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Preventing hospital admission: we need evidence based policy rather than “policy based evidence”

BMJ 2014; 349 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g5538 (Published 23 September 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g5538

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What a ray of light this article was. I just hope it is read and digested by policy makers. This week's BMJ has articles by each political party and responses by many re 'reducing admissions' and our ccg like many is planning on this nebulous ideal as the only way it will meet its budget.

May I suggest we stop this patently unachieveable game? Yes we need care in the comunity, more GPs more a/e drs, more scanners, more cancer speciaists, more district nurses, etc, for which there is no politically supplied funding. However, as the population gets older and demands better quicker care hospital trips will increase even though they may be shorter and more intense. We should plan for and budget for this.

Other industries welcome increased demand and activity. It is the funding structure that distorts things in health care and the political lack of will to state the obvious - health care is rationed, has always been so and will continue to be. We all know this but for some reason continue with these illusionary policies of salvation.

Competing interests: No competing interests

29 September 2014
nicholas sharvill
GP
Balmoral Deal