Hartlepool, the American system in 44 footprint areas of England could be in place very soon. All the more discretely done due to the ongoing pandemic.......</p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-91967123067450788202021-03-26T20:33:00.002+00:002021-03-26T20:36:21.701+00:00American health chief appointed to NHS England 'transformation' board<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZVyUBc9hKXgzLVtp9IEvcmLQtDrc_8AjluDiTdgggEOmTBI0-dQ2vK7gbd_WiDPTQOWPv33e-z0sEjHQ1PZXKRkZnwt26WvNsQKDJC_LkH8MwDf4pMiapMdcTieDdIrGfIy0-IyVz5c/s590/USA-healthservice.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZVyUBc9hKXgzLVtp9IEvcmLQtDrc_8AjluDiTdgggEOmTBI0-dQ2vK7gbd_WiDPTQOWPv33e-z0sEjHQ1PZXKRkZnwt26WvNsQKDJC_LkH8MwDf4pMiapMdcTieDdIrGfIy0-IyVz5c/w549-h400/USA-healthservice.gif" width="549" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Simon Stevens, head of NHS England and ex president of U.S. private health insurance firm United Health, has just hired the chief executive of a leading American healthcare organisation to help Americanise the NHS.</span></span></p><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d28a" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote><span style="color: #050505;">Tim Ferris MD – chief executive of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organisation and formerly the senior vice president of Population Health Management at Partners Healthcare in Boston, USA. Ferris was said to be running an </span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;">Accountable Care Organisation (ACO). NHS England want the same ACO setup</span><span style="color: #050505;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: #050505;">here in the English NHS but renamed them Integrated care Systems. So they've hired Dr Ferris to help roll out American style health plans called ACOs.</span></blockquote></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also on board and newly appointed is Lord Ari Darzi of new Labour Tony Blair fame. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In the 2000's, under Blair's 'centralisation' plans, Darzi recommended closure of over 132 A&Es in England. </span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; position: relative; text-align: left; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Lordy Lordy! Who's working for the Tories?</span></h3><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bf7hn-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also steering the private ship is <a href="http://mavericksunite.blogspot.com/2019/04/whilst-you-were-distracted-with-brexit.html" target="_blank">Lord Patrick Carter</a>. The Labour peer undertook a review in 2016 for previous Conservative health secretary Jeremy Hunt. </span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d28a" data-offset-key="4use1-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; color: #050505; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4use1-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="4use1-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br data-text="true" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;" /></span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d28a" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lord Carter of coles looked at healthcare systems abroad, <b>including the United States</b>, to see how savings (cuts) made in the U.S. private healthcare sector could be introduced into the English NHS. His review is currently cutting whole swathes of pathology labs across England, readying to replace them with private sector equivalents some say.</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #050505;">Welcoming them all on board the </span><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/2018/07/new-appointments-to-our-board/" style="color: #050505;" target="_blank">NHS England private parties only gravy train is no other than Dido Harding</a><span style="color: #050505;">, </span><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">so expect the train crash soon!</span><span style="color: #050505;"> </span></u></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As mentioned previously in an article from the </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)...</span></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="fr0o4-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d28a" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; transition-property: none !important;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #050505;">The Americanisation of the NHS is not something waiting for us in a post-Brexit future. It is already in full swing. Since 2017</span><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><b><span style="color: #990000;">Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)</span><span style="color: #050505;"> </span></b><span style="color: #050505;">have been taking over the purchasing as well as the provision of NHS services in England, deciding who gets which services, which are free and which – as with the dentist and prescriptions – we have to pay for.</span></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #050505;">Known in the US as </span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs)</b></span><span style="color: #050505;">, ICSs are partnerships between hospitals, clinicians and private sector providers designed – and incentivised – to limit and reduce public healthcare costs, and in particular to lessen the demand on hospitals. </span></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), the forerunners of ACOs, were pioneered by the US health insurance provider Kaiser Permanente in 1953. President Nixon’s adviser John Ehrlichman explained to his boss the basic concept before the passage of the 1973 HMO Act: <b>‘The less care they give them the more money they make.</b>’ In May 2016 Jeremy Hunt, then health minister, admitted at a Commons Health Committee hearing that Kaiser was<b> <i>a model for his planned NHS reforms.</i></b><i> </i></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; font-size: 18.75px; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">When a trial of ACOs was announced in the UK in 2017, it caused an outcry from campaigners and NHS England quickly rebranded them ICSs. But the Kaiser model isn’t new to healthcare policy in the UK: it has been the inspiration for the long and discreet process of the dismantling and reformation of the NHS since the 1980s. source <a href="https://pnhp.org/news/the-americanization-of-englands-nhs-hmos-acos-and-all/" target="_blank">Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)</a></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ck1a6-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="d28a" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; background-color: white; transition-property: none !important;"><h4 style="animation-name: none !important; position: relative; text-align: left; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important;"><b><span style="color: #990000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Related Links</span></b></span></h4><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="animation-name: none !important; color: var(--blue-link); font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/2021/03/nhs-appoints-leading-medic-to-new-transformation-post/" target="_blank">NHS England chief appoints leading American ACO figurehead</a></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="animation-name: none !important; color: var(--blue-link); font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="animation-name: none !important; color: var(--blue-link); font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><a href="https://publicmatters.org.uk/2017/06/24/the-americanisation-of-the-nhs-happening-right-here-right-now/" target="_blank">Americanisation of the NHS, it's happening right here and now</a></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; direction: ltr; position: relative; transition-property: none !important;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-size: 18.75px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://sluggerotoole.com/2019/12/06/americanizing-the-nhs/" target="_blank">Americanising the NHS, a price comparison</a></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1sq6d-0-0" style="animation-name: none !important; color: #050505; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18.75px; position: relative; transition-property: none !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="py34i1dx" style="animation-name: none !important; color: var(--blue-link); font-family: inherit; transition-property: none !important;"><br /></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-49582090939308683112021-02-24T22:23:00.000+00:002021-02-24T22:23:18.633+00:00Merger planned for pathology services<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4nKmPoXuNFe9kSQZTvY3_aqZD65e7kHH_1v9xNOVE2EbR75iiZv1hVHfWi1QbK13-BG6gp_O7drobgDZ15TNM6GGfCg89YtDVj1jDVXw7aTl-k8Fp7kJWs8yXjQ1QdS3kGA6Y8OHrAs/s699/Labs_in_danger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="699" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4nKmPoXuNFe9kSQZTvY3_aqZD65e7kHH_1v9xNOVE2EbR75iiZv1hVHfWi1QbK13-BG6gp_O7drobgDZ15TNM6GGfCg89YtDVj1jDVXw7aTl-k8Fp7kJWs8yXjQ1QdS3kGA6Y8OHrAs/w400-h283/Labs_in_danger.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">*<i><b>Original article below from The Lowdown Issue 24 May 12 2020</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Unite has uncovered plans being progressed “under the radar” in Lancashire and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">South Cumbria, to drive through the merger of <b>four </b>NHS hospital laboratories</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">serving a population of 500,000 people (Blackburn, Blackpool, Lancaster and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Preston) into a single hub in Lancaster, and fuse pathology services into “<b>one </b>single hosted organisation” covering Lancashire and South Cumbria.