Lord Darzi - NHS next stage review

[Lazy Nite]

Do ppl think having too much ‘CHOICE’ is a good thing?

They say patients have the choice to choose whichever hospital/service they want.
What happens if they choose all the big famous teaching hospitals? Wouldn’t this affect their local hospitals?

Some of the older patients are having problems using the online booking system and prefer to just choose their local hospital/service.

Our NHS, our future Homepage

[Sir_Dispensalot]

i think too much choice might well be a bad thing - too much freedom can create inequalities in the health service maybe even leading to denial of quality local services for a patient - eg the local hospital has a wonderful record so is full of out of town patients leaving the poor local to have to go to the next town's crappy hospital or go on a massive waiting list.

Another example (already sadly happening) is a local birth unit with an excellent record being closed down due to the creation of a 'centre of excellence' in another town. This so-called centre of excellence is then frequently closed to new admissions due to being full, leading to more mums being advised to call the midwife and have a last-minute home birth instead...
Just wonderful if mum or baby get into any difficulties....

[Lazy Nite]

Thanks for replying my post Sir Dispensalot……here’s a huggie 4 u!!

[Sir_Dispensalot]

i think when people see the words 'Lord' and 'Darzi' in one sentence they run for the hills....

[Lazy Nite]

It was a ‘HOT’ topic and I thort ppl wud be passionate bout it!

But anyways…..U replied me….I’m a happy bunny…..

[DavidS]

It was a ‘HOT’ topic and I thort ppl wud be passionate bout it!

This is how most pharmacists do passion. Still, Solomonq and ub2awooly, amongst others, are making up for the rest.

I think that "choice" is about "spin" really. I don't see, as Sir Dispensalot says, much choice around which hospitals stay open, or much choice around Darzi's polyclinics (or whatever they are to be called to get around the BMA), or much choice around NHS dentists.

It reminds me of a joke: A man was saying how in his marriage he makes all the important decisions. His wife decides what they will eat, where they will live, how many children they will have, where they go on holiday, whereas he decides what the balance of payments ought to be, what the government should do next, whether relations with Russia should be improved.

[Tony Schofield]

Patients need choice. It is awful having no choice.

When Kenneth Clarke was health secretary and introduced fund holding practices those practices exercised choice and very quickly there was a storm about a two tier health service. The better off were patients of fund holding practices. The worse off were those whose GPs who had no choice.

Providers need to know that purchasers of services have choice or they become complacent.

Commissioners of services need choice so that they can be held accountable for the services they obtain on behalf of patients.

Does an 80 year old person need to have their varicose veins operation held up until they have chosen which provider they wish to do the procedure?

Choice has become a stick to beat people with. Patients need to know that they do have choice if they wish. Most patients however would be happy to delegate that choice to the professional who is advising them as they themselves frequently feel uncomfortable about making an informed choice.