NHS

I heard on the news today that employees should be given the opportunity to have shares in the company's they work for.  Most of us do or have paid money into the NHS as tax payers so does that mean we have a share and even more so a say in what is done?  Surely we must if politicians are to be listened to.

Therefore, we as a nation, should have a say in how the NHS is run, its publicly owned in essence yet its totally ran by bureaucrats that do not do anything in the interest of the patient or the employee.

I have often said that why do the aged have to be put in residential homes with 30 other inmates, yet if they were mentally handicapped they get to live in a 3 or 4 bed home with carers.  Surely it would be nicer if this could happen, especially to those with dementia, to be housed this way, then it would be more like a family atmosphere rather than 'Waiting for God' and probably a lot cheaper, if ran correctly and not privately owned.

Large units don't work, they shut down hospital style places for the mentally incapable because they were institutionalised and took away the person's human rights, (not that many of the patients knew their human rights) yet we are still quite happy to throw our old age pensioners into them! Although they are called residential homes. 

Most of the pensioners today are the ones that worked in terrible conditions, came through the war, knew what poor meant and are treated terribly by each government that has been in power.

This Human Rights law has gone to far but that's for another Rant.  Our NHS should be there to ensure that rich or poor the same treatment is given, not just in one area either, but the whole of the country.  This post code lottery is still going on and is totally wrong.

Large corporations set up budgets yearly for what they think they can spend, in large corporations they ensure they spend the budgets in case the next year they get cropped.  Where is the incentive in saving money there, what should happen is if the budget allocated isn't spent it gets held for that department and the budget for the next year isn't reduced but kept the same or increased in line with inflation.  Therefore funds are available and not wasted.

The NHS may end up being split into 2 tiers, part private and part NHS, if you don't have insurance you will be treated but may not get the best in meds or surgery - don't quote me here as I'm not an expert.  In the United States if you have insurance they give you better care, if you don't you are patched up and sent home. 

We know our NHS is costing a fortune, it doesn't help when managers are ran by managers who are again managed by managers.  They set up trusts to run the finance yet each hospital has its own finance department so why burden a system with all these accounts and finance directors?  Savings could be made in overheads much easier than in running costs.

We have closed A& E's across the country so more people have to travel further to larger hospitals.  I can understand the choice of large hospitals as more cases come through the doors and doctors\surgeons can specialise more and learn easier more efficient ways to treat a condition.  Has closing A & E's saved money, I doubt it as urgent care centres have had to be opened to replace them.

Also how do they rationalise the cost of things, the staff are employed so wages are already paid, so why are operations expensive?  Yes I know if its a hip replacement they need spare parts, but to remove a gall bladder or fix a hernia - where do the extra costs come from.  The theatres are all kitted out.

Our whole country is going to the dogs, what this country needs is a backbone.  Every party produces their manifesto of what they are going to do in power, anyone can say what the voters want to hear, but as soon as they get into the seats they do nothing promised.  Its about time Governments were made to stick to the manifesto and if they don't do as said they should be fired. 

Most of the people who run this country have never had to earn a living in the REAL WORLD, We need people with experience of life sitting in these government chairs, not some one who debated at college and then went straight to Whitehall.

Come on Britain lets become GREAT again and show the rest of the world how to look after their health instead of becoming a third world service.

Private health should be totally separate to national health, Private health is there as a benefit for people who need to fit operations in on a certain time, or for the vain to have face lifts and boob jobs, it should not be for everyday health issues.

The government have us over a barrel, its not like we can even refuse to pay our Taxes because they are deducted on our earnings. 

Lets hope Dr's and nurses around the country can find away to stop us losing our NHS, without striking, that only hurts the population and damages their reputations, but somehow there has to be away to make Government fund the NHS where its needed, ground level and get rid of most of the Directors of Food Management, Directors of Cleanliness, Directors of whatever else they created.

Strikes!!!

The North East is probably the only main labour held area in the whole of England, no matter who is in power at no 10, Labour never looses a seat here and governs it as if they were in power.

Through Maggie's time the councils grew and grew, creating unnecessary admin and manager jobs, who pays for this - we all do.  So they have to pay into their pension pots, what do they think the rest of the white collar workers do, get it for free.  If you don't contribute the Company doesn't have to contribute into your pension, in the public sector, you don't have to contribute but hey we will still pay. 

In my earlier years of temping etc I came across many ex council workers who had left working for county or town halls because they were bored of doing nothing all day, that was back in late 70's early 80's, and since then the public sector up here has increased further.  It wouldn't be so bad if it was more nurses, fireman, police etc that were recruited and increased the numbers but please managers to manage, admin for the sake of looking important.

