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Patients' doubts on benefits of NHS billions
BACK in 2000, the NHS was on its knees. A crisis was triggered by a big upsurge in flu cases which exposed lack of spending in the previous 20 years.
The Government began a massive programme of investment on a service which would probably have not survived without it.
Now spending has more than doubled to 90bn a year and will reach 110bn by 2010-11.
But despite the huge increase, there remain serious doubts about how well the cash has been spent.
Significant improvements in cancer and heart treatments as well as reductions in waiting times and more investment in buildings and new staff have been achieved.
But there are complaints the increase has largely funded huge pay rises, in particular for hospital consultants and GPs, as well as lining the pockets of private sector businesses, with little improvement in productivity.
Rejecting the criticism, Ministers are now embarking on the next phase of NHS development which will move it away from a service treating sickness to one that prevents ill health.
District hospitals face being downsized as specialist care is moved to regional centres and routine care switched to health centres or provided at home.
This change in focus towards the needs of patients is being specifically designed in Yorkshire to cut huge health inequalities.
But it is likely to lead to major controversy as services at local hospitals are closed.
A Yorkshire Post survey found nearly half of the people questioned expressed a positive opinion and one in eight saying it was excellent.
But one in seven also rated it as poor or terrible.
Of those unhappy with the service, 71 per cent blamed poor management. About a third said it was due to underfunding causing staff shortages while 17 per cent pointed to poor quality care.
Many felt there was too much bureaucracy rather than a focus on clinical priorities and too little attention to the needs of patients.
Plans by the Government to provide more care closer to home but more complicated or specialist treatment in regional centres were backed by 90 per cent of people.
But two thirds of people were only prepared to travel a maximum of 20 miles for specialist care although one in six said they would travel any distance for the best treatment.
Maternity care is also likely to see a shake-up with smaller units closed and more women giving birth at home. Two in five people said women should have to travel less than five miles for maternity care and an overwhelming 80 per cent said journeys should be less than 10 miles.
Respondents gave treating heart disease the biggest priority followed by cancer. Obesity was only rated seventh followed by smoking.
Promoting healthier lifestyles and wellbeing was ranked fifth but it is likely to become a major plank of Government moves to reduce ill health particularly over mounting concerns of an obesity epidemic.
Refusing to treat overweight people or smokers was only backed by 28 per cent of respondents while alternative therapies on the NHS were supported by only one in five.
Those replying to the survey used the NHS on a regular basis with two in five doing so on six or more occasions in the last year. One in seven said they had experience of a postcode lottery of care because of where they lived. One in four said they had been affected by financial problems in the NHS.
By December next year, most people referred by their GP to hospital for tests and possible treatment should wait less than 18 weeks for treatment to begin.
The move is clearly backed by survey respondents, with 77 per cent saying that treatment should begin within one month of being diagnosed and the vast majority within three months.
Next page: Dental care worries Survey uncovers dental worries
Health chiefs in Yorkshire have also carried out a separate survey of 3,500 individuals and institutions.
In total 75 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the services provided by the NHS and 68 per cent said it was value for money.
Overall satisfaction with the NHS was 15 per cent higher than the UK average.
People who have used the NHS in the last 12 months are more satisfied than non-users.
Ambulance and GP services were most highly rated. Some 85 per cent of people were satisfied with quality of care provided by their GP although only 73 per cent were happy with waiting for a consultation.
Most concerns were expressed about A&E and dental services. About 81 per cent of patients were happy with the quality of dental care but just 45 per cent were happy with the selection of NHS dentists.
Children's medicine and cancer treatment were considered highest priorities.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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