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We do not know how the questionnaire for the public has been compiled
or who its authors are. It is to be issued to the public in leaflet form
at the end of May and comments are wanted in June with a new NHS blueprint
to be announced in July (Independent May 10, BMJ April 19) The Patient's
Association, the NHS Consultant's Association and the NHS Support
Federation open to all Medical staff and patients are three groups much
concerned for the Future of the NHS who have not been included in the
consultation.
Oxfordshire suspects a quick fix from the DOHs reluctance to support
the continued existence of Cottage/Community hospitals. Reallocation to
Oxford's major acute hospitals of finance and nursing staff is the
suspected reason. But using joined up thinking for joined up problems it
is precisely these community hospitals that free up the acute beds blocked
by the elderly in the big Oxford Hospitals. This is just one problem
unlikely to be resolved in a 6 week public consultation after thousands of
protest signatures on a petition have been ignored by the Minister.
Another huge problem is the very poor quality of some nursing
complained of by patients and the wish for a return of the SEN Nurse who
offered continuous care and concern but did not have hi-tech skills (see
"Some NHS care is unacceptable" BMJ Vol 317, 21 November 1998; and
"Doctors have become more caring than nurses" BMJ Volume 320, 15 April
2000).
Is Mr. Milburn's public consultation only a gesture?
We do not know how the questionnaire for the public has been compiled
or who its authors are. It is to be issued to the public in leaflet form
at the end of May and comments are wanted in June with a new NHS blueprint
to be announced in July (Independent May 10, BMJ April 19) The Patient's
Association, the NHS Consultant's Association and the NHS Support
Federation open to all Medical staff and patients are three groups much
concerned for the Future of the NHS who have not been included in the
consultation.
Oxfordshire suspects a quick fix from the DOHs reluctance to support
the continued existence of Cottage/Community hospitals. Reallocation to
Oxford's major acute hospitals of finance and nursing staff is the
suspected reason. But using joined up thinking for joined up problems it
is precisely these community hospitals that free up the acute beds blocked
by the elderly in the big Oxford Hospitals. This is just one problem
unlikely to be resolved in a 6 week public consultation after thousands of
protest signatures on a petition have been ignored by the Minister.
Another huge problem is the very poor quality of some nursing
complained of by patients and the wish for a return of the SEN Nurse who
offered continuous care and concern but did not have hi-tech skills (see
"Some NHS care is unacceptable" BMJ Vol 317, 21 November 1998; and
"Doctors have become more caring than nurses" BMJ Volume 320, 15 April
2000).
Dr. M.I. Heatley
MRC Psych.
Competing interests: No competing interests