The NHS pays over  £12 BILLION a year for private healthcare to reduce waiting lists 

The quality of care provided in return for this £12+ billion varies enormously.  With the NHS announcing its App is going to make it easier for patients to book care privately, one wonders if, in some areas, those funding this will receive value for money?.

In my own experience, NHS care provided by the private sector varied from a pathetic excuse for an MRI Scan in a ramshackle building in West London, to excellent care in a private hospital in Reading,

In Reading, one had to pinch oneself to realise this was free on the  NHS. On the way to my first appointment, the  Ambulance staff told me they, or their family, use this hospital for their NHS care whenever they can. They hear about patient satisfaction first hand, so know where to go!

The best defense is a good offense

Before we throw up our hands in horror at the £12 billion cost, isn’t it time we re-thought how and why the NHS is throwing money into private coffers.?  And is it receiving value for money?

The money comes from our hard-earned taxes, to get the NHS out of a hole.  So shouldn’t patients have more say in how and where this money goes?

Yet when I tried to complain about the way my MRI was, or wasn’t, conducted – no one wanted to listen. No one wanted to know how OUR money seemed to be wasted, and my concerns were brushed aside.

It is time patients had a say in how and where OUR money goes.  Forget about the campaigns to “Save our NHS” etc.  No one is listening.  Instead, let’s follow the actions of Generals Sun Tzu, Washington, Wellington etc. and go on the attack.

Get a list of the best, most ethical and patient-focussed private medical care providers in the area, and insist that the NHS look at these when awarding contracts.  This way, instead of spurious “clinics” set up by dubious private companies to milk the NHS of funds, award contracts to hospitals similar to the private one in Reading;  already proven to provide superb care.

Let us have a say

As a patient, I know NHS staff often would like to ignore us, but If the highly-paid Administrators tasked with running the NHS, had thought of asking us for recommendations, they might get better results.

Yes, Yes.  I know this is against all that the NHS holds dear.  But does the NHS hold waiting lists dear too?  Especially if you are in pain? Drastic action is needed to reduce lists that contain millions of names, and we need action NOW!. Not the latest announcement, which says about  400,000 patients will be receiving accelerated care – it’s not good enough.

But … ask the majority of those on the waiting lists, would they contribute a percentage of the cost to the private provider, to enable them to have their operation sooner – I bet most would jump at the offer.

For many, the current financial crisis has meant having to give up membership of private health insurance schemes, and those people would certainly be interested.  Others would pay to go privately because they value privacy, but don’t know where to go, how to do this,  etc.

SAVE OUR NHS, KONP (Keep Our NH’s Public) etc. and all the campaigners in this photo, will certainly want my guts for garters, BUT I havejoined many protest marches and demos (in my wheelchair) and they didn’t work.

Jaw

Jaw jaw, not War war

To go forward there has to be compromise.

Yes, there are some greedy private providers out there – but there are other private clinics and hospitals doing an excellent job. So why not give the good ones a chance?

Recently I was asked to be part of an NHS Audit of a private hospital, and the experience was mind-blowing.

If you live in the Thames Valley, for certain NHS procedures you can be treated as an NHS patient in a private hospital in Reading.  I had been lucky enough to be one, and was keen to see behind the scenes and find out more. During the Audit, we carried out the familiar checks for auditing wards in NHS hospitals.

What was unusual was the cleanliness.  Recently I have been an in-patient in two NHS hospitals, and managed to pick up several hospital-acquired infections.  So I knew what to look for.  We went into the linen stores, kitchens, even the rubbish bin storage area.  They were all spotless.

Yes, the hospital knew we were coming, but then so had other NHS hospitals when I had been part of an Audit Team;  this private hospital stood out for cleanliness.  We felt we were wasting their time, as we couldn’t come up with any complaints.  I eventually managed to contribute by commenting that the toilet flush in a Disabled Toilet was stiff! Others commented that signage could do with improvement, but this was outside and probably down to Council regs.

We were given an overview of the kitchens, then asked to choose from dishes that had been prepared for patients;  mine was a Chicken Caesar Salad and delicious.  We ended the meal with a selection of Panne Cotta that was far better than those on offer in the local Waitrose.

Future

Private providers elsewhere CAN provide similar care – so why aren’t the NHS contracting them?  As patients, we need to ask Healthwatvh, Integrated Care Boards,  Uncle Tom Cobley, Wes Streeting and all –  WHY?

If Reading can do it – why can’t we all have such superb care on the NHS?