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stab in the back</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Unite’s regional officer Keith Hutson said: “NHS bosses are using the pandemic</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">to reintroduce this flawed plan under the radar which will increase the times for</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">processing samples. Our members who have given their all during this crisis feel the deliberate lack of consultation is a stab in the back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">“We are going to involve the region’s MPs in this campaign, including The Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP for Chorley, as, in the long-term, we fear</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">that any super lab could be ripe for being sold off to a profithungry healthcare company.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Unite’s challenge is in response to a May 6 letter to staff from the Managing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Director of Lancashire and South Cumbria Pathology Collaborative, Mark Hindle,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">which after going through the motions of thanking staff for all their “hard work</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">and service” goes on to focus on the “day job”: “as we start to see hospitals</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">trying to get back to normal service myself and colleagues are still working to develop the Outline Business Case (OBC), that the Board will use to help them determine our future direction. … we have a large capital allocation available to us to provide new buildings for our services as we move forward once the Business Case is agreed.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It appears that the Business Case will put forward three possible models:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> A hub and spoke model (generally referred to as hub at Lancaster and small local laboratories (ESLs) to undertake urgent and work required at the hospital sites)</li><li>A distributed hub where disciplines are co-located within existing estate supported by ESLs at hospital sites</li><li>A do minimum option</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Only option</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But the next paragraph makes it clear that only one option is really being proposed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">as the way forward: “The other main topic of conversation from the Board was how we bring our Pathology services in Lancashire and South Cumbria together into one hosted organisation in the future.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Unite points out that merger plans for a super lab at Lancaster, covering the</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">areas of five NHS trusts, were rejected last year – because it would make the service too remote from local GPs and hospitals, and increase processing times from the current 24 to-48 hours.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Merger plans for a super lab at Lancaster, covering the areas of five </span><span style="font-size: large;">NHS trusts, were rejected last year – because it would make the service </span><span style="font-size: large;">too remote </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-16878592804158336262020-12-06T17:46:00.004+00:002020-12-06T17:49:35.391+00:00consultation on Integrated Care Providers farcical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jLNKNLoTvbZOX9S7OZmBKchSxxLrQSz7e9OEiuuCc1_x96-5qT4gS2W10pDmP_qRNqmwwEN3yNTa7RrqfBNeRF_it28XC7q1mxWXUZ3LcqZUmCRQEMH4_mCGzigtn4gAw0WlKLxay4g/s1214/patient-experiences.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1214" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jLNKNLoTvbZOX9S7OZmBKchSxxLrQSz7e9OEiuuCc1_x96-5qT4gS2W10pDmP_qRNqmwwEN3yNTa7RrqfBNeRF_it28XC7q1mxWXUZ3LcqZUmCRQEMH4_mCGzigtn4gAw0WlKLxay4g/w474-h214/patient-experiences.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Ask a silly question …</h1><p>A response from Health Campaigns Together on the farcical NHS England <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/integrated-care-provider-contract/consultation-2018/" target="_blank">consultation on "Integrated Care Providers"</a> (concluded October 2018)</p><p>After wading through 32 pages of turgid and duplicitous prose, would-be respondents to the NHS England consultation on <b>Integrated Care Providers (ICP)</b> are, as usual with NHS consultations, channelled into answering a line of questions which make it difficult to encompass the objections many would have to the proposals.</p><p>We will offer some suggested answers and lines of argument for people wanting to respond to the official questions: but we also make clear that the NHS England approach is not the way to conduct a serious consultation on this issue.</p><p>There is no opening for any wider comments on the context in which ICPs are being proposed, or the misleading and inconsistent way in which “integration” is repeatedly used by various NHS bodies to imply various meanings, none of which is related to the everyday use of the word.</p><p>The starting point for this partial and dishonest approach to integration is the deliberate disintegration of the NHS brought about by the 2012 Health & Social Care Act, which nobody was allowed a chance to vote upon, and which clearly at no point enjoyed any popular support.</p><p>For most campaigners, health workers and informed members of the public the fundamental response is “we wouldn’t have started from here”.</p><p>Yet there is no question that allows a respondent press NHS England to support the call for legislation to sweep away the fragmentation, competition and contracting culture that are entrenched by the 2012 Act, or to argue in favour of REAL integration in place of the version offered in the consultation.</p><p>No question asks if people are satisfied with the consultation document’s evasions on future consultation and engagement with public and NHS staff. Some of the questions that are raised appear to be simply missing the point, while others deter answers by asking for a level of detail that few members of the public, and indeed few campaigners will feel confident to offer.</p><p>Since past experience suggests NHS bodies only take serious note of responses to questions that say what they wanted to hear in the first place, there seems little reason for campaigners and activists to feel bound by the constraints of answering all or indeed any of the questions posed in the document.</p><p>Instead the best use of the consultation document and the foreshortened consultation period seems to be</p><p>• to use the shortcomings and double speak of the document to publicly question the real intentions of NHS England,</p><p>• to press for meetings to be called by local councils to explain to local people what role if any they have played in drawing up and implementing plans for ICPs/ACOs,</p><p>• and to seek to prepare a largely unwitting public of the potential impact of a further loss of local accountability in health care.</p><p>• Local board meetings of trusts and CCGs should be pressed to hold public sessions answering questions on local proposals and in areas where vanguard schemes have received and spent a total of £389m in additional funding from NHS England to facilitate “new models of care” campaigners must demand a full account of how much has been received, where it has been spent and what there is to show for it.</p><p>• The link also needs to be made to the parallel NHS England consultation on restricting access to lists of elective treatment which began on July 4.</p><p>The reality is that just as ‘Sustainability & Transformation Plans’ have proved to be neither sustainable not transforming – or even workable plans, and Accountable Care Organisations turned out to be neither accountable nor caring, “Integrated Care Providers” in an age of brutal austerity offer people neither integration nor any guarantee of provision.</p><p>The lingering threat of privatisation – of the provision of certain services, or the involvement of private finance to plug growing gaps as budgets lag behind demand for care – and the explicit threat raised by NHS England of reducing access to a growing range of elective services creating a new post-code lottery and even more gaps in care mean that we cannot afford to ignore any reduction in the limited level of accountability we have over NHS providers and commissioners.</p><p>Integrated Care in an NHS without capital or revenue to expand and improve services, and in the context of cash-strapped and restricted levels of social care delivered by near-bankrupt councils, does not by any means necessarily mean an American takeover: but it will certainly not live up to the surreal promises made in the consultation document.</p><p>As campaigners, our best response is to reject this spurious offer of integration – and fight on for the real thing.