Simon Minas-Bound’s Post

Is the British Government Eroding Primary Care on Purpose? The Doctors’ Association UK has sent a new book written by its past co-chair, Dr Ellen Welch, to every Member of Parliament and to the chairs of NHS integrated care boards. The aim: putting general practice at the top of every manifesto in this 2024 election year. The book, Why Can't I See My GP – The past, present and future of general practice, published on 8 February, does not mince words. It outlines the current problems in general practice, how it has reached this point, and what needs to be done about it. #primarycare #healthpolicy #healthcare #familymedicine #communitycare #integratedcare https://lnkd.in/eyaG7yj7

🏥📡 We are pleased to share the recently opened Tweed Valley Hospital is equipped with Public Safety Network coverage through In-Building Coverage (IBC). This ensures first responders have access to uninterrupted emergency radio communications once inside the major hospital’s emergency department. Reliable network coverage is paramount when a paramedic, for example, is in a building or tunnel attending a call out and needs to transmit critical information about the patient or their location. The IBC integration at Tweed Valley Hospital ensures our emergency services and more than 60 essential services stay connected while helping northern NSW communities remain safe. The IBC fit out is part of the $723.3m state-of-the-art hospital development, the largest capital health investment in the NSW North Coast region in the state’s history. NSW Health #NSWTelcoAuthority #NSWGovernment #NSWHealth #TweedValleyHospital #TweedValley #NSWNorthCoast #Infrastructure #InBuildingCoverage #PublicSafetyNetwork #EmergencyServices #PublicSafety #Connectivity

Is the British Government Eroding Primary Care on Purpose? What is becoming increasingly apparent is that this situation is by design. The government are repeatedly disinvesting in NHS general practice, and as the service gets ever worse, they are spinning a narrative that erodes patients’ trust in GPs and attributes the problems to the very staff trying to keep the service afloat. "Dr Welch: Things are dire. The facts and figures show that staff are working hard to keep services afloat. GPs carry out 1.4 million appointments a day. We're delivering 20% more than we did pre-pandemic in 2019, and that's more of everything: face to face, same day appointments, home visits, telephone consults... Despite that, we have less funding and fewer staff. Since 2015, we've lost around 2000 GPs and over 1000 GP practices have closed. Primary care really does hold the rest of the NHS together and we are seeing problems throughout the rest of the system: lengthy waits for ambulances, seven million people on waiting lists, corridor care, and people waiting longer for emergency care in our emergency departments. https://lnkd.in/eqfBgDgj?

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor responds to the new research by the Liberal Democrats on NHS hospital buildings: “With no further capital funding announced in the spring budget above what was already announced in the autumn statement, we fear that the deterioration of the NHS estate will continue. For the NHS to make the productivity and efficiency improvements needed to tackle the waiting list backlogs and recover performance, as well as ensuring that buildings are kept safe for staff and patients, it needs the right investment. This includes longer funding settlements so leaders can plan for the future, and a step away from short term thinking. This is why we are calling for an extra £6.4 billion a year in capital funding to start to address the repairs backlog and realise some of the innovative transformation projects which will directly improve care for patients.” Read the full response 👇👇👇 https://lnkd.in/eM7JjjF2

#TROLLYMEDICINE in Irish Acute hospitals. Despite the efforts of #Hospital management and Clinucal staff 500 patients assessed as needing immediate care, are waiting on a #trolley in an ED or a #corridor today.. Outside of the Acute hospital thousands of people wait to see a GP, wait for Respite care, wait for Home Support, wait for a place in a School, wait to be assessed to determine a diagnosis to inform them of the interventions they need to try and live a life.. Report after Report lays bare the unacceptable lack of standards in the treatment and care that is provided. Children, young Adults and Adults have NO ONE TO TURN TO. €34 billion will be spent this year on Health and Education services, and still this mess persists, year after year. The structural change in the HSE will NOT deliver improvement. The reason is there are no behavioural change in the way services are designed for or delivered. Operating theatre lying idle. Out Patients are closed after 4pm Monday to Friday and at weekends. Community Services close at 4pm Monday to Friday and over weekends. Non day service do not start before 10am? No ratified waiting list exists for people on a waiting list for Community support/services. The waiting list for acute care is Consultant by Consultant and prone to frequent alterations. You can not find out where you are on the waiting list for OPD or planned intervention. Yet Regional Health Forum meetings take place. A quick read of their minutes on websites tells you they are not up to date and but a mechanism to give Politicans tax free expenses and to allow them restate what some lobby group has asked. NGO,s are silent. Afraid to speak out for fear of reduction or termination of their funding from Government. This is Ireland one of the richest Countries in the EU. As Easter approaches and the birth of our Republic is celebrated, surely this is NOT what was invisaged to be for the people in Ireland. Time for Authentic Leadership.

