Monday, March 7, 2011

NHS Scotland: Patient Care! No Market Vision!

Some words from the heart!

Pulse:
07 Mar 11
The health service in Scotland remains united, sees patient care as central and rejects a market vision.

It has been said to me, and it was meant as more of an insult than as praise, that Scotland remains a basically socialist country. I take that as a compliment, as I read it as saying that we care what happens to our folk, and don’t think about money first.

……….. We need to get back to using clinically relevant measures of performance that tell us how we are doing in comparison with our peers.

This has been repeatedly shown to be one of the most potent ways of modifying GP behaviour, and we should go back to it as a way of influencing clinical practice.

Scotland has no real truck with private medicine; APMS (Alternative Provider Medical Services) is not allowed. There is no market in healthcare as health boards keep primary and secondary care working together, and we actually speak to each other. Some of my best friends are consultants.

………… that trusting us to do our job is more effective than micromanagement.


English prescription charge to go up to £7.40. (Already free in Wales and Northern Ireland.)

Scotland: Serco NOT allowed to run GP practice

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