</p><p>Above article kindly reproduced from <a href="https://healthcampaignstogether.com/ACOmonitor.php" target="_blank">Health Campaigns Together</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-1588040328608062032020-09-28T12:41:00.008+01:002020-09-28T12:54:48.668+01:00the issue of a full time A&E in Chorley must take priority<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJo_ExDAIaNXAToAJnvtrpIn76w5HiLJq65-nwiTzMPgkFJaNZukM5jjttqzbbuFLJFmOYhr7F9LpKjFbuWSXHMEbSqRylOQgztMM_pztzunQUuIpYRczqYejf6BkzJ8MYW1L_L8Dilk/s380/stp_crowd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="380" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJo_ExDAIaNXAToAJnvtrpIn76w5HiLJq65-nwiTzMPgkFJaNZukM5jjttqzbbuFLJFmOYhr7F9LpKjFbuWSXHMEbSqRylOQgztMM_pztzunQUuIpYRczqYejf6BkzJ8MYW1L_L8Dilk/w400-h246/stp_crowd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was touted in July that Chorley and South Ribble Hospital's emergency department (A&E) could reopen in September after its temporary closure during the coronavirus.<div><br /></div><div>Last week however the <a href="https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18741436.reopening-chorley-south-ribble-e-delayed/" target="_blank">planned reopening of Chorley and South Ribble A&E next week will not now happen</a> – because we are told (again) that not enough staff have been secured to operate the facility.<br /><p></p><p>It's also been reported that all 3 local MPs in Central Lancashire are pleading with the health secretary Matthew Hancock to shift gear and get Chorley A&E re-opened after it was closed during the viral pandemic.</p><p>But do all 3 Members of Parliament hold enough authority to get the job done and do what their electorate wants and re-open Chorley A&E full time?</p><p>Always the bone of contention is the hospital trusts case of staff shortages for re-opening the A&E. <b>The objective however, under the CCGs plans are to permanently close Chorley A&E, build a new trauma centre, and move the profitable services out of Chorley hospital into private clinics under their ineptly titled program "Our Health Our Care". </b></p><p>In October last year Matt Hancock went on a tour of health services in Lancashire. The trust and CCGs claim this gave them the opportunity to state their case to replace Chorley A&E with <b>a new build in central Lancashire and at the same time to "secure written commitment around central policy intent"</b>. </p><p>In other words to tie down the health sec. to commit to the NHS 10-year plan or STPs as we knew them.</p><p>The Scrutiny team at county hall however revealed some rather large flows, much of which are workforce issues, availability of alternative services and funding which the hospital trust/CCGs don't yet have. </p><p></p><blockquote><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b>To close beds/A&E the CCGs and Trust must PROVE alternative service provision is in place and that it can be 'sustained' over a long period. </b></span></blockquote><p></p><p>None of these are achievable and never have been, which is why scrutiny at county hall queried not only why there's been no A&E staff recruited at the Chorley hospital, but also where do the hospital trust intend putting the outpatient services they've earmarked for closure in the Our Health Our Care program? </p><p>The issues are echoed by not just scrutiny councillors either, consultants and other clinicians stated in the scrutiny report..</p><p>"<i>Clinicians displayed concern that primary care is not currently in a place to accept significant re-profiling of activity away from the acute system and that networks are in their infancy</i>"</p><p>"<i>The New Build option was not prioritised highest because a number of the clinical delegates questioned whether or not this would work with whole system redesign and the lag time involved in developing a new build was plainly not compatible with the current timelines around OHOC</i>". <span style="font-size: x-small;">source: appendix 4 Enhanced clinical scrutiny</span></p><p>The Tories in government have stated many times they want to fragment the NHS and convert it into a paying insurance type system. Indirectly this is what the current NHS 10-year plan is all about - introducing the American accountable care system of health insurance....</p><p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/05/john-major-nhs-risk-brexit-pythons-johnson-and-gove" target="_blank">Here's what former prime minister John Major had to say on the issue of Johnson and others wishing to privatise the NHS</a>..<br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Guardian Text Egyptian Web", Georgia, serif; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #121212; font-size: medium;">John Major stated "Gove had wanted to privatise the NHS, Boris Johnson wished to charge people for health services and Duncan Smith advocated moving to a social insurance system".</span></blockquote><p></p><p>To ensure fragmentation of the NHS it's crucial that the more lucrative profitable low-risk outpatient services are MOVED out of a hospital setting into a community setting where it's much easier to bind to an alternative private provider contract under a different payment system (currently the American model of accountable care).</p><p>It's likely there is suspicion the whole affair is being dragged out until funding for the 2024/25 new build unit is made available - but until then the clinical commissioning groups have plans to restrict more surgery and ban more medicines along with handing MORE NHS contracts over to to private providers.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>The issue of a full time A&E in Chorley A&E must take priority and we must not be sidelined by other issues. Let's keep talking about it and keep our beloved hospital services on OUR agenda and protected from the ravages of profiteering capitalism.</b></blockquote><p></p><p>_________________________________________________________</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Why not leave a comment below or join one of the save Chorley hospital from privatisation facebook pages [search facebook with keywords "save chorley hospital"].</b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-14826406328412558152020-08-12T11:35:00.005+01:002020-08-12T11:43:15.141+01:00Was dividing Chorley A&E a marketing ploy gone wrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8N20GWpLHyj-VkIwLMfE7snbj05Ds6mRAYDHeJM2b4qg_iEl43G290SZwUfOkNhZJL7j1oxYWP6wVfKuelBJk-t-6lsINp5lllZbUYY4TMmSqNyBSlDB1aqxq7WGUc7GbqY2NW_iD_A/s387/chorley_ambulance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="387" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8N20GWpLHyj-VkIwLMfE7snbj05Ds6mRAYDHeJM2b4qg_iEl43G290SZwUfOkNhZJL7j1oxYWP6wVfKuelBJk-t-6lsINp5lllZbUYY4TMmSqNyBSlDB1aqxq7WGUc7GbqY2NW_iD_A/w484-h438/chorley_ambulance.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Marketing plans to fragment A&E departments continue.</h1><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">In 2017, Warrington & Halton hospital trust board setup a <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/583381/response/1411178/attach/html/5/COG%2019%2005%2031%20My%20Choice%20may%2019final.pdf.html" target="_blank">detailed marketing plan for people who opted to pay privately</a> [PDF] for surgical operations that were previously banned by commissioners (Clinical Commissioning Groups).</p><p>The <b>marketing plan was relaunched in 2018</b> where it was revealed the trust had actually established the pay private scheme <b>five years earlier in 2013</b>, immediately after the 2012 Health & Social care act came into effect.</p><p>[1] Other 'changes' to how the NHS functions also came into effect such as 'fragmenting' A&E departments into two parts (emergent & urgent) then selling off the 'urgent care' contract to the private sector later.</p><p>Can anyone think of where [1] above has already happened? I'm sure you can, just think local..</p><p>In their marketing material, the trust said they were "prepared to rebut ‘privatisation’ messaging via interest groups and media". </p><p>It didn't work, and a clear message was sent from the public that all treatment under the NHS must remain universal and this is merely for those what had the ability to pay - and potentially jump any queues.</p><p>NHS patients were being charged as much as <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">£8,500</span></b> for operations at the Warrington hospital trust, sparking outrage and claims "privatisation is already here".</p><p>Patients raised concerns over the cost of surgeries under the My Choice programme at NHS Warrington and Halton Hospitals Trust.</p><p>Since the introduction of the H&SC act in 2013, commissioning groups, also setup under the act, began to ration and ban NHS medicines and treatment, a list of which can be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/29/nhs-wields-the-axe-on-17-unnecessary-procedures" target="_blank">viewed here</a>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Barbaric and 'immoral'</h3><p>One NHS campaigner said "<b><i>So no knee/hip replacements for those that genuinely need them? No D&C (dilation and curettage) for those unfortunate to miscarry? Barbaric.</i></b>"</p><p>Another patient wrote on social media "<i><b>Several of the operations I've had are listed including a knee arthroscopy I had a few years ago when I couldn't work for months</b></i>."</p><p>She wrote that she was<b><i> "horrified" to see treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding on the list, describing the whole move as "immoral</i></b>"</p><p>The trust claim the self-pay scheme provided convenient access for patients, which many patients rightly translated as paying to jump the queue.</p><p>Since the outcry the trust have suspended the scheme. </p><p>However, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) continue to ration and ban medicines and treatment so be very vigilant and join an NHS campaign group near you.