Comments on: Labour continue to plummet

By: John B Dick

John B Dick — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:24:56 +0000

“What we know from our experience of involvement in other parts of the health service is that the private sector can bring different skills, different management skills, different techniques.”

… and different values and different objectives.

By: John tt

John tt — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:28:17 +0000

The free market – lovely idea – doing wonders for the oil traders at the moment. The traders just don’t seem to get the notion that their obtaining of positions carries greater risk than their risk-profile mangers can get their heads around.

It’s not about process , it’s about outcomes.

Selling hospitals will only really work if they are sold with planning permission to convert them into flats, or, ironically, back into workhouses, because that’s where the push towards the voluntary sector’s “responsibility” is heading.

Educate me. Come up with some UK names like Peabody – give me the modern inspirational equivalents. Are there any British ones ? British people don’t recognise the Government as a force for good for one very simple reason. They forget the gifts, and remember the costs. My Grandfather was given an appointment in June 1988 to see an oncologist. He’s died in May 1988, but they sent the form through anyway. 18 months on the waiting list. The reason the lists weere so short under Thatcher was that they reckoned that most would die before receiving an appointment. I think my Grandmother has actually kept the letter criticising her for not informing the oncologist of her sad loss.

Now, 99.7% of cancer sufferrers see a consultant within two weekss.

Sorry, it’s so boring, statistics, I’ll retire and admit defeat because Free Market Rot is now au courant because Gordon hasn’t got “It”.

Try telling someone on the Pelican Estate that they’re acting as an enfranchised consumer when they are googling how to knock out their own teeth with a Black & Decker.

By: simon cooke

simon cooke — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:49:02 +0000

Franchised hospitals are a really stupid idea. I’ve nothing against private involvement but the way to do it is to sell them not to set up some arcame procurement process that takes two years and ends up with the same people running the same organisatrion just as badly but costing us more.

The free market isn’t about businesses it’s about consumers. Businesses hate free markets when their inside the pail – that’s what Brown and Balls don’t seem to get.

By: john t t

john t t — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:42:28 +0000

Exactly, so we still have a free at the point of delivery, public-funded service, operated by a private sector company..

Nothing inconsistent with my views, in fact the opposite of the free-marketeer’s approach. If Cameron supports it, I’d say it was a lurch to the left from him.

By: Colin

Colin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:51:13 +0000

An interesting perspective Pete-and timely given yesterday’s announcement by Ben Bradshaw :-

“What we’ve never done before is to allow the private sector to take over the running of a whole hospital in the form of a franchise, which is one of the options that would be included in this performance regime.

“What we know from our experience of involvement in other parts of the health service is that the private sector can bring different skills, different management skills, different techniques.”

Did someone mention that Brown might “turn left” ?

BMA’s consultants committee, said there was plenty of talent within the NHS without having to resort to the private sector whose only concern would be turning a profit.