August 28, 201014 yr Author And we've got the first major service cut... the government has announced the NHS Direct helpline is being scrapped. Of course, this won't affect the rich bast*rds who have private healthcare...
August 28, 201014 yr And we've got the first major service cut... the government has announced the NHS Direct helpline is being scrapped. Of course, this won't affect the rich bast*rds who have private healthcare... NHS Direct has been one of the most successful sevices launched by any government for a long time. To scrap it (or modify it in Lansley-spin) is madness.
August 28, 201014 yr And we've got the first major service cut... the government has announced the NHS Direct helpline is being scrapped. Of course, this won't affect the rich bast*rds who have private healthcare... There is going to be an alternative, doctors who are far more expert than us were very critical of NHS Direct and I trust the judgment of a doctor far more than I trust the judgement of anyone on here about NHS Direct. If a cheaper alternative can be found which produces probably better results then that is great. As the NHS budget is ringfenced from cuts then efficiency savings can be spent on frontline patient care
August 28, 201014 yr There is going to be an alternative, doctors who are far more expert than us were very critical of NHS Direct and I trust the judgment of a doctor far more than I trust the judgement of anyone on here about NHS Direct. If a cheaper alternative can be found which produces probably better results then that is great. As the NHS budget is ringfenced from cuts then efficiency savings can be spent on frontline patient care NHS Direct costs £123 million a year, and saved the NHS £213m in 2009/10. The clearest evidence yet that the Tories know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.
August 28, 201014 yr NHS Direct costs £123 million a year, and saved the NHS £213m in 2009/10. The clearest evidence yet that the Tories know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. As the article states on the BBC site GP's (the experts) considered it a waste of money and should be scrapped, GP's are the professionals. if they think it should be scrapped then that is good enough for me. 1-1-1 should be given a chance to work
August 28, 201014 yr As the article states on the BBC site GP's (the experts) considered it a waste of money and should be scrapped, GP's are the professionals. if they think it should be scrapped then that is good enough for me. 1-1-1 should be given a chance to work What will those same GPs be saying when the people previously dealt with by NHS Direct start coming to them? The new 111 service will have fewer people with full medical training than NHS Direct.
August 28, 201014 yr What will those same GPs be saying when the people previously dealt with by NHS Direct start coming to them? The new 111 service will have fewer people with full medical training than NHS Direct. I have only used NHS Direct once before and I was less than impressed, spoke to some Indian bloke who didn't have a clue and was told to expect a call back in 40 mins :manson: I got a call back after 50 tbf but got told something I could have probably found out on Google in 5 or 10 mins The guy initially should have been trained to give me instant advice there and then not 50 mins later
August 28, 201014 yr As the article states on the BBC site GP's (the experts) considered it a waste of money and should be scrapped, GP's are the professionals. if they think it should be scrapped then that is good enough for me. 1-1-1 should be given a chance to work GPs consider it a waste, but basic statistical analysis reveals that it isn't.
August 28, 201014 yr I have only used NHS Direct once before and I was less than impressed, spoke to some Indian bloke who didn't have a clue and was told to expect a call back in 40 mins :manson: I got a call back after 50 tbf but got told something I could have probably found out on Google in 5 or 10 mins The guy initially should have been trained to give me instant advice there and then not 50 mins later I've only used it once and was completely satisfied. Those two pieces of anecdotal evidence don't really mean anything.
August 28, 201014 yr I've only used it once and was completely satisfied. Those two pieces of anecdotal evidence don't really mean anything. How essential is NHS Direct anyways ? Google can tell us just as much if not more than someone on a helpline can tell and if someone is in severe distress they should go to casualty anyways or make an appointment to see their doctor the next day
August 28, 201014 yr How essential is NHS Direct anyways ? Google can tell us just as much if not more than someone on a helpline can tell and if someone is in severe distress they should go to casualty anyways or make an appointment to see their doctor the next day It saves money overall - is that not reason enough to keep it? :/
August 28, 201014 yr It saves money overall - is that not reason enough to keep it? :/ Value for money is important thing though Like with the Swine Flu hotline All that was was some trained/untrained monkey (figure of speech before I am accused of racism Scott :rolleyes: ) reading from a script questions to ask and then determining whether someone had swine flu, biggest waste of money going as there were websites that did the very same questionairre Edited August 28, 201014 yr by I ❤ JustinBieber
August 28, 201014 yr How essential is NHS Direct anyways ? Google can tell us just as much if not more than someone on a helpline can tell and if someone is in severe distress they should go to casualty anyways or make an appointment to see their doctor the next day If you had a choice of medical advice; either from NHS Direct, or from Google/Wikipedia, which would you rather rely on? Just searching on Google, you would inevitably come up against a whole truckload of conflicting advice. You also assume EVERYONE has the internet, which isn't true yet.