The health and care system in England must be radically reconfigured to put primary and community care at its core if it’s to be effective and sustainable, according to a new report, which calls for investment in primary and community care buildings and equipment, among several recommendations. https://lnkd.in/ecdFnmMs

This afternoon Ramsay Health Care Australia (RHCA) had the opportunity to showcase North Shore Private Hospital to Mr Tim James MP, Shadow Minister for Work, Health and Safety and Building, and Member for Willoughby. The key foundations of the Australian healthcare system were discussed, including the hybrid model of public and private hospitals. The significant contribution of private hospitals was also recognised, delivering 60 per cent of elective surgey and 40 per cent of hospitalisations. Private hospitals truly complement and support public hospitals. This is shown through the great collaboration between North Shore Private Hospital and Royal North Shore Public Hospital. More of this collaboration needs to be done across Australia. Everyone must also recognise the support private hospitals provided during COVID-19. This cannot be forgotten. Our private healthcare workforce were there, supporting their public healthcare workforce colleagues. It demonstrated the Australian healthcare system can be viewed as one health system. So, it is more important now than ever for private hospitals to have a seat at the table to discuss all things public policy, including reform, digital health, workforce and cybersecurity. Thank you to Richard Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, Castlecrag, Hunters Hill and North Shore Private Hospital, for providing the very insightful tour today and for your leadership across the three facilities. No one knows the area better than Richard, being a long time local. And, thank you to Lloyd Hill, State Operations Manager - NSW, for continuing to lead our amazing team across NSW. RHCA employs more than 1,500 staff, provides care to over 50,000 admissions, and contributes more than $100 million to the local economy each year across our three facilities in the electorate of Willoughby. #ramsayhealthcare #peoplecaringforpeople #healthcare #healthpolicy #publicpolicy #privatehealthcare #governmentrelations

Learn how the Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative have partnered to establish a shared MEDITECH EPR to improve interoperability, safety, and care delivery. MEDITECH UK and Ireland Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust #Interoperability

Every time I go to the hospital (this time I’ve been here all night with a broken rib), I get reminded of how much everywhere needs some serious perspective on the state of our healthcare system: It's time we take a hard look, Ottawa. Our hospitals are overwhelmed—there simply aren't enough rooms, beds, or medical staff to accommodate the growing number of patients. This crisis leads to paramedics being stuck on "offload delay" for hours, sometimes even days, unable to reach critically injured individuals in time because they can't leave their patients unattended in the ambulance bay. I once spoke with a paramedic who spent 12 hours in an ambulance bay with a patient, went home for a brief rest, and then returned to find the same patient still waiting. This isn't an isolated incident—it's a reflection of a system in dire need of reform. In a field where every second counts, the lack of resources is costing lives. Instead of focusing on luxury condos and shopping malls, we should be investing in hospitals, specialized care centers, and medical facilities that can actually save lives. Our climate poses unique challenges that exacerbate health issues, yet our response is woefully inadequate. Moreover, while affordable housing is essential, it's not a standalone solution for homelessness. People need comprehensive medical care—both physical and mental—to be in a position where they can work and sustain themselves. Simply providing a roof over their heads doesn't address the root issues. We must prioritize funding for medical resources to help people get back on their feet and contribute to society. It's time for Ottawa to wake up and invest in what truly matters—healthcare. Let's channel our resources into building a city that can support its people, especially the most vulnerable among us. #ottawahealthcare #ottawamedicalsystem #ottawahospitals #levelzero

Dr Becks Fisher of the Nuffield Trust makes the pertinent point that even if you implemented the reforms outlined in the report below, it wouldn't make much of a dent until you address the crisis in social care and public health. Investment into safe, affordable and sustainable housing is a key mechanism in terms of improving health outcomes. It's not just about the bricks and mortar. Homes, and decent affordable/social homes at that, are an invest to save proposition. Our own work at CIH Cymru, as part of the #backthebill campaign in Wales with Shelter Cymru and Tai Pawb to incorporat the right to adequate housing into Welsh law, showed that a decent and accessible home for everyone in Wales would save the public purse £11.5bn against an investment of £5bn. We need to be radical and look beyond the political cycle if we are to solve the twin crises in our NHS and housing system....we can't solve one without solving the other! We need to make housing a foundation mission of government, through a rights-based approach, as a means to improve public health and therefore drastically reduce demand on the NHS.