We only have to look at the industries left in the North East, none!  Unions ruined the shipbuilding because they striked constantly for more money, every time a contract was won they went on strike knowing they had the Company's over a barrel. 

Personally I don't care anymore who's in power because none of them have the backbone to put this country back on its feet.  The labour party are stirring the pot to get the Tories out, while stirring the pot are they doing anything positive for us ... no!

We have a major deficit, if it was a family with a house they would be out on the streets!  What was it I heard on the news the poorer get poorer and the richer get richer, get real, in this economy the only ones getting richer are those on the fiddle or in crime.

The pensioners of today are the most badly done to, they worked in conditions that are alien to the rest of us, what little money they saved for their golden years is taking a massive hit with poor interest rates.  If they own their own house they are in an even worse position - if you want to strike, strike for those who long ago didn't get the rights of the low paid, hard done too, welfare state people of today.

Feel better now

benefits and Pensions

I love ringing my friend Liz as we seem to have great discussions on everything that is going wrong with the world and our Country.

It is so annoying that we are a country that gives out so much to those who are willing to do so little or claim for everything and work on the side. 

I said that if those who worked got everything free, school meals to heating allowances, full pensions and free prescriptions suddenly all those who are capable of working would soon be off their arses and doing something.

It's true, we are all born to take care of ourselves yet most think it is the job of someone else.  It would be nice if no one had to worry about putting food on the table or wood on the fire but that isn't going to happen, we threw that away when greed entered the equation of life. 

Why should everyone be entitled to the same standard of living if some work for it and others don't?  If Joe bloggs likes to have nice things and works hard to buy them why should Bob smith get the same for staying at home all day by choice.

Benefits were brought in to help those who couldn't work through injury or job loss at an older age, these days you are better off on benefits than going to work and putting in 40 hours. 

I heard the other day that a lady, I'll call her (a) has two children and both her and her husband work, they are paying a mortgage and are struggling to make ends meet, her sister, lady (b) has 2 children, neither work, live in a council house and have no money worries.  The kids get free school meals, all school trips are paid for etc.  Lady A's kids asked why they couldn't go on a trip and their cousins could, infact the cousins got more new clothes than hers did.  It doesn't make sense does it.

When my parents decided to have children they had to afford the want themselves, and that was the day protection from pregnancy had little to offer.  I think you got child benefit of next to nothing and it didn't double as another child came along.  Today most people think that having children should be borne on everyone else paying for them, especially the young who believe its the way to a council house (fully furnished and paid for!)

What about the couples who don't have children, they don't get any tax relief for not using the education system or claiming child benefit, maternity leave etc.  Maybe they have a better standard of living because they aren't having to bring up children (in most cases it wasn't their choice) and have savings so in old age they get penalised more.  What is wrong with this country and the way it works out who gets what?

It seems that those on this 16 hours before their benefits get affected are the worst kind.  They receive the same amount of money as those who work 40 hours in a regular office job.  I take my hat off to a lady that was told how to do this when her husband left but instead she carried on working her normal job.  What incentive is that.  I know another lady that worked the 16 hours and had the rest made up but her wage slips were only checked every so often so the 6 weeks prior to the checks she would be doing 24 hours and still received the same amount of benefit.  There is always a way to get more out and even worse its explained to claimants how to do it. 

Yet if you have worked all your life and suddenly at 50 you lose your job but you own your house you have to lose everything you have worked for before you get any help - these are the people who should be given everything so they don't have to sell their properties and worry themselves to death about paying bills.

I know that circumstances aren't the same for everyone and some people are just unlucky not to have employment and therefore they need to be looked after but then why penalise those who have worked all their lives and make them sell up and become homeless before help is given.

Maybe there should be a point system brought in where if you have worked for so many years you are allowed so much back in benefits if you need them, this would save the homes of those who have worked hard all there lives and it might be an incentive to those who work a few months then ensure they get fired so they can go back on benefits again for another 6 months.

It's like pensions, why should those who have saved all their lives and contributed be so heavily taxed on the pensions and indeed the state pension be reduced.  They have paid into the State Pension and should be entitled to the full payment back. 

Which brings me to the next rant.  The NI was introduced so we all had health care and a state pension.  Employers pay 13% tax per pound per employee towards this.  Next year employers will also have to contribute into their employees pensions another 3%, and employees will also have to pay this, even though they have NI deducted from their wages for this very same thing. 

For the likes of you and I who have a personal pension we only get so many 60th's of what we worked and then a % of that, for the public workers, ie

Well I certainly feel a lot lighter for getting that off my chest.  If I have provoked you one way or the other, good - it means you will go out and have a discussion about it.