Six new rights for every NHS patient

[0iD]

Six new rights for every NHS patient

Patients will today be promised six new rights to NHS treatment as the Government attempts to push through a new raft of public service reforms in the run-up to the forthcoming general election.

*An operation within 18 weeks of patients first seeing their GP

*A free health check-up for all at the age of 40

*Treatment from an NHS dentist

*Die at home if they suffer from a long-term medical condition

*See a cancer specialist within two weeks

*Be treated in accident & emergency departments within four hours.

Any of those actually attainable in the majority of cases? I don't think so.

Purely electioneering imo.

[kalniel]

Which ones aren't attainable? Two weeks to see a cancer specialist might be a bit tight, ditto the 4 hour A&E treatment (though it depends what they mean by treatment - I got pain killers within minutes, but X-rays and setting my finger only happened over 4 hours later). The rest look okay.

[0iD]

In my experience of the NHS system, only the last point I would say is attainable & the first point, is actually worse than the 3 months they used to promise.

and NHS dentist...for everyone....

[Funkstar]

Any of those actually attainable in the majority of cases? I don't think so.

So then whats the problem?

It would be rather stupid if the Government/NHS set goals and published a list of rights that were easily atainable or even already being met the majority of the time.

"Hmmmm, all our patients are being seen in A&E withint 3 hours. I know lets make the minimum amount of time 4 hours, means we don't have to try as hard!"

[chuckskull]

I hope the NHS dentist promise is actually fulfilled. I've been trying to get in for a year. All I can get at the moment is emergency treatment, and I had to wait 4 days for that last time

[Russ]

I work for the NHS..

the 18 week RTT (referral to treatment) is a bit of a farce tbh, you see the thing is, the treatment can be labelled as a number of things, so if the patient needs a new hip, there's not alot you can do apart form give them a new hip, but if they have a sore shoulder.. they can give it a quick rub, bend it round a bit and say they have given "manipulation" as treatment. it is however the bain of my life, as i work for an orthopaedic triage service, we see 100% (yup) of all the patients who are referred to us within 2 weeks of them seeing there GP. which is pretty impressive considering that 80% of GP referrals are for orthopaedics and we see ALL patients from North South and East Norfolk within those 2 weeks.. then however they go off to the main hospital and wait god knows how long as they're so busy..

[Jay]

I waited in the doctors for an hour and I had an appointment!

[Lucio]

I agree it's pure electioneering, because if you actually talk to the NHS staff involved, they either a) already aim to meet this kind of thing as a matter of course or b) can't meet them because they lack funding/staff/resources etc. to do so.


Really and truthfully what I want to see from the Government concerning the NHS is a commitment to reforming the service from the top down, this means stripping away useless bureaucracy assocated with hospitals and primary care (including goverment mandated goals! they don't help staff, only waste time of people chasing after the statistics!). Front line staff should be able to flag up issues with treating patients and be listened to, sure you need a manager to group together and oversee things but at the end of the day, they don't know what's going wrong, the front line staff do!

[Mossy]

Personally I am proud of our health service, I saw my Doctor GP on the Wednesday he refered me to the Orthopedics Clinic in hospital thursday and Had my operation on the Saturday. Since I have had repeat check ups on time with no delays and thats from the Hospital voted the worst in the UK apparently.