August 28, 201014 yr If you had a choice of medical advice; either from NHS Direct, or from Google/Wikipedia, which would you rather rely on? Just searching on Google, you would inevitably come up against a whole truckload of conflicting advice. The time I phoned NHS Direct was because my net was down and I wanted some advice about whether I could take a particular tablet after having taken this other tablet previously, otherwise I would have just used Google, and then I use reputable sites, I have done that many times particularly about medication
August 28, 201014 yr at least a quarter of their pupils have to be means-tested and go free below a certain parental income, which would work in conjunction with the pupil premium. Nice idea but I don't think it would work. You'd just get those parents who are already rich and able to pay ... finding ways to make their income look smaller to get these 'free' places. I've seen it happen so many times. I remember a few years back I was working in a biggish company down south and we had a new Director joining us. Super new job for him (salary circa £80K - this was about 12 years ago remember), his only dilemma was moving his main home ... he still had his second 'country pile' which he used for weekends away. He was particularly beaming one day as his son had won a free scholarship to a superb independent school. He actually came in and gloated about it! Even going back to when I was at Poly ... there were people there on full grants ... people with stinking rich parents ... but they knew ways of 'declaring' or 'not declaring' income, dividends, etc. So Craig ... yes ... there are those on benefits who know all the ins-and-outs to get more ... but there are an equal amount of rich bast*rds who can pay for stuff but choose not to. If me, as a tax-payer myself is willing (well not willing ... just powerless to do anything about it) can put up with these chinless wonders ... I don't see what your problem is. Kath Edited August 28, 201014 yr by Kathyp
August 28, 201014 yr How essential is NHS Direct anyways ? Google can tell us just as much if not more than someone on a helpline can tell and if someone is in severe distress they should go to casualty anyways or make an appointment to see their doctor the next day What about people who don't have internet access? Let me guess. They're probably too poor to be able to afford it so they're expendable. Is that it? Many people would much rather talk to a real person rather than rely on Google or even the NHS Direct website.
August 28, 201014 yr Nice idea but I don't think it would work. You'd just get those parents who are already rich and able to pay ... finding ways to make their income look smaller to get these 'free' places. I've seen it happen so many times. I remember a few years back I was working in a biggish company down south and we had a new Director joining us. Super new job for him (salary circa £80K - this was about 12 years ago remember), his only dilemma was moving his main home ... he still had his second 'country pile' which he used for weekends away. He was particularly beaming one day as his son had won a free scholarship to a superb independent school. He actually came in and gloated about it! Even going back to when I was at Poly ... there were people there on full grants ... people with stinking rich parents ... but they knew ways of 'declaring' or 'not declaring' income, dividends, etc. So Craig ... yes ... there are those on benefits who know all the ins-and-outs to get more ... but there are an equal amount of rich bast*rds who can pay for stuff but choose not to. If me, as a tax-payer myself is willing (well not willing ... just powerless to do anything about it) can put up with these chinless wonders ... I don't see what your problem is. Kath Everybody tries to get something for nothing in life, it's human nature but I have a higher tolerance of it when someone who is doing something productive in society does it than I do someone who is doing nothing
August 28, 201014 yr Author Everybody tries to get something for nothing in life, it's human nature but I have a higher tolerance of it when someone who is doing something productive in society does it than I do someone who is doing nothing No offence, but many people would say that what you do isn't very productive for society - a business that sells computers or whatever and then keeping the profits for yourself.
August 28, 201014 yr What about people who don't have internet access? Let me guess. They're probably too poor to be able to afford it so they're expendable. Is that it? Many people would much rather talk to a real person rather than rely on Google or even the NHS Direct website. There should be a dedicated NHS resource where those that have the net (the absolute majority of people) can get all the answers they need and a basic helpline where those without the net can get help. Surely an online resource is best for everybody ? if people like me that time were clogging up the helpline with simple questions about medication and causing 50 min waits thus very ill cases could have been inconvenienced too or people with breathing difficulties etc it makes sense for NHS Direct to be saved for emergencies or important cases and everyone else use the net if they have a PC
August 28, 201014 yr There should be a dedicated NHS resource where those that have the net (the absolute majority of people) can get all the answers they need and a basic helpline where those without the net can get help. Surely an online resource is best for everybody ? if people like me that time were clogging up the helpline with simple questions about medication and causing 50 min waits thus very ill cases could have been inconvenienced too or people with breathing difficulties etc it makes sense for NHS Direct to be saved for emergencies or important cases and everyone else use the net if they have a PC 30 million households in the UK have the internet. That leaves, what, 10+ million people without the internet?
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