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Links/Related</span></b></h2><p><a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-hospital-stops-plan-charge-16548975" target="_blank">NHS hospital stops plan to charge patients almost £20k for operations after outcry</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-22205518264762090762020-08-11T14:31:00.002+01:002020-08-11T14:35:17.714+01:00History shows closing Chorley A&E results in worse outcomes, not better<h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eZyQv2XryXpnX8QKZ3ywpx2cDxpOJ0TP3C1ABwaucUjbBqlLdLVRjb7reqdACzdeliauciD2NLhTIo6wYkJu7Y-nraz0BZH1nomB2OV2stQUBCLO-ao2voEo1mmnunMqhFmSE3DIwfs/s682/chorley_UCC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eZyQv2XryXpnX8QKZ3ywpx2cDxpOJ0TP3C1ABwaucUjbBqlLdLVRjb7reqdACzdeliauciD2NLhTIo6wYkJu7Y-nraz0BZH1nomB2OV2stQUBCLO-ao2voEo1mmnunMqhFmSE3DIwfs/s640/chorley_UCC.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br /></b></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>History shows closing Chorley A&E results in worse outcomes, not better</b></h2><p>When opposing closures by CCG and LTHTr don't look too closely at their reasons for closing <b>Chorley District Hospital (CDH) </b>A&E but look at historical data as reasons for RETAINING CDH A&E, and even 'expanding' these services.</p><p>The evidence for opening CDH A&E full time is compounding; as closing it permanently would result in worst outcomes for patients due to many factors including:</p><p>Overlcrowding at surrounding A&E hospitals - this includes Wigan WWL as their Chief exec has already stated the WWL could not manage additional patients in 2016/17 when CDH A&E was closed.</p><p>Perhaps the most compelling evidence to keep A&E services in Chorley is what's called' ambulance handover breaches'.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Handover breaches are a 'clear indication' of a failed system.</h3><p>Paramedics are left waiting to handover their patients to a hospital A&E department. If that department is overcrowded and does not have enough beds then the handover times shoot up. The result is seriously ill patients waiting in corridors or backs of ambulance and thus fewer ambulances on the road.</p><p>When Chorley A&E closed in 2016 Ambulances began queuing up at Preston hospital so couldn't get back on the road to reach emergencies. Subsequently it emerged in Jan 2018 a local man died of a suspected heart attack after waiting over 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>If they close Chorley A&E, this could become commonplace, particularly as the Ambulance service comes under more pressure.</b></blockquote><p></p><p>Now how much evidence do you want?</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, let's have a quick look at another disaster that happened over at Blackburn hospital when it started taking patients when their Trust closed Burnley hospital A&E.</p><p>Let's do a comparison of ambulance handover breaches.</p><p>The figures for 2015/2016 show a huge increase in serious Ambulance handover breaches (> 60mins) when Chorley A&E closed. </p><p>Patients had to be taken to the Royal Preston hospital and any hospital nearby. Wigan saw a huge increase in patients arriving by Ambulance of almost 500% when Chorley & South Ribble hospital A&E shut it's doors in April 2016.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo_7-aRnIUu86v6g98H0sP9n42hecIkp9JfjQthb-kJmKZgaH8tbaIXUT14jPNLQbkIt78StXk-HOtWLWeCRk0Mcn77OqbFYQU7BS2x8iMRMOO8Ub7l0_JN8HGCPpRGl1CUv1kAgMApg/s1259/Ambulance_handover_breaches.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="1259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo_7-aRnIUu86v6g98H0sP9n42hecIkp9JfjQthb-kJmKZgaH8tbaIXUT14jPNLQbkIt78StXk-HOtWLWeCRk0Mcn77OqbFYQU7BS2x8iMRMOO8Ub7l0_JN8HGCPpRGl1CUv1kAgMApg/s640/Ambulance_handover_breaches.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The ambulance handover times trebled and as the table above shows there was a huge increase in serious ambulance handover breaches resulting in patients lives' being put at risk.</p><p>Now take a look at the table where it shows the <b>Royal Blackburn</b> [hospital] where they shut Burnley A&E taking patients to Blackburn.</p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-large;">The increase in handover and serious handover breaches at the Blackburn hospital is <b><span style="color: red;">HUGE </span></b>going from <b>191 handover breaches in Apr 2015 to 366 breaches a year later in May 2016.</b></span></blockquote><b></b><p></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>Is this what we want for Chorley & South Ribble hospital?</b></span></p><p>and Remember, before Burnley A&E was closed the hospital trust claimed the Royal Blackburn hospital could accommodate patients from the Burnley area - including Burnley, Rossendale, Pendle and many other towns.</p><p>So how can that be deemed 'better outcomes' for patients as we're led to believe?</p><p>When it comes to the crunch, and public consultation arises, those wishing to close Chorley A&E need to prove alternative provision is already in place in the community and that any bed closures can accommodate patients elsewhere. They also need to prove there will be no overcrowding at surrounding hospitals pushing their resources and placing patients at risk.</p><p>I say it can't be done, and along with my fellow NHS campaigners intend to continue to fight tooth and nail to KEEP and EXPAND our life-saving services at Chorley & South Ribble hospital.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-35961477470515716882020-07-25T13:00:00.000+01:002020-07-25T16:22:01.282+01:00private health expert runs the NHS, why?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJdeu7uPg78fe7vP4ygmJKGJhHwot1dCuGWjIIC80dAWpkDRzuYt27gcEeTefoQhXhn8v-s4ATlmiG0aoaUQuOItfI6b7LTdedcdE_vDTOO4YGLpTnY8MI-z-BQRlRWDtdWl4JUrqSYc/s1600/ceo_NHS_England.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="381" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJdeu7uPg78fe7vP4ygmJKGJhHwot1dCuGWjIIC80dAWpkDRzuYt27gcEeTefoQhXhn8v-s4ATlmiG0aoaUQuOItfI6b7LTdedcdE_vDTOO4YGLpTnY8MI-z-BQRlRWDtdWl4JUrqSYc/s400/ceo_NHS_England.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
CCGs, clinical commissioning groups (established in 2012 to hand the bulk of<br />
the NHS budget to private providers), have stopped providing funding for many medicines & surgical operations under their <a href="https://centrallancashireccgs.nhs.uk/our-work/our-policies/our-clinical-policies" target="_blank">clinical policies</a>.<br />
<br />
The CCGs sent a list of medicines they'd banned to all GP practices but failed to recommend GPs CHECK TO SEE WHICH PATIENT IS EXEMPT from paying for the medicines. This led to doctors practices applying a blanket ban with the result being hundreds of patients ringing in asking where their repeat prescriptions were?<br />
<br />
In their rush to save money due to government underfunding, the CCGs claimed they now had limited resources so must <a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/shock-anger-nhs-price-list-16447991" target="_blank">ban or restrict access to certain hospital operations</a> and even rationed and banned some basic primary care surgical procedures unless the patient met certain 'criteria'.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>One 'criteria' now for gaining access to NHS medicines includes 'financial viability'. </b></blockquote>
This 'criteria' is straight from the <b><i>American health insurance market</i></b>, something the head of NHS England is all too familiar with.<br />
<br />
After all, the man running NHS England (<b>NHSE</b>) is no other than <b>Simon Stevens</b>, the ex vice-president of global operations Europe at UnitedHealth, the largest private health insurer in the USA.<br />
<br />
Stevens took over as CEO of <b>NHSE</b> in 2014 where he almost immediately invited the head of Americas state funded 'medicaid' over to England for a quick chit chat about how to run Accountable Care Organisations over here in England.<br /><br />Earlier this week the UK Conservative government voted not to protect the <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/22/mps-vote-plan-protect-nhs-us-trade-deal-13022079/" target="_blank">NHS from trade deals with the USA</a> and other countries.<br />
<br />
The 2019 Conservative manifesto claims they would protect the NHS from trade deals, yet the very same MPs who pledged to protect the NHS went and betrayed it. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1312248/NHS-vote-how-did-my-MP-vote-NHS-Brexit-trade-which-MPs-tories-vote-against-nhs" target="_blank">Here's the list of all the MPs who voted AGAINST protecting the NHS in post Brexit trade deal.</a><br />
<br />
Giving multi-national companies access to NHS contracts is no different from a traitor selling off the crown jewels..<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">More..</span></b><br /><br />
Simon Stevens CV [PDF] can be <a href="http://selloff.org.uk/nhs/CVforSimonStevens260516.pdf" target="_blank">downloaded here</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/23/simon-stevens-nhs-chief-private-past-uk" target="_blank">Simon Stevens: NHS chief executive with a private past</a><br />
<br />
<hr />
<h2>
