Since the £20 billion NHS cuts came into effect in 2009, it’s hardly surprising that the NHS has become a shadow of its former self. Considering the fact that 65% of the NHS budget is spent on staffing our hospitals and medical centres, no-one will be shocked to hear that the amount of nurses-per-patients has taken a turn for the worse.
And we’re sure you’re thinking what we’re thinking: that affects patient care negatively.
The Safe Staffing Alliance has set out firm guidelines that no ward should employ less than one nurse for every eight patients. It turns out that NHS hospitals only manage to hit that meagre target 40% of the time. Consequently, members of staff are spread out too thin and patients often suffer neglect, due to lack of nurses.
Since the election, the NHS has lost more than 5,000 nurses. Meanwhile, emergency admissions have risen by 35%. The number of patients waiting for diagnostic tests has increased by 88%. And the bad news just keeps on coming.
Slow Privatisation
A Lib Dem figure recently suggested that people should pay to see their GPs, in a bid to get patients to appreciate their service.
The London ambulance service has a shortfall of vehicles, and so increasingly needs to use 10 times the amount of private ambulances it used previously. This costs the NHS £4m a year. More than one-quarter of services are run by VirginCare – slowly, our national treasure (because the NHS is an institution that we should be proud of) is being privatised, at the expense of patient care.
Lack of Funding
By 2020, it’s predicted that there will be a £30bn hole in the NHS budget. The NHS England’s information director has expressed concerns that our health service will completely run out of cash very soon.
NHS England plan to draw up a document, making a case for significant change in the way the NHS is funded.
It’s no coincidence that the sudden lack of staff has led to higher claims of medical negligence. Since 2008, the amount of claims has risen by as much as 80%. Soon, the NHS will be receiving bills of £19bn; that’s one-fifth of the NHS’ budget. Between 2011 and 2012, five law firms alone received a total of £35m from pursuing legal action against the NHS.
You shouldn’t have to pay for the mistakes of overstrained doctors. Try writing to your local MP about your NHS funding concerns and pursue the compensation that you deserve. You should be able to rely on your medical institution for high quality care. When your health is on the line, it’s important to take this seriously.
With a shortage of staff, medical negligence is likely to occur. If you’ve been a victim of this, don’t be afraid to act. Although the problem is largely caused by a lack of funding, it’s important to contact a reputable law firm, such as http://www.vincentssolicitors.co.uk/. They are based in Preston and available throughout the UK, similar to other firms. The first criteria should always be quality of service instead of distance to travel.
