It all depends on where the axe actually falls, management or front line services.. or they opt to push more contracts to private business (IMHO a big mistake).. but I'm guessing like the world over the suits will protect themselves

I think Donald Berwick must be cuckoo, after a lot of chatting with my relatives in the US, none of what seems to be proposed would give the US an NHS like system.. Perhaps they just want to convince you your going to get a better system *shrugs* who knows what fills the minds of these people.

I really hope they manage to find a way to improve things for the average American, lower medicine/treatment costs etc, but from what I've heard that is not going to happen any time soon..

Sadly this will have a major impact on jobs and most probaly at the lower level less skilled employees,

New Labour will always claim they put more money into the NHS than any previous governments and they did. However alot of this was part due to job recreation to keep the unemployment levels down having sold out our manufacturing capability, this in turn was done as part of the NWO strategy to manipulate different market sectors and you guy's in America have felt similar pain like this also,

I know of one hospital in Manchester (UK), that has several dozen board members all taking 5 & 6 figure salaries home for three & four day week etc, yet the death rates and dirty wards/conditions continue unabated with a chronic lack of care and real service,

It's the staff at the tip of the spear who are always run ragged, not given the neccessary support and it is those very people (the one's who actually care) who will suffer losses the most,

New Labour set Great Britain back 60 yrs by design and the "CON-DEM's" are here to finish what's left, how these people are allow to walk as free men having looted, lied and decieved the populace I have no idea,

Where is the Serious fraud Office, and why are they not investigating the corruption.....

hmmmm i'm not sure how to feel if i am honest

both my children were born in my local nhs hospital, the maternity ward is fantastic, which i chalk up to the sheer amount of young parents in the area lol (which i am/was one of) and they have been great with any care or operations for my children and me

having said that, the same hospitals negligence led to the death of my uncle, countless errors that have cost lives and some pretty criminal issues, my sisters friend just spent 5 days in labour there for gods sake through there incompetence

the other nearest hospital has just been declared the worst in the uk, and i know people that work there and they still defend the work they do with a blind loyalty that i find quite funny

long and short of it, i blame the staff, yes targets and funding play a part, but the low level reception/porters/cleaners/clerical etc are just awful at there jobs and are responsible for many of the issues that give the world the "Victorian" image of our health care system, if these cuts mean getting out these people then it will be a good thing

but that's not how it will play out and i think we all know that, things will just get worse and worse with limited resources being stretched to breaking point, and we will still just accept it and moan a bit but ultimately do nothing

Interesting responses so far, I guess your mileage varies no matter what particular health care system the populous falls under.

My concerns with the newly appointed Berwick here in the US is his affinity with the UK NHS, from the article it looks like decisions on treatment, are going to be put into the hands of those sitting round a table, not in the hands of the Primary care Physicians...

Am I reading this correctly?

If so, are those roundtable deciders weighing the health of the patient, or leaning more on the health of the collective bottom line?

Personally I am 120% for these cuts.

They are long overdue.

2 years ago I completed training as a General Nurse, but could not get a job as a nurse because there was no funding.

I hear now that 1500 nurse jobs are to go in Scotland, this is not to do with these new proposed cuts these are due to lack of money.

It's so bad now for nurses that Stirling University has decided to not take in any new students this year.

Instead of getting a nurse job I went to work in the NHS Scotland HQ as a manager. It was like a different planet. Money was no object. There were people sitting about all day doing zip.

I started complaining about it and had to leave a year later because my bosses did not want to hear somebody pointing out the obvious.

Its high time these back office staff were got rid of and resources put to front line.


[edit on 13-7-2010 by bigyin]

I would like to think this would improve the service at the point of delivery, and the vast majority of my experiences with the NHS at the point of delivery has been good and I have been seen and treated in a reasonal time. My company give me medical insurance so if I need anything major, I use that as it is quicker and gives me the ability to plan around the needs of the business.

All that said, I fear that the suits and managers will work their butts off to ensure that any cuts happening further down and closer to the point of delivery. If the Government want to impose cuts, they should get a committee of local people in each NHS area to agreed the cuts and this committee should have a veto if they feels the cuts are in the wrong place. This would give power to the people who receive the service. I for one would service on my local committee, but despite all the warm and fluffly words from Government, the cuts will hit the provision of services at the sharp end and the suits and managers will get their bonuses for cutting services and costs.