Join the campaign to save Chorley A&E NOW!</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttj9MqBXvOkA6VLwf0plSOK12T_t9DuMlEMm1UoWnAYgA23UnPwYz8zUho7yw0G4eVe7zSEff2_EzJ-C45Ep0bvL3hnZCEsLCo17pl4FCapqTLihJxg2CC2B5E-xecOpXtx88sCwzPpc/s1600/fbook_logo_sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="56" data-original-width="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttj9MqBXvOkA6VLwf0plSOK12T_t9DuMlEMm1UoWnAYgA23UnPwYz8zUho7yw0G4eVe7zSEff2_EzJ-C45Ep0bvL3hnZCEsLCo17pl4FCapqTLihJxg2CC2B5E-xecOpXtx88sCwzPpc/s1600/fbook_logo_sml.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>For more on how to get involved visit the campaign group facebook page:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/150827102100899/" target="_blank">Protect Chorley & South Ribble Hospital Campaign</a><br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-51344563016061401802020-07-18T13:36:00.000+01:002020-07-18T13:39:13.345+01:00Not just Chorley A&E, 80% of other routine services also to go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsCFrTcuVJAWQ7MWW6o5FN8pGA_S3XawV5Y7mqKHciO3o-fKEtojQ2V0mdxh5BsBwSjkf2FeYMxPkFJVxJneuK2uEFHIGmMyPqmoPBa0Zu-2_quVGIdrPViOPtmak1yVUaHOevA9W4GQ/s1600/April-demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="731" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsCFrTcuVJAWQ7MWW6o5FN8pGA_S3XawV5Y7mqKHciO3o-fKEtojQ2V0mdxh5BsBwSjkf2FeYMxPkFJVxJneuK2uEFHIGmMyPqmoPBa0Zu-2_quVGIdrPViOPtmak1yVUaHOevA9W4GQ/s400/April-demo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
WHEN the consultation comes round certain committees will have been 'briefed' long beforehand about the dangers of attempting to run a hospital A&E on short staff levels.<br />
<br />
Let's face it, there's been no change in the Hospital trust board's recruitment campaign so they'll use the staff shortage issue to push thru' the now not so hidden agenda of service transformation to an American style health insurance system.<br />
<br />
After all, they've made it very clear, the A&E departments are driving all the deficit and if they can downgrade them one at a time (starting with Chorley A&E) they can proceed to concentrate on the longer term plan of closing Preston A&E and having a single 'trauma centre' somewhere in between both sites.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, that's what THEY want, not what YOU or I want, but what 's best for the trusts longer-term finances. <b>When hospital services are closed, there are no 'better outcomes'.</b><br />
<br />
But that's only a small part of the plan, and last week the LEP reported the trust had plans passed at Chorley council to build a £17.5 m building including operating theatres to do ophthalmology and related procedures - which BTW is part of the elective only site planned for Chorley district hospital (CDH).<br />
<br />
This again, is inline with the 2012 health & social care act (NHS privatisation act) which authorised hospital foundation trusts to gain up to 50% of their income from private sources - so expect many paying patients at the new building, the one taxpayers paid for.<br />
<br />
The government so-called write off fund of £215m for LTHT may cover some existing costs but won't cover the deficit over the next year or 2 . It will however help to go dome way towards meeting the requirements in the STP/10 year plan to dismantle the NHS and transform it into 44 local American style Acccountable Care Organisations (ACO) throughout England run largely for profit.<br />
<br />
EIGHTY percent of services, along with our A&E, are planned to be closed at CDH and moved into private buildings or hubs previously owned by local councils, but will become joint ventures along with sales of public hospital buildings & land left behind.<br />
<br />
They did it with the land at the hospital and it became private property used for parking. The closures however won't be 'leased', they'll be GONE FROM OUR HOSPITAL FOREVER.<br />
<br />
It will be almost impossible to integrate the services back where they belong, under public control in public buildings and hospitals.<br />
<br />
The Health & Social Care Act simply must be revoked and an end put to the market in our NHS. All trade unions must come together and say NO to hospital trusts forming subsidiary companies (SubCos) and fragmentation of our services being moved into private community clinics.<br />
<br />
An all out strike is needed by all unions as the Tories know full well they are winning the conversion of our NHS into a profit extraction machine, doing it bit by bit so it largely goes un-noticed.<br />
<br />
When the time comes everyone must do their duty and fight tooth and nail to keep health services in the public sector. It's more than your life is worth. Everyone is at risk...<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h2>
Join the campaign to save Chorley A&E NOW!</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttj9MqBXvOkA6VLwf0plSOK12T_t9DuMlEMm1UoWnAYgA23UnPwYz8zUho7yw0G4eVe7zSEff2_EzJ-C45Ep0bvL3hnZCEsLCo17pl4FCapqTLihJxg2CC2B5E-xecOpXtx88sCwzPpc/s1600/fbook_logo_sml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="56" data-original-width="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttj9MqBXvOkA6VLwf0plSOK12T_t9DuMlEMm1UoWnAYgA23UnPwYz8zUho7yw0G4eVe7zSEff2_EzJ-C45Ep0bvL3hnZCEsLCo17pl4FCapqTLihJxg2CC2B5E-xecOpXtx88sCwzPpc/s1600/fbook_logo_sml.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>For more on how to get involved visit the campaign group facebook page:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/150827102100899/" target="_blank">Protect Chorley & South Ribble Hospital Campaign</a><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-47480184937816932942020-07-11T13:33:00.000+01:002020-07-11T13:47:25.970+01:00Chorley A&E, debt write offs, and the consultation farce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9TpH7Rz27ysrC5dIsTlSh-zFfzjh1bmgerrJatnnA2KPf2HTm6d43lhixqcvqjAiPBRAEUJ7oGdUxMKV7oRdK540gLFDcvfweea4rBlFvFhyphenhyphenz9kyqTJpBOALcyhjs_wns86-hbcoaZY/s1600/decoupling-nhs-services.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="255" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9TpH7Rz27ysrC5dIsTlSh-zFfzjh1bmgerrJatnnA2KPf2HTm6d43lhixqcvqjAiPBRAEUJ7oGdUxMKV7oRdK540gLFDcvfweea4rBlFvFhyphenhyphenz9kyqTJpBOALcyhjs_wns86-hbcoaZY/s400/decoupling-nhs-services.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Chorley A&E, debt write offs, and the consultation farce...<br />
<br />
<b><i>11th July 2020</i></b><br />
<br />
Ironic isn't it, no sooner have the <a href="https://www.lep.co.uk/health/how-much-hospital-debt-has-been-wiped-out-lancashire-2536170" target="_blank">Lancashire hospital trust received a £215 million 'debt write-off'</a> [loans cancelled], the hospital board announce its plans to <a href="https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/chorley-hospitals-175m-expansion-what-18569466" target="_blank">build a four-storey, state-of-the-art extension at Chorley Hospital</a>.<br />
<br />
The local democracy reporting team also <a href="https://www.lep.co.uk/health/consultation-future-chorley-ae-could-begin-autumn-2910773?fbclid=IwAR2UUyI2T3EL-C66XgkmAjLRnwZDlpFZxG0pQfU6_XDyTqFGh0duTz70Nj8" target="_blank">reported this week</a> that a public consultation into the future of the accident and emergency department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital could begin within weeks of the unit reopening in September<br />
<br />
<h3>
No Local Plan to Retain A&E at Chorley</h3>
The local 'NHS transformation' plans titled '<b>Our Health Our Care</b>' & public consultation are due to continue next month which implies all the trusts efforts (and plans) have been towards utilising their get out of debt card, constructing a four-storey building, converting Chorley hospital into a step down cottage hospital with pre-planned elective ops but no A&E, and accelerating progress on the Integrated Care Program.<br />
<br />
It's a myth that Chorley & South Ribble hospital is <b><i>getting its A&E back</i></b> since it hasn't had a type 1 A&E since April 2016.<br />
<br />
What Chorley hospital will be getting back from Preston, assuming the virus doesn't recur, is the staff that were moved to Preston to deal with the coronovirus uptake in March.<br />
<br />
In August 2016 the a group established by the trust & CCG called the Systems Resilience Group (SRG ) agreed that "<b>it has no other realistic option but to maintain the current service of an 8am until 8pm urgent care service at Chorley Hospital as the best way of ensuring the delivery of safe and sustainable care for patients"</b>. This will be reviewed again in April 2017.<br />
<br />
Chorley hasn't had an A&E since then, only the privately run urgent care centre with no overnight fracture x-ray diagnostics.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This week we've seen what little value is placed on '<b>public consultation</b>'. NHS Managers in South West London and Surrey have announced their decision this week to <a href="https://koshh.org/20200707pressrelease" target="_blank">downgrade two existing Major Acute Hospitals - Epsom hospital in Surrey and St Helier hospital</a> in South West London - BOTH will lose ALL of their Acute Services.</blockquote>
So in summary, it's only clinically viable to open the Chorley A&E if the trust board wish it to be such. Currently, the trust have been criticised by the county councils health scrutiny committee for failing to provide evidence the trust have undertaken an extensive recruitment campaign to hire mid-grade doctors to enable re-opening of Chorley A&E.<br />
<br />
And with the millions proposed for a new 4-storey building at Chorley, along with the local Our Health Our Care plans to centralise and have a single A&E at Preston (short term), the chances of retaining the Chorley A&E are down to everyone across the land coming together to take action. That includes trade unions, community partnerships, volunteer groups, community NHS campaigns, councillors, MPs, supporting GPs and so on.<br />
<br />
