NHS needs reform

We hear a lot about the NHS how they need more money and are overworked. Well let me give two examples how well the NHS is organised.

A friend of mine elderly brother is suffering from Parkinson's and is on many drugs, he recently had a heart attack. So on his return to his house his younger brother accompanied him home, where the elder panicked about his drugs. So Younger brother looked in the cupboards and was shocked to find 30 Boxes of Injection Pens which were a form of Morphine which the doctor had cancelled on his prescription, so 5 to box that 150 pens, they were taken to a chemist and could not be used, so were destroyed. He was told each pen cost £120 that is 30 box of 5 pens so 150 pens total cost £18,000 also there 140 box filled with laxatives which were also taken of his prescription. Now you may say the Patient should have informed  but here was a very ill man suffering with Parkinson’s in his 70’s. The question comes down to NHS organisation why did not either the chemist or doctor not check the prescription this mistake cost us over £20,000. I expect this is only the tip of the NHS Iceberg.

Now my own case in September I was told I had to have a knee replacement, I asked when this would happen I was told within 18 weeks. In October I was informed my surgeon would be on a 18 month sabbatical and I would have another Surgeon. So in December I started to make enquires when I was going to have my opp as I had arranged the year around the January date only to be told that the surgeon was not arriving to January 18th  and there was 80 people before me and because of the so called winter crisis operations had been cancelled. So in reality I most probably would have to wait another 6 months. Getting hold of anyone in the Orthoediac department was near impossable all you got was a answerphone, after asking speak to a senior manager I eventually got a letter which had no signature and no name. So I am nearly 65 I was not going to put up with wait which would ruin my whole year, as it is recommended you do not fly for 3 months after the operation so gone were my holiday, trips to European and World Championships. So I have gone down the private way and it will cost me £13,000 of my hard earned savings, something I really object to as I have paid my Income Tax and National Insurance since I was 16.

The NHS must have known when I had my consultation in September that the surgeon was leaving and are we to believe that there were no other surgeons to do the operation? Staff in the NHS are paid a reasonable wage so why can’t they organise better if this was a private company they would be out of business