Sunday, January 07, 2007

Call for shorter hospital stays

Keeping patients in hospital too long takes up the equivalent of 13,000 beds a year and costs £1bn, a think-tank has estimated.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the bed space and money could be saved if more care was provided outside hospital.

Cutting the number of locations where specialist services are offered would also help, it said.

The Department of Health said parts of the NHS could be more efficient.
The IPPR report uses figures from the independent NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement, with additional analysis by Dr Foster Intelligence.

 THE GOVERNMENTS BIG BUDDIES ARE AT IT AGAIN - DROPPING THIS INTO THE MIX WHILE THE CARE CLOSER TO HOME PILOT'S ARE BEING RUN PRIOR TO THE STEERING GROUPS REPORT TO LORD WARNER
THIS SOUND'S OKAY IN PRACTICE BUT IN REALITY CARE IN THE COMMUNITY IN IT'S CURRENT FORMAT IS GROSSLY UNDERFUNDED AND SHOULD THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PUSH MORE INTO THIS AREA THEN WHO WILL GUARANTEE THE CORRECT FUNDING FOR THIS?
IF YOU, USING THE VISION OF THE LOCAL PCT & THE DOH, PUT MORE CARE OR WHAT SHOULD BE  CALLED TREATMENT INTO THE COMMUNITY THEN THERE HAVE TO BE THE
EXTRA COSTS AND RISKS ASSESSED, YOU WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE VEHICLES FOR PRACTITIONERS, IF THEY WERE NOT PAID TO USE THEIR OWN, SO MORE TRAFFIC ON BRITAIN'S ALREADY CONGESTED ROADS, PROVIDE MOBILE COMMUNICATION FOR LONE WORKER SAFETY, 
AGREE THE 
AMOUNT OF VISITS PER DAY FOR EACH PRACTITIONER, BE AWARE OF RISKS FOR
THE SAFETY OF THESE PRACTITIONERS OF THEY ARE CARRYING DRUGS OR MEDICAL SUPPLIES SO THIS IS JUST THE  START OF IT THERE MUST BE MORE CLINICAL ISSUES THAT THE MEDICAL WORKERS CAN IDENTIFY AS PROBLEM AREAS BUT THE CRUX OF THE MATTER IS...............WHERE IS THE SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR THIS OR IS IT JUST ANOTHER SMOKE SCREEN AND GOAL POST MOVING EXERCISE TO MASSAGE THE BOOKS TO ALLOW MINISTERS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO LOOK GOOD IN THE EYE'S OF THE PUBLIC?

MAKE YOUR OWN MINDS UP BUT REMEMBER IT'S YOUR CHOICE AS TO WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR TREATMENT, ACT NOW BEFORE THEY CLOSE THESE BUILDINGS SO THAT YOU CAN ONLY HAVE YOUR TREATMENT DONE IN THE G.P'S OR IN YOUR OWN HOME