As we've seen with the Huddersfield Infirmary fiasco and now the Epson & St Helier hospital service closures, consultations are a farce, and as long as the Lancashire hospital trust play the staff shortage card, it appears they will continue to push the local NHS privatisation plans through just as the government intended...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-23163218374738354252020-06-26T11:04:00.001+01:002020-06-26T11:32:03.853+01:00Could Chorley and Grantham A&E closures be permanent?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1viGVbqR2tcIr4yVjNHl5YGLOlqXRT-65PDb17HXQ6gaf0RA2_X7pFcU9PNbrZwROaKcw4_J5RHq8UQW89-H5uBMHM67rk6K9E7QvHcyDhfG2-4ydTfiQw0_neuTar7tP41WNPBmESMo/s1600/Temp_OR_Perm_Closure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="790" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1viGVbqR2tcIr4yVjNHl5YGLOlqXRT-65PDb17HXQ6gaf0RA2_X7pFcU9PNbrZwROaKcw4_J5RHq8UQW89-H5uBMHM67rk6K9E7QvHcyDhfG2-4ydTfiQw0_neuTar7tP41WNPBmESMo/s400/Temp_OR_Perm_Closure.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>A&Es are being closed as a temporary measure, but often in areas where NHS leaders have been trying to permanently close them in the face of strong public objections.</b><br />
<br />
Serious questions have been raised over the future of the many services including A&E departments “temporarily” closed during the peak of the Covid crisis, many of which NHS bosses had sought to <i><b>scale back in previous plans</b></i>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #20124d;">People of Chorley, South Ribble and surrounding areas are only too familiar with having to fight to save their A&E service at Chorley. The hospital has a history of having its A&E targetted for closure. Yet the resilience and fightback from local campaigners has managed to stave off the ravages of capitalism and maintain the services, albeit part-time with a view to re-opening full time. But now even the part-time status of Chorley's A&E is at risk.....</span></b></blockquote>
Questions have been asked in the Commons over the “temporary” closure of already reduced A&E services in Chorley, Lancashire, and concerns have been raised locally over other “temporary” closures of A&Es in Cheltenham and Weston super Mare, and emergency surgery in Ealing Hospital.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Chorley</h2>
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has given a formal commitment in the Commons that Chorley’s “temporarily” closed part-time A&E will also reopen, although no time frame has been set. Here too plans to permanently downgrade the A&E, and use the Chorley site only for elective patients have been hotly debated for years.<br />
<br />
Chorley’s MP is Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle – and has been working with other local MPs to resist the pressure to downgrade the hospital. Sir Lindsay welcomed the health secretary’s comments about reopening the A&E commitment”, but stressed that “the pressure [will] remain until that happens”.<br />
<br />
The Chorley hospital A&E closed in 2016 on grounds of staff shortages, triggering a storm of local protest that forced a partial reopening, but trust bosses and local commissioners have continued to favour options that would close the full-time A&E and critical care beds at Chorley.<br />
<br />
Last August [2019] a document assessing 13 options for the future of hospital services in Chorley and Preston was published arguing it was not “clinically viable” to retain accident and emergency facilities at Chorley. However it also argued that “It is clear from high-level clinical activity modelling that the population health requirements could not be serviced by one of the two current hospitals” – and there was no money to build a new hospital, or expand either to cope. Indeed while the report claimed to be “clinically led” it noted that its preferred options were precluded by a lack of capital and the financial plight of the trust.<br />
<br />
By January 2020 it was clear that reports by four different sets of clinicians had all come out against the possibility of either restoring a round-the-clock A&E unit or continuing with the existing limited hours service at Chorley.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Whilst that may sound defeatist, we must remember that all these so called clinicians are guided, not by proven clinical outcome, but by promises of an untrialled system that aims to alleviate financial constraint by providing less healthcare. </span></b><br />
<br />
Some excerpts above taken from the full article of The Lowdown [see link below] which looks at the disgraceful way Grantham hospital and its residents have been treated and how Chorley and other hospital A&Es need to be aware of the dangers of broken promises...<br />
<br />
<b>Click below to read the full version from The Lowdown</b><br />
<h1 class="post-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: soleil, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 31px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 9px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://lowdownnhs.info/news/surreptitious-cuts/?utm_source=NHS+Supporters&utm_campaign=62c4f1ec20-Fund+Our+NHS+-+lobbying+campaign_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12b577a602-62c4f1ec20-1210323525&mc_cid=62c4f1ec20&mc_eid=0822a8e5c3" target="_blank">Will “temporary” closures and cuts ever be reversed?</a></h1>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-26672061334225055482020-05-23T19:33:00.001+01:002020-05-23T19:38:52.043+01:00We want social care not American accountable care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNAjwTaHjdNI9b1Sd9S51aI2Sn_k_IchnZnsGX-5HVGF5L_J2a0xclx1BukJor3Ypmz5nH7VqhNC8zY-hNTGpySE4r0esRXuk3txuLfFlTZNfI9UnEgehjmGHlKP3RIccZqQAj2dqoSI/s1600/BREXIT-ACO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1200" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNAjwTaHjdNI9b1Sd9S51aI2Sn_k_IchnZnsGX-5HVGF5L_J2a0xclx1BukJor3Ypmz5nH7VqhNC8zY-hNTGpySE4r0esRXuk3txuLfFlTZNfI9UnEgehjmGHlKP3RIccZqQAj2dqoSI/s640/BREXIT-ACO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Sustainability & Transformation Plan (STP)<br />
<br />
Remember that term? STP?<br />
Turns out it wasn't just an acronym for Straight To Private or Slash Trash & Privatise. These 'plans' were all along a smoke screen for salami-slicing the NHS in England into 44 regions then implementing private health style American Care Organisations (ACOs).<br />
<br />
The plans have thus little to do with delivering a local vision to improve health and [social] care across Lancashire & South Cumbria.<br />
<br />
These ACO plans are ultimately a response to cull the rising costs of healthcare and out of control hospital trust deficits and council social care costs.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #990000;">The system the current government wish to replace the NHS with (they call it 'transformation') uses American 'accountable care organisations' (ACO) that are based on providing less care to save costs</span></b>. </blockquote>
The ACO does this using a restrictive and mean-spirited 'fixed-term' per-person (capitated) budget that relies heavily on patients 'looking after themselves'.<br />
<br />
The mainstay of the savings however come from rationing or denying patients treatment and medications, after all that's how American health maintenance insurers operate.<br />
<br />
Rationing of surgery and medications in fact has already begun. An ACO simply salami slices public NHS services then hands them over to the private sector for profit extraction.<br />
<br />
<b>Warrington & Halton hospital trust for example have already<a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/shock-anger-nhs-price-list-16447991" target="_blank"> prepared a NHS price list</a> showing how hospital operations will cost patients up to £8,000 each</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="686" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4M8eTuJhFz_3ObnnQf58nlD5vY2FrwdY71q6d15OAyKPkvRLdtVK0XndjjYE6S6XkaykKm2EoE4aqagbviy24SwLmf1SWAhFGXfe8AjwH7rTm0YYIGntiDL2d9w13ifb9Ab_UYWfS3g/s400/Warrington_halton.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-hospital-demands-18k-hip-16544619" target="_blank">As reported June 2019</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And to help the ACOs along, they've drafted in Simon Stevens, the ex vice president of United Health (commercial operations Europe), the largest private health insurer in America.<br />
<br />
The NHS has no place for Mr or for that matter Mrs 'Moneybags' as it was not designed for profit and has shown to fail miserably when market forces are used to run it. It's time to take back control and kick out the rotten money grabbers and get the NHS back in the control of the people it serves.<br />
<br />
Revoke the 2012 Health & Social Care Act and reinstate a universal publicly funded/run NHS free at the point of need. Do it before Handcock and Johnson sell it off to the American multinational health insurers, who have already infiltrated the NHS...<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><b>Related/Links</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://westlancashirerecord.com/2020/05/22/mr-nhs-moneybags-in-local-post/?fbclid=IwAR0tPULW5pQKz3-XGsgeHsFpbxg_VelaTUy7XKQJwIlYyldacyQUdLFSwOk" target="_blank">Mr NHS 'Moneybags' in local post..</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-25695373092388956232020-05-04T17:18:00.001+01:002020-05-04T17:19:56.835+01:00Chorley Hospital must not be fragmented into a cold-site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8N20GWpLHyj-VkIwLMfE7snbj05Ds6mRAYDHeJM2b4qg_iEl43G290SZwUfOkNhZJL7j1oxYWP6wVfKuelBJk-t-6lsINp5lllZbUYY4TMmSqNyBSlDB1aqxq7WGUc7GbqY2NW_iD_A/s1600/chorley_ambulance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="387" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8N20GWpLHyj-VkIwLMfE7snbj05Ds6mRAYDHeJM2b4qg_iEl43G290SZwUfOkNhZJL7j1oxYWP6wVfKuelBJk-t-6lsINp5lllZbUYY4TMmSqNyBSlDB1aqxq7WGUc7GbqY2NW_iD_A/s400/chorley_ambulance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
Fragmented services will see the demise of Chorley A&E</h2>
<br />
