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Patient Forums believe that NHS debts will get worse
A SURVEY of Patient Forums across England has revealed that
over 70% believe that NHS debts will continue to get worse. The
results of this survey are announced as many NHS Trusts prepare to
reveal large debts in their 05/06 financial accounts.
The survey, compiled by the Commission for Patient and Public
Involvement in Health (CPPIH), has found that over 60% of the
Patient Forums taking part in the poll believe their local NHS Trust
will be cutting services this year. 58% believe that there are also
plans to make staff cuts.
Comments from some of the 237 Forums from across England who took
part in the survey, included:-
“100 beds to be closed after 40 closed this financial year at
South Warwickshire General Hospital. The Trust will be c £15M in
deficit 31/3/06. We await details of redundancies but many posts are
now frozen. The Hospital Chair resigned last week after only 6
months in post making it 5 Chairs in 5 years."
“In Mental Health at Dacorum PCT there are staff cuts on front
line staff. These include Community care workers, and Learning
disability staff.”
“They are not replacing staff who leave, in particular nursing
staff, and auxiliaries. The Forum has not been consulted but told
that the Trust has made this decision.”
"Wide ranging service cuts. Cottage Hospital closures, reduction of
services at GP surgeries, reduced beds at intermediate care level.”
“Diabetic specialist nurses are being asked to cut their hours. This
is supposed to be because the care is being transferred to GP
surgeries. We have been failed by the loss of an excellent diabetic
care nurse who was headhunted, and it has taken more than two years
for the new nurse to be allowed to get the training she needs.”
“Community hospitals have been closed. My Forum was not
consulted on the closure and the PCT handling of the closure within
the community has been a disaster.”
70% of responding Forums also believe that this situation will get
worse:-
“I think proposed PCT changes will not improve accountability
to patients and local communities especially in areas where the
Trusts are to be responsible for huge geographical areas.”
“With the merging of PCTs, the existing relationships with the local
PCTs have to be reinvented within a much larger framework of
bureaucracy. We note that rather than reducing the numbers of
administration staff, the merging of the PCTS opened the door to
justifying retaining staff to cater for the processes required to
manage 'change'.”
“At the moment decisions are driven by political objectives and
Trusts are dictated too much with what they need to do rather than
allowing them to make decisions on Trust level. Further Government
targets are forced to be given precedence over patient care.”
The survey has also revealed that Patient Forums and the public as a
whole are not being consulted by their local NHS Trusts about these
service cuts.
Commentating on the results of the survey Steve Lowden, Chief
Executive of the CPPIH, said:- “The results give cause for
concern and show that there is growing evidence that the financial
cuts are already having a negative impact on the level of patient
services that can be provided. Hopefully this is not ‘the tip of the
iceberg’ but the survey clearly shows that there is a belief that
more cuts will be announced over the coming weeks.”
The Patient Forums were set up by statute to provide a voice for
patients and the public in healthcare, yet it appears from the
results of this survey that many NHS bosses do not feel there is any
reason to consult with them.
This means that the Trusts are missing out on the opportunity to
help the public gain a better understanding of the problems services
are facing and also the opportunity to converse with patients to
find possible solutions.
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Schools in national competition to have their book published
PRIMARY schools across the country are being invited to enter
a once-in-a-lifetime writing competition that will see the winning
story published. Children’s publisher Image Books is
challenging Years 1 to 6 to submit ideas for a character to join the
residents of Hoo Ha House, its new book series for 4 to 7 year olds
that will be turned into a book and published. The first 6 books in
the series are launched this Easter; a further 6 will be published
in September, alongside the winning story.
The Hoo Ha House series follows the individual adventures of
household objects that live together in Hoo Ha House. They include
Wally the Wellington who is on a mission to find a cure for his
ticklishness and Dorothy the Doughnut whose passion for dancing
stops her realising she’s actually not very good at it! “Hoo
Ha House inspires children to look at their environment and use
their imaginations to create a world of fun beyond the obvious,“
says Sarah Armstrong, Publishing Director. “This competition
provides a framework for schools to exploring their pupils’
creativity across the curriculum.”
Prizes will be given to the most imaginative and creative characters
and story ideas. Entries will be judged by the series’ creator Jo
Marsden, and the winning idea will be adapted into a Hoo Ha House
story, illustrated in CGI and published in time for National
Children’s Book Week in October. Runner-up schools will
receive a free subscription to ReadingZone.com and a set of cuddly
Hoo Ha House characters for their classroom. The best entries will
be showcased on
www.hoohahouse.com.
This is not the first time Hoo Ha House has brought fun into the
classroom. Free Hoo Ha House books and activity packs were sent to
2,000 primary schools nationwide last term to kick off Image Books’
campaign to bring creativity and imagination to children through
books. A further 3,000 schools will receive free copies of the 6 new
Hoo Ha House titles and information about the competition this
Easter.
The competition is open to all primary schools across the UK.
Deadline for entries is 16 June 2006, and the winner will be
announced at the end of July. For further information on how your
school can take part by
email
them.
BRITISH BLOKES DEMAND A NIGHT TO CALL THEIR OWN
KINGS
of Real Honest Food launch Pie-day Night. Whether testing
plastic kitchenware, sampling sexy lingerie or even braving botox,
women have been throwing girls-only get-togethers for decades... and
Britain's men are getting jealous.
44% of the nation's men want more quality time with
their mates without girlfriends intruding, a study by purveyor of
pasties and pies, Ginsters found. 24% fail to delight in
authentic 'lads fun' when ladies are present while 67% can't
enjoy a football match with women there.
According to the study of over 1,000 UK men, the perfect lads' night
is spent at home watching football on the telly. 35% favoured
this over the pub, a nightclub or playing sport.
To accommodate this demand, Ginsters is championing the Pie-day
Night, an evening
of beer, pies, footie and, of course, no women. The food
manufacturer is encouraging Britain's blokes to indulge in some
serious male bonding as, according to psychologist, David Moxon, it
is good for their health. He said:- "There is enough
scientific evidence out there to suggest men and women think and
behave differently. It makes perfect sense therefore, that men will
want to regularly seek the company of other men, as it gives them a
chance to share common thinking and experiences"
Men and women are socialising together more than ever according to
89% of the nation, and 11% fear the classic lads' night is under
threat as a result. 12% men actually prefer to go to the pub with
their mates than with their partner. 28% of Great British guys
admit to actually feeling oppressed by women, with 30% calling for a
masculinist movement to redress the balance.
Ginsters spokesperson, Larry File commented:- "It is
encouraging to see social barriers breaking down and men and women
interacting more, but there is still a healthy desire for time
apart. Women are set to benefit also, they can now enjoy some peace
and quiet as their loved ones savour a Pie-day Night."
Top 10 subjects women nag men about (and why the men escape to the
pub):-
1. Not listening
2. Not completing tasks (e.g. DIY, Housework)
3. Watching too much sport
4. Being lazy
5. Having too much to drink
6. Putting on weight
7. Playing too many computer games
8. Being insensitive
9. Leaving the toilet seat up
10. Not noticing new clothes |
