An appointments system for Accident & Emergency is the stupidest NHS idea yet
The whole point of Accident & Emergency is that people don’t need appointments to be seen.
A person who has just become the victim of a life-threatening injury, illness or condition isn’t going to have time to wait around until a doctor is ready to see them.
And the fact that this is being proposed to save face, for a service whose lack of money means it isn’t hitting targets is the biggest insult of all.
Yes, the National Health Service needs major changes.
They are a change of leaders – and a change of government.
Patients could have to start booking appointments in A&E units, and those with only minor ailments wait many hours before they are seen, under a proposed shakeup of NHS targets.
NHS England chiefs are examining whether to relax the longstanding obligation to see 95% of A&E patients within four hours.
They are also under growing pressure from hospital bosses to ease another key NHS waiting time target – the duty to give patients non-urgent surgery within 18 weeks of being referred by their GP.
Source: NHS proposes A&E appointments system in targets shakeup | Society | The Guardian
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I feel so sad and so angry that the evil Tories are deliberately destroying the NHS. Wake up Britain before it is too late – get rid of these nasty Tories.
Well I’m planing on breaking a hip in a fall 3 days after my 95th birth day, oh you don’t have any spaces what about in the following week?
Totally agree. Had thought that when that Hunt moved off to destroy the world elsewhere common sense might seep back into the NHS. Unfortunately Hunts legacy of employing managers devoid of any common sense keeps the system going. Maybe this is still one of Hunts old cunning plans to do completely away with GPs and make local hospitals responsible for GP care thinking that GPs send us all there eventually. Many of our local hospitals now have GPs in attendance handling day-to-day admissions and footfall traffic. My GP surgery now has very few people, if any, waiting compared to the old days of first come first served chock-a-block waiting rooms. Recently had great paramedic attendance for a concerning personal medical issue. What a great unsung service … made alternative going through GP route with same problem a joke. Some of the NHS is still unbroken and firing on all cylinders untouched probably by some suits saving more money.
That really is stupid. Makes you wonder who gets paid to think up this stuff, and why they’ve still got a job.
It doesn’t matter how stupid it is, their supporters will will follow it without questioning it.