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NHS could charge £75/night for a hospital bed

I saw this yesterday:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nhs-funding-crisis-hospitals-may-have-to-charge-patients-for-stays-9778502.html

Quote from article

The Independent

The NHS may have to start charging patients for the “hotel costs” of their hospital stay if the health service’s looming financial crisis is not addressed, senior health service managers have warned.

And just wondering what are your views on it???

Reply 1

username1214455

21

Fundamentally wrong

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Reply 2

ceb_96x

4

Original post by Obiejess

Fundamentally wrong

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Yeah it is wrong, but what else are they supposed to do?

Reply 3

username1214455

21

Original post by ceb_96x

Yeah it is wrong, but what else are they supposed to do?

I can think of a lot things.
Like not privatising it.
Or actually investing in it.
Maybe charging for tourists.

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Reply 4

SlenderMan1992

This is a brilliant idea as it'll stop all those oldies hogging up beds.

In fact just charge all those aged over 60 £75 a night.

Reply 5

ceb_96x

4

Original post by Obiejess

I can think of a lot things.
Like not privatising it.
Or actually investing in it.
Maybe charging for tourists.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Oh yes charging for tourists is a really good idea actually !! Frustrating how we don't do it here to say the least !!! :angry:

I think the government have invested in it, but there's too many people living a lot longer, more people in country (immigration etc) and like you said, tourists

Reply 6

Chief Wiggum

20

From reading it, it sounds like complete speculation. I don't think that would happen any time soon.

Reply 7

moonkatt

19

That's a bargain if they're on intensive care.

But no. Goes against what the NHS is about.

Reply 8

Bill_Gates

21

I could just not pay £75 in tax.

Reply 9

The_Internet

OP

20

Original post by moonkatt

That's a bargain if they're on intensive care.

But no. Goes against what the NHS is about.

Agreed. In a way I sorta dont blame the NHS, because theyre talking about a lack of funding more than any thing else. It'd be a massive shame for the UK to start charging like this, when we were the first country in Europe to even have a socialised health care, and we're doing a hell of a lot better than most other Western economies as well

And say you're considered to be able to "afford a bed" What if you think that being bed ridden for two weeks is too much money? You can't afford that, on your wage (Though the gov't thinks you can) and then you decide NOT to go to hospital, and the gov't either has to pay more because your situation has deteriorated, or in an extreme scenario, you die because you can't afford the bed, because you're bed ridden for that long???

Reply 10

moonkatt

19

Original post by de_monies

Agreed. In a way I sorta dont blame the NHS, because theyre talking about a lack of funding more than any thing else. It'd be a massive shame for the UK to start charging like this, when we were the first country in Europe to even have a socialised health care, and we're doing a hell of a lot better than most other Western economies as well

And say you're considered to be able to "afford a bed" What if you think that being bed ridden for two weeks is too much money? You can't afford that, on your wage (Though the gov't thinks you can) and then you decide NOT to go to hospital, and the gov't either has to pay more because your situation has deteriorated, or in an extreme scenario, you die because you can't afford the bed, because you're bed ridden for that long???

I don't like the idea that it's "bed and board". Bedrest and appropriate nutrition are as important as any treatment or surgery someone needs to get better. A massive number of older patients are admitted into hospital malnourished, if they can't afford to feed themselves properly at home how will they pay the NHS to feed them?

We have beds taken up in hospitals across the country by people who are medically fit to be discharged, but aren't fit enough to go home and need either intermediate care, nursing or care homes, or some sort of social care input. The money for this comes from local councils who've had their budgets slashed. We can't just turf them out of hospital and expect them to cope, they'd end up back in hospital and unwell in not time at all. I think we need to look at how care like this is funded and where the money could come from, this could involve some very unpopular decisions but it would help massively in taking a lot of the pressure off hospitals.

Reply 11

The_Internet

OP

20

Original post by moonkatt

I don't like the idea that it's "bed and board". Bedrest and appropriate nutrition are as important as any treatment or surgery someone needs to get better. A massive number of older patients are admitted into hospital malnourished, if they can't afford to feed themselves properly at home how will they pay the NHS to feed them?

