I am not sure who your message is directed to, or even if you are plainly criticising NHS staff, or trying to do them a favour. Things are sometimes lost in writing I suppose. However, I did feel I ought to respond. As you might imagine, the NHS staff feel slightly tetchy at the constant criticisms to a service we give both our private, and professional lives to. Often, in their entirety. It does cost the hospitals around 1000 quid if you breech 4 hours, then about 6 grand for 6 hours, then something insane like 32 grand for 12 hours (as it goes on I am not sure of the numbers so don't quote me on them). I can tell you, as an NHS doctor (who has worked in Tommie's A&E - the kid's part admittedly) that it doesn't help ME to fiddle these figures. Going to work is already like going into a war zone everyday (although I am currently at another hospital in my rotations). It does us no favours to cover up the figures. In fact I ENCOURAGE you to go to your PALS at the hospital (Patient liaison service) and complain away. That way, they have to look into it and look at what happened. I can tell you that your NHS staff are going under, so drawing attention to how much the NHS isn't coping with the demand will only aid us. For your information, what would normally happen when a patient goes home, is the nurse in charge would ask someone when they left and what happened, and then document the information. I suppose what I find hard about reading your comments are the insinuation that the nurse in charge is in on a cover up. It doesn't represent the nurses that I work with. As I say though, I work in the kids bit, not the adults bit. In terms of the welcome packs - yes this might be a waste of money - but for every person that says, 'thanks I have my own' there are some that demand anything. I recall one man demanding a doctor to speak to him cos he had had to buy his wife a potato from the canteen as she hasn't liked the lunch, and he wanted his money back. She had just given birth to his child, and he clearly didn't think this meant she deserved the cost of a potato for him. Some people will wait hours for a paracetamol prescription (not poverty stricken, but know their entitlements). We are talking 26pence or something to purchase some privately. And many don't expect to come to hospital. We could make cuts there, I agree, but how to judge it. I think the final comment was about dyson fans - no idea who bought these or where they are from, but I can tell you that there are lots of initiatives. Infact - we just gave a load of dyson fans to another part of another hospital - by money raised in spare time by the NHS staff and given to the NHS. Many thanks all - I am not trying to be provocative but I just wanted to give a different side to what was offered. I agree - the NHS is in an absolute mess, but the staff have shouted long enough. We are heading to an insurance based system, and it is in the interest of the destructors to make it look like it doesn't work. It does work, it did work, and it can work. It is chronically underfunded and the staff are broken. If you work with us, we can pull it back. Many thanks,
