epistatacadam

ChrisMayLA6 , 2 months ago to random

Why when the NHS is in crisis does the 'solution' seem to be increased private healthcare, but when the railways hit crisis point, it was finally the state that had to step in...

The solution to constrained funding is not to introduce more suppliers who by their very market character need to make a surplus out of any available funding....

And yes, in Wes' terms... if saying that makes me a middle-class Leftie - then so be it!

#NHS #railways #healthcare

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/08/middle-class-lefties-wont-stop-labour-using-private-sector-to-cut-nhs-backlog-wes-streeting-says

epistatacadam , 2 months ago

@ChrisMayLA6 when will politicians finally realise that a) the staff working in private providers were trained by the NHS and can only do more for private providers if they reduce their NHS work
& b) the policy of reducing beds since 1990, has steadily increased the chance of overload and hence long waits.
c) Speeding up discharge will make next to no difference as the main bottleneck is getting most patients in not getting them out.

Sherifazuhur , 2 months ago to palestine group

No aid arrives in northern #Gaza since deadly Israeli strike @israel @palestine

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68729082

epistatacadam , 2 months ago

@MickG59 @Sherifazuhur @israel @palestine one of his ministers said it out loud didn't he..

ChrisMayLA6 , 3 months ago to random

Wes Streeting's position, it seems (as told to the FT) wants the NHS to utilise private healthcare while it straightens itself out, so that in the long run it won't have to...

I mean its cute that he thinks that's possible; 'my ambition... to make the NHS so good that no one feels forced to go private'!

However, misunderstands how the private sector cherry picks medical treatments to ensure that the NHS never gets the easy to do stuff; so never 'gets better' just challenged

#NHS #healthcare

epistatacadam , 3 months ago

@RolloTreadway @ChrisMayLA6 I'm reminded again of a study circa 1990, that showed if a hospital got overwhelmed for one day, it took three months to return to normal service. Hence the winter pressures, but after 14 years of overwhelmed service, my guess is it will take at least as long to put it right. But like all things, the changes will not be Linear the effects will be sigmoid with an exponential rise, followed by an inflexion point with an assymtotic approach to the target response.

epistatacadam , 3 months ago

@RolloTreadway @ChrisMayLA6 edited after I tracked down the original paper. (In the BMJ) Basically it showed if you cut beds, waiting lists inevitably rose as LoS (length of stay) for emergency admissions is inevitably longer than planned admissions. To avoid this effect you need to keep bed occupancy below 85%. Perhaps, having 20% empty beds might also reduce hospital linked infections too!

GottaLaff , 3 months ago to random

Thom Hartmann shared this on his show today. Thread 🧵via Marty Taylor, Executive Director NewBlueUSA. President niteflyermedia. Pilot. Musician. Political and media consultant. 1/...

A personal story about Donald Trump, Marla Maples. The “Carpet King” Bob Shaw, Adolph Hitler and my wife Martha.

epistatacadam , 3 months ago

@GottaLaff regrettably the Nazis had a large following in the USA throughout WW2. People forget that after Pearl Harbour, Germany declared war on the USA, not the other way round. The USA was forced into the European war, it did not choose to fight the Nazis and Fascists.

jeffowski , 3 months ago to random

#NoBillionaires

epistatacadam , 3 months ago

@jeffowski perhaps rent should be tax deductable, but mortgage interest not, (UK). It might reduce house prices and help renters save for a deposit.....

luckytran , 4 months ago to random

There are many people who can't afford to take days off work even when they are ill. The CDC should be recommending that employers give workers paid sick leave, not making it easier for bosses to exploit workers by saying it's fine to work when you are sick.

epistatacadam , 4 months ago

@luckytran and there was simple minded me thinking that taking time off sick contributed to population health and productivity, by slowing transmission of infectious diseases, and speeding my personal recovery to maximum productivity and health as quickly as possible. Funny all that I was taught in med school to tell patients was wrong, glad CDC has cleared that up so quickly. Or is mixing whilst infectious still not a good idea? As CDC guidance still says that too!

auschwitzmuseum , 4 months ago to random

5 February 1934 | German Sinti girl, Johanna Weiß, was born in Kefferhausen.

In the Zigeunerlager (Gypsy camp) in Auschwitz II-Birkenau from 27 March 1943.
No. Z-5840
She perished in the camp on 7 July 1943.

#Auschwitz #Birkenau #ww2 #Nazis #Germany #NeverForget #education #history #Roma #Sinti #NoPhoto

epistatacadam , 4 months ago

@auschwitzmuseum may she rest in the peace denied her inheritance life.

ChrisMayLA6 , 5 months ago to random

Nesrine Malik on the Q of whether we live in an 'essentially conservative' country:

'The only perennial truth about England is that it is an unequal country & the Conservative party has leveraged that inequality to its benefit: the English ruling class it represents has constructed its own majority'!

But if Labour just accepts this 'myth' we will see little change; now is the time, she argues (rightly in my view) to empower our progressive instincts, not dismiss them.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/22/england-conservative-politics-tories-labour

epistatacadam , 5 months ago

@ChrisMayLA6 @RolloTreadway how long is some time? I'm unconvinced by the view that because something failed we shouldn't try again.
The spider and the Bruce and all that....☺️

epistatacadam , 5 months ago

@RolloTreadway @ChrisMayLA6 I like the idea of a constitutional convention, though I worry about who selects those on/in it.
I must admit the concept of a weighted representation appeals to me, i.e. the votes cast by an elected member is weighted according to the number of votes they obtain.
Not sure how we deal with uncontested elections as is common in LAs. I also think we should have the same system for all elections. The various systems and electorates we currently have is silly.

epistatacadam , 5 months ago

@RolloTreadway @ChrisMayLA6 just looked up the composition of Ireland's convention. I like the sordition element, not sure I want party reps from any source. My experience of environmental recovery community panels gives me great faith in the common man and woman. So such a panel under a good chair, with suitable civil service support, would be ideal.

18+ RolloTreadway , 5 months ago to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

epistatacadam , 5 months ago

@RolloTreadway excellent idea try to get close to some of the scented flowers at this time of year. The smell of a good winter hazel always takes me to a sunny day in my youth in a botanical garden. Winter sweet similarly. Winter scents are often overlooked in garden design, IMHO.