We have beds taken up in hospitals across the country by people who are medically fit to be discharged, but aren't fit enough to go home and need either intermediate care, nursing or care homes, or some sort of social care input. The money for this comes from local councils who've had their budgets slashed. We can't just turf them out of hospital and expect them to cope, they'd end up back in hospital and unwell in not time at all. I think we need to look at how care like this is funded and where the money could come from, this could involve some very unpopular decisions but it would help massively in taking a lot of the pressure off hospitals.

I think ultimately, senior managers at any organisation often don't know exactly what's going on, on the front line as it were, what is happening inside the company (or in this case in hospitals) and what their decisions are making an impact on, because they will only ever see the high level detail, and not what's going on "on the front line"

And I guess again, if you do just "throw them out" they'd probably end up costing more.. Sure it looks good on the figures, but as a whole, we're worse off, both in terms of the health of the nation and the wealth of the nation imo..

Reply 12

Skip_Snip

3

It would be better to trim the layers of "middle management", which ae ultimately pointless when it comes to providing healthcare.

Reply 13

Commercial Paper

21

What frustrates me on the NHS is the way we pay a horrendous amount in tax (52% Inc national insurance on 40k+) and then we still have to pay for prescriptions anyway and now probably this - just go one way or the other for goodness sake. For certain things, I just go private now if it's not too costly - **** waiting 12 weeks when I can get next day.

The NHS is a black hole, we could all be taxed 100% and charged for it and it would still be financially crippled. It needs to be managed efficiently on an 'constant debt-free' basis. That way, it never gets into a mess.

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(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 14

Kittiara

16

I think this is like when there were rumours about charging people for GP appointments. It was meant to solve the problem of patients making appointments and then not showing up. It is annoying when that happens, but charges will just put people off going to the doctor's, or the hospital. Whilst there are some who book an appointment every time they stub their toe, others with bigger health problems are already reluctant to get checked out. They need to be encouraged rather than discouraged, before a perhaps easily treatable condition gets out of hand. Thankfully, in the end, the idea of GP charges was voted down, but the media attention did raise awareness.

Charging for "hotel costs" wouldn't work, either (and it doesn't look like it will be implemented). I think it's just a scare-tactic by the NHS to highlight the financial problems it's facing. Even if means-tested, it would put some people off having surgery - just because a person earns a reasonable wage, it doesn't mean they can afford £75 a night. Not if staying for longer than a night or two, as it soon adds up.

Plus, if there were charges for bed and food, you just know you'd get patients who would demand better food than the usual hospital fare. They're paying for it, after all. That would turn into a great, big mess.

Reply 15

yo radical one

6

The NHS needs to cut back on care for the elderly specifically; I don't mean this in a horrible way, I get the sense that so much money is wasted on carers who go the houses of the very old to make sure they are eating, getting dressed, moving around and to provide human contact for them, but this will never happen because turning on the grey generation is political suicide. The NHS should be about caring for people who are ill and in fact, it's pretty sad that people in this country are unwilling to look after elderly relatives and see it as the job of the state to step in here.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 16

nimrodstower

2

Maybe they should just treat people at home, bring the Hospital out into the community, install a "machine that goes ping" into every living room.

Reply 17

The_Internet

OP

20

Original post by Bill_Gates

I could just not pay £75 in tax.

I dont think it'd quite work like that unfortunately :frown:

Reply 18

Bill_Gates

21

Original post by de_monies

I dont think it'd quite work like that unfortunately :frown:

It's a joke to be honest. Either we should just move to the left or become more capitalist like the states.

We cant have both worlds, even now this is all aligned to a few corporate elites who benefit largely from privatisation, benefits etc.

Reply 19

username1214455

21

Original post by Bill_Gates

It's a joke to be honest. Either we should just move to the left or become more capitalist like the states.

We cant have both worlds, even now this is all aligned to a few corporate elites who benefit largely from privatisation, benefits etc.

We need to decide tbh. I just hope we go left, not full blown capitalism.

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NHS could charge £75/night for a hospital bed

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