I've just read an article from the Health Service Journal (HSJ) promoting separating pre-planned surgery (elective) from unplanned activity A&E/Urgent care.<br />
<br />
This is the plan the Lancashire Teaching hospitals NHS 'foundation' trust have in mind under the Our Health Our Care program - part of the governments 10 year plan to close and downgrade many hospital A&E departments thus priming elective procedures to take in private paying patients.<br />
<br />
After all, that's what a foundation hospital was setup for, as a company that could make up to 50% of its profits from private means.<br />
<br />
This will no doubt mean the A&E at Chorley and South Ribble hospital will close altogether leaving no emergency cover for over 200,000 people, excluding tourists and others that may need to be diverted there due to other A&Es having no beds.<br />
<br />
I'm also being lenient on the future numbers as well, since the mid-2000s there has been an explosion of <b>housing in the Chorley and central Lancashire area that would no doubt require accident and emergency services to prevent overflows at neighbouring A&Es.<br /><br />See also: <a href="https://mavericksunite.blogspot.com/2019/08/chorley-population-increase-warrants.html" target="_blank">Chorley population increase warrants own A&E</a></b><br />
<br />
Splitting elective surgery on a separate hospital site (called a cold site) from unplanned activity at a trusts other hospital (called a hot site) is a financial proposition that deals with a short-term bed-blocking and financial problem.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>It is not a viable long-term solution for a growing population as seen in Central Lancashire and many of my fellow campaigners would argue that such short-sightedness will cost lives in the longer term.</b></blockquote>
As an example, take the idea of separating A&E into 2 parts: patients that present at A&E but after triage don't need emergency treatment (urgent care), and those who do (emergency care).<br />
<br />
The A&E at Chorley has always had this urgent/emergency triage system.<br />
However, it was almost impossible to convert such a system into a profit-making venture as all those who presented at the A&E department came under the public NHS umbrella.<br />
<br />
What was needed was to fragment the A&E into the 2 parts thus priming the urgent care ready for privatisation. This is what's happened at Chorley hospital, and a<b>ny steps to fragment services further, such as making it a cold-site, could result in further privatisation of elective procedures. </b><br />
<br />
In fact, this is the objective of the 10 year plan and we've already had a peak of just how ugly it looks. Take a look <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-hospital-stops-plan-charge-16548975" target="_blank">here at the 'price-list'</a> proposed by Warrington & Halton hospital trust who planned to charge patients up to £20,000 for treatments - previously available for free, but removed and charged for by the local <b>Clinical Commissioning Group</b> (CCG).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Fragmented Hot & Cold sites are a response to previous hospital and bed closures</h3>
A well managed general hospital fully staffed working well below 100% capacity wouldn't see an increase in A&E attendances as 'random intrusions' (as <a href="https://www.hsj.co.uk/acute-care/the-case-for-separating-hot-and-cold-facilities/7020535.article?fbclid=IwAR2ZjJqZgTHrJKQRGV_rHcONdMHg3R2JfpEB8p5GycYCEYFBIaABhBS4vFE" target="_blank">this HSJ article so bluntly puts it</a>) to daily elective and outpatient services .<br />
<br />
The sole reason for concentrating on elective pre-planned ops is they are <b>lower risk</b> with a higher guaranteed profit turnover, either via Pbr (Payment by results) or private patients (tending more to the latter these days).<br />
<br />
The separation across sites also fails to recognise that staff who work in ED are also required to work in other hospital departments when A&E sees less activity.<br />
If an elective patients' condition deteriorates they still have to be transferred to ICU anyway making it another hurdle and risk.<br />
<br />
The model shown in the HSJ article is flawed and reaches a false economy since it suggests increasing bed capacity over the peak winter months to meet demand.<br />
<br />
There is something inherently wrong, not with the models proposed, but with the sheer number of unpredictable A&E attendances. And that's the capacity Vs demand problem.<br />
<br />
The HSJ article/model attempts to plan bed capacity around A&E activity which is futile due to the fact that over half the beds (and hospitals) have been cut over the last 30 years. To make it worse, successive governments have closed post-trauma/chronic support hospitals and geriatric hospitals which <b>used to take a huge bed burden off general hospitals, including A&E.</b><br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>That's where the solution lays. </b></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">A modern hospital building program is needed to accommodate an increasing population and to replace those closed over the years. Closed by incompetent politicians who have tinkered around the edges of the NHS for their own political gains.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Related Links</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.hsj.co.uk/acute-care/the-case-for-separating-hot-and-cold-facilities/7020535.article?fbclid=IwAR2ZjJqZgTHrJKQRGV_rHcONdMHg3R2JfpEB8p5GycYCEYFBIaABhBS4vFE" target="_blank">HSJ article: The case for separating 'hot' and 'cold’ facilities</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-hospital-stops-plan-charge-16548975" target="_blank">NHS hospital stops plan to charge patients almost £20k for operations after outcry</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-11692168982311574362020-04-11T12:06:00.000+01:002020-04-11T12:18:04.598+01:00council service cuts add to coronavirus misery<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcawFYpp-GvFMNoM-eK63mPezeKDAdsPncgJdUjsHoz7FhzLKznmExePByptDhK1XQfuJPmep0lT8N8AuI39Hsjsr5wgb4PVd9X7ggrcmnZXgkI_u5PPNHOcyk5qIMipCBFUUQbUWNh6Q/s1600/LancsCC_Leader_Geoff_Driver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcawFYpp-GvFMNoM-eK63mPezeKDAdsPncgJdUjsHoz7FhzLKznmExePByptDhK1XQfuJPmep0lT8N8AuI39Hsjsr5wgb4PVd9X7ggrcmnZXgkI_u5PPNHOcyk5qIMipCBFUUQbUWNh6Q/s400/LancsCC_Leader_Geoff_Driver.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geoff Driver - council leader</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Lancashire County Council Cuts to Health & Wellbeing Services add to Coronavirus misery</b></span><br />
<br />
According to latest recorded coronavirus death toll figures*, the UK mortality rate due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) stands at 12.15%.<br />
<br />
That's over four times higher than the 3% Boris Johnson and his health advisers forecast mid March.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Social Isolation</h3>
Dementia is the highest killer in the UK today. Previous studies have shown that social isolation, or having few interactions with others, is associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline.<br />
<br />
The support to socially isolated families before the outbreak was cut by Lancashire county council last year.<br />
<br />
The health & wellbeing servcies of people in Lancashire helps vulnerable people with issues such as Social isolation - loneliness, few or poor social skills and those who find themselves in difficult circumstances - family finance, employment, education and so on.<br />
<br />
All these services, which included dementia patients, were STOPPED by the Tory controlled County Council just before the coronvairus outbreak last December.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Advice ignored</h3>
At the time, civil servant advisors warned Lancashire county council (LCC) they were creating a 'false economy' since the social return on investment (SROI) for services to be closed was seven-fold, and cuts in these areas would need to be accounted for in other service areas. Their advice was ignored and LCC went ahead anyway.<br />
<br />
The proposal to end the Lancashire wellbeing service (LWS) was purely financial as LCC have provided no evidence that demand has exceeded supply and no business case has been proposed to replace the LWS with other services.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Vulnerable people using the wellbeing service have literally been thrown on the scrapheap, and now they have the added burden of having to contend with social isolation due to the coronavirus.</span></b></blockquote>
We are now all paying the price of social isolation due mainly to the complacency and arrogance of the unelected Prime Minister and his handling of the viral outbreak in the early warning stages.<br />
<br />
And it could be sometime before the lockdown is lifted.<br />
<br />
But hey ho, not to worry, due to the flagging economy, ministers are now considering balancing the results of health implications due to the lockdown and those due to the virus and whether to ease the lockdown earlier than forecast.<br />
<br />
Well we all know what happens when this government make forecasts.<br />
<br />
Either way, the ill-thought out and misjudged errors they made is going to finish off many UK citizens, whether social isolation is lifted or otherwise.. the damage is done, yet the death toll due to this awful virus continues to rise...<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Related/Links</span></b><br />
<br />
*8.4.2020 UK recroded infected 73,758 deaths 8,958<br />
<br />
Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis<br />
<br />
