24 Hours in A&E: Wouldn't be Much Of a Programme at Tameside Hospital.

 My Mother has just gone into Tameside Hospital A&E For the Third time in as many weeks. 

And for the third time in as Many weeks it's been over 12 hours before she's seen a Doctor and been admitted to a ward.

If they filmed "24 Hours in A&E" at Tameside, they'd just have film of people sat around waiting.... and waiting.

Many people make much of how the NHS is available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week. But that's not true. Some parts of the NHS only work weekdays and only office hours.

For instance we all know if we are on a ward it will be at least 3pm before we get to see a Doctor to be able to be cleared to be sent home.

We all know that we'll be in A&E for at least 4 hours going through triage and the "process" before we get to see a Doctor. And if we pitch up late at night, surprise surprise a Doctor will show up around 8am when the day shift starts.

We all know that the NHS isn't a 24-hour service for certain parts of it. Senior doctors don't cover 24 Hours. Laboratory workers don't cover 24 Hours.

And this is where the NHS creates most of it's inefficiencies. If I were PM I'd be insisting that ALL parts of the NHS work 24 hours a day. I'd make sure that any delays caused by a process or a person not being available would be result in the management of the NHS trust being penalised. 

You see, it's all well and good the Doctors and Nurses having to negotiate their salary and the Government having some control, but there's a huge swath of the NHS that escape unscathed from the eye of the government. A huge proportion of staff that can work inefficiently and get away with it. 

The administrators, managers, etc. All need to be on some performance based pay. Senior managers need to lose their bonuses pro rata with certain targets. 

I'd try and make the NHS work like the private sector. For sure per person they get paid a lot more than the private sector, so the NHS should be up there efficiency and service wise.

No matter when you turn up at the NHS, there should be no reason why you shouldn't be seen by a doctor, prioritised, had bloods taken, etc. within an hour of arriving. The lab should be working 24/7 to process blood samples, the same for radiography.

Now, if we are saying that only junior doctors work in A&E and they take longer than an hour to diagnose a patient and have to wait until they get advice from a more senior doctor, then that senior doctor should be on the premises and available 24/7 and there should be no delay in getting a diagnosis and treatment. None of this waiting until 8am until the specialist swans in.

And if the BMA fights with the government against these reforms, then we'll all know it's about the money and not about treatment of patients. 

I doubt the public would have any sympathy with that stance.