Thoughts on the NHS
نویسنده
چکیده
DO REDUCTIONS IN CLINICAL SERVICE SAVE MONEY? It is common practice for management when faced with financial overspends to combat this by reducing services and closing wards or departments. But does this really save any money? It is a paradox of the present National Health Service that hard working units fall into an efficiency trap. The more work that is done, the more patients who are seen and treated, the more consumables are used and more money is spent. Any reduction in this practice means the waiting list will increase, which is contrary to the fundamental beliefs, or so we are told, of the Department of Health. Faced with the fact that 75% of any budget is pay, add to that the overheads of the premises and their maintenance, there is but a small fraction of the budget left to represent the cost of treating patients. Thus to make any significant saving in the overall budget, one has to make draconian cuts in the service. Indeed, because the absolute costs
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