This document commissioned by LCC LWS in December 2017 proved the need for the Lancashire Wellbeing Service in terms of the benefits vs financial input.<br />
SROI analysis showed the that LWS creates positive impacts for its service users, for their family members, and for associated partner services of LWS.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.lep.co.uk/news/politics/lancashire-county-council-budget-protesters-defend-value-public-health-and-childrens-services-which-could-be-scrapped-113324">Lancashire County Council budget: protesters defend value of public health and children's services which could be scrapped</a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8208977/Deaths-recession-coronavirus-balanced.html?ito=facebook_share_article-facebook_preferred-top&fbclid=IwAR3srizUSqcYGZbpYEkWD97P7rcuktAqtq0OaXCGniRxP_RC__whJ8G_n0c" target="_blank">Deaths from recession and due to coronavirus may need to be balanced</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.superseniors.msd.govt.nz/health-wellbeing/health-matters/dementia-preventing-social-isolation.html" target="_blank">Dementia: Preventing social isolation</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8606524092616227136.post-79705653323470569472019-12-22T11:23:00.000+00:002019-12-22T20:00:29.040+00:00The NHS is being Americanised, and we're all about to pay the price<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdmJo7QBkVT3mpoUnJKrcZWKlZlZdZoAmJJ78PaNhm53x0oft2xZqPQf7CkPWgXo0mZuzypB-xcAi8fX2PLagToZ4U2MHlb09DVkrjywQYsh5WTiqjHxwSSMDCl1XYou0-8C5xWl5sOE/s1600/invoice_Hospital_bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1320" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdmJo7QBkVT3mpoUnJKrcZWKlZlZdZoAmJJ78PaNhm53x0oft2xZqPQf7CkPWgXo0mZuzypB-xcAi8fX2PLagToZ4U2MHlb09DVkrjywQYsh5WTiqjHxwSSMDCl1XYou0-8C5xWl5sOE/s400/invoice_Hospital_bill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image courtesy of Vox health</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Demand management, capped budgets, restricted care, rationed operations, drug price hikes... American style health care is now almost certain to change the face of the NHS.</h3>
<br />
Well, with the December 2019 general election now over and the results favouring the Conservatives, the chances of the NHS in England going the 'American way' are now very high.<br />
<div>
<br />
I'm hoping at this stage you're all aware of what myself and other NHS campaigners have been saying for some time, and what you are about to lose.<br />
So here's a recap....<br />
<br />
The man running the English NHS '<i><b>Simon Stevens</b></i>' is the ex health boss of Americas largest health insurer, United Health. Ex Labour councillor and adviser to New Labour's 'Tony Blair' his CV as a privatiser should be of interest to NHS campaigners...<br />
<ul>
<li>Stevens was UnitedHealth Group Vice-President and President and/or Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth group companies 2004 – 2014;</li>
<li>Since 2014, Head of NHS England Stevens has been in charge of implementing the five-year plan for “integrated care”, in other words completion of the takeover of the NHS by UnitedHealth Group;</li>
<li>His duties at UnitedHealth included lobbying for the NHS and other European national health services to be included in the <b>Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)</b>; An even Higher risk after a no-deal BREXIT.</li>
<li>His 'plan' is to utilise the NHS budget to run the profit-driven American 'Accountable Care Organisations (ACO).</li>
<li>ACOs change how the NHS is funded, removes accountability, and introduces two disastrous processes 'demand management' and 'capitated payments'. In other words, a fixed amount of money per capita (per patient)- and when its gone there is no more, and managing which patient gets access to which service. As with the ACO in America, the less care an ACO provides, the more money it makes (i.e. the more it saves). This is then passed on to the shareholders - called 'providers'. </li>
<li>With an ACO the budget (contract) is long-term and can be held by private companies who then sub-contract work out to other 'providers'.</li>
<li>There is a HIGH RISK that the NHS is split into those who can pay for certain treatments, and a state funded element for those than can't. *See below co-payments made via an ACO.</li>
</ul>
[<b>PDF</b>] The rest of Simon Stevens' historical <a href="http://selloff.org.uk/nhs/CVforSimonStevens260516.pdf" target="_blank">CV can be downloaded here</a>...<br />
<br />
An <b>Integrated Care System (ICS)</b> is based on the American model of care called an <b>Accountable Care Organisation (ACO)</b>. An ICS holds a single long-term budget which is allocated to its partners called <b>Integrated Care Providers (ICP)</b>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>As with an ACO, an ICS is profit-based operating on the principle of treating fewer people to make savings [profits]. The profits are then passed back into the system to shareholders.</b></blockquote>
This restriction of care and services is accomplished in several ways, the main method is to allocate an up front annual per person (capitated) budget to each 'registered' patient in the area then 'manage the demand' of services using health maintenance techniques.<br />
<br />
These include but are not limited to: guiding patients to other areas provided by volunteers, treating patients at home, allocating some patients a personal health budget, promoting prevention, and allowing hospital foundation trusts [as partner providers] to undertake 'paid for' procedures previously provided free on the NHS but restricted under the new ACO regime. *See Warrington hospital.<br />
<br />
Two months ago the chief officer of Central Lancashire's two CCGs for Preston and Chorley with south Ribble implied.....<b><i>we’ve got senior people doing long-term strategic planning [aiming to] save money and configure only the type of really important services for each level [each care pathway].</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
It appears that in future, patients may only be able to access the 'really important' services with other services going the same way as those currently being rationed and placed on a 'self-pay' basis. Either that or go private, take out an ACO plan as in the states, and make co-payments towards the cost. It is a REALITY folks.<br />
Here's an example..<br />
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However, there is currently no legislation which permits either the ICS or its ICPs to exist as formal entities - that's why they are described as operating in “<b><i>shadow form</i></b>”.<br />
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NHS England are trying to dodge and 'work-around' avoiding changes in legislation..."for now the powers of the two [CCG] groups are only as strong as the statutory bodies from which they are comprised, indicating a merger of two or more CCGs would provide for a single joint committee holding more sway along with standardising rationing policies for the represented areas for certain treatments, increasing some treatments in some areas and decreasing others in other areas [as they call it <b>rounding up or dow</b>n] or to you and I '<b>a postcode lottery</b>'.<br />
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The aim is not to come in on budget, but to<b> limit overspending</b> - to no more than £112m across the region.[1]<br />
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In Lancashire and South Cumbria, the collective deficit is derived exclusively from the region’s hospital trusts and stands at seven percent of their combined annual budget of £1.6bn i.e around £112m. The area’s CCGs, however, are aiming for financial balance.<br />
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Gary Raphael, executive director of finance for the region’s Integrated Care System (ICS) said that ringfencing for primary and community care £4.5bn out of the additional £20.5bn which has been pledged to the English NHS by 2023, will cause “a big problem” for acute Hospital trusts.<br />
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However, Raphael fails to mention just what the regions hospital 'big problems' are or how they might be tackled.<br />
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Affordability will be a “key issue” for the Lancashire-wide plan for the NHS over the next five years which is currently being drawn up.<br />
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To limit the overspend, savings must be made via cuts to services along with changes to the way services are provided, who provides them, and where they are provided. It's understood that the underlying deficit for Lancashire and South Cumbria is higher than £112m, when one-off savings are excluded.<br />
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<h2>
The Heist - aka the bribe</h2>
If the control total is met, the region [L&SC] will receive an extra £76m in funding as a reward.<br />
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This target is shared by all the organisations involved so each are accountable to each other. In the USA, this has resulted in some organisations in the ACO cutting corners by cherry picking the more profitable patients and services along with corruption and many legal challenges between organisations that are supposed to be collaberating and working together.<br />
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<a href="https://www.lep.co.uk/health/can-partnership-plan-for-lancashire-s-nhs-improve-care-and-bridge-funding-gap-1-9908020">https://www.lep.co.uk/health/can-partnership-plan-for-lancashire-s-nhs-improve-care-and-bridge-funding-gap-1-9908020</a><br />
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