National Health Service Funding – the £84 Billion Lie
The Tories are telling lies about the funding increase to the National Health Service. Philip Hammond is again playing fast and loose with the truth. Double counting, or quadruple counting in this case, is not normal practice for a government, or anyone else. The health budget for NHS England (other parts of the NHS are funded separately) is about £110 billion so an increase of £84 billion seems really impressive. But, the truth is much less impressive. Through inflation the NHS spending will rise to £135 billion by 2023/24, that is £20.5 billion and that was announced by the government before the budget. It is also where we start looking for this mistical £84 billion. Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and Damned Tory Statistics. The origin of the £84 billion “increase” in NHS funding is convoluted to say the least. Each year the money spent on health goes up by an estimated inflation figure of between 3.1% and 3.6%. Add each year’s increase together, throw in the inflation increases for the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales plus a £1.25 billion a year for National Health Service pension contributions and there you have it £84 billiuon. Or, as the less than straightforward Chancellor said on 1st October; “We’ve announced an unprecedented £84 billion real-terms funding boost for the NHS, what the NHS says it needs”. Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer Do you remember another time Philip Hammond made a rather outlandish claim? Not about National Health Service Funding this time this is the time he claimed that unemployed people are a figment of our imagination! Read about it here! Would a privatised National Health Service work? See this post for my view. Don’t just take my word for it read this from fullfact.org.
After My Stroke – The First Day of My New Life
The First Day of My New Life My stroke was on 13th June 2018. My new life started on the 14th. I did not sleep well on male stroke ward B2 in Blackburn Royal Infirmary that first night. There were a lot of thoughts going round and round in my head, of course. Then there was the noise, the groans and the ramblings. It was a small, modern, ward and there were 5 other stroke patients. The nurses did not stop attending to first one and then another patient. As I lay there it was obvious that they were in a lot worse state than I was. Perhaps Lauren was correct; perhaps I did have the “good” type of stroke. As the following morning dawned I realised a couple of things. Firstly, I still had double vision. Second, I had been incredibly lucky. Initial Stroke treatment The first treatment for a stroke as a result of a clot (an ischaemic stroke) is to give the patient a blood thinning drug. The treatment is called thrombolysis. It thins the blood and so “dissolves” the clot. It is very effective if given within 4 hours of the onset of the stroke. After thrombolysis, 10% more patients survive a stroke and live independently. Despite its benefits, there is a risk that thrombolysis can cause bleeding in the brain. This happens to about one in 25 people within seven days of thrombolysis, and this can be fatal in about one in 40 cases. The sooner someone is treated, the better their chances of improvement, and the lower the risk of harm. The risk of a bleed in the brain is the reason that I was not allowed out of bed for 24 hours of the treatment. I would be unsteady on my feet after the stroke and could easily fall over. Knocking my head would mean that there would probably be a bleed in my brain, and I would die. With that sort of reasoning I was happy to spend 24 hours in bed using a bottle. Well, not happy, but using a bottle was preferable to dying. Onwards and Upwards When I was in the A&E I had said to Carol that I would be back to work in a couple of days. At that time I had no real appreciation of just how ill I was. One thing I did know was that this bloody stroke was not going to beat me. I would get better, I would return to work, and I would put this inconvenience behind me. It sounded so easy. I must say that the early days after my stroke were some of the most life affirming of my life. Every day, every morning and afternoon seemed to be marked with an improvement, (apart from the double vision). June 14th, 1 day after the stroke The day after my stroke I had a number of issues; I had double vision. My left eye would not close. My face had dropped on the left. I could not swallow. My speech was badly affected. Super sensitivity to noise. Panic attacks. I was unsure whether my cognitive abilities had been affected. I suffered from dizziness. Apart from that I was OK. None of these symptoms are unusual for stoke victims. It could have been a lot worse. Objectively I could see that I was in a far better place than most of my neighbours, either physically or I was more positive. Double Vision and my Left Eye Not Closing The double vision was the worst thing. It meant that I could not read, or see what was going on around me clearly. The solution to that was to tape my left eye shut. I was given a gel to put in my eye to moisten it to keep it from drying out and being scratched. With the left eye shut I was able to see clearly. I could read, type messages, and recognise who was talking to me! The solution to my eye not closing did present me with another issue. Taking the tape off my eye resulted in a loss of eyelashes and eyebrows! Still, that they would grow back was reassuring. Gradually, my eye did begin the close. I can remember the first time I was able to wink at someone after my stroke and how good I felt being able to do something so simple. It took me about a month before my eye would close. My Dropped Face Even before the Occupational Health team descended on me I decided that I would need to do something about the fallen side of my face. In my mind the best thing that I could do was to rub my face to stimulate it and to remind my brain that it should be controlling that side of my face. As it happens that is one of the exercises recommended to stroke victims so I got a head start. Improvements began within a few days. Swallowing and Speech Problems Swallowing and speech impediment were connected. Half of my mouth and throat did not work. The day after my stroke I called Paul, my manager, to say that I was still alive. I also wanted to tell him that there were a couple of bananas in my desk and that he should remove them before they went off. The trouble was that I could not make the explosive “b” sound. It took hours – well, it seemed like hours – until I could make Paul understand what I was saying! All explosive sounds were impossible. The best way to improve the situation was to practice talking, so I did, I talked to anyone who would listen. The swallowing function is something that often suffers after a stroke. For me it left me unable to swallow. The best I could do was to use my tongue to shovel the food or drink to the right of my mouth and, with my head tilted, swallow.
My Stroke – I Have Had Better Wednesdays – Part 2
My Stroke, no It wasn’t a Bad Dream…. So, the story of my stroke, where was I? Oh yes, I had arrived at work after having a couple of episodes of double vision and I did not feel terribly well. I obviously did not look too good as Victoria, a colleague, said that I looked pretty dreadful. As I was having a stroke, I suppose that was fair enough, although it is not a comment that boosts one’s ego. Geoff the first aider came to check me out and immediately asked for an ambulance to be called. The paramedics arrived and I was still hanging on to the hope that they would say “go home and rest, it’s fine”. I was hoping that but I kn ew that it was a stroke. Oddly I could still hold my arms up, there was no weakness in my limbs, but the other symptoms were there. I could feel my face slipping on one side (at least I think that I could, it is hard to remember now). I also knew that my speech was becoming more and more indistinct. On the other hand my brain still felt sharp. If I had thought about it I would have expected someone having a stroke to feel their brain slipping away. The problem was making other people understand. After a few minutes the para medics loaded me onto a wheel chair (I wanted to walk to the ambulance, but they were adamant). The only time I felt fear that day was when I was taken down the stairs on the wheelchair. I was strapped in to the chair and if I had been dropped I could have done nothing to protect myself as the chair and I bounced down 2 flights of stairs. Of course, the para medics did not drop me. It did not seem odd to be worried about the wheelchair being dropped but not about having a stroke, just goes to show what tricks the brain plays on you at times of stress. The Ride to the Hospital and My Stroke Buddy. If you could plan to have a stroke my main suggestion would be to have a “stroke buddy”, someone who goes to the hospital with you and helps you make sense of what is a confusing time. I had Carol. Carol is a colleague who suggested that I should have someone go with me to the hospital and volunteered to go with me. She stayed with me in the ambulance chatting and not letting me dwell on what was happening. She also acted as a buffer between the para medics and me, helping me understand what they were saying and helping them to understand me. I am not sure that I thanked Carol on the day but she was of immense help to me. From sharing a secret look and smile when we both saw the nurse with the unusual hair colour, to laughing at my pretty weak jokes, to explaining what was being said when I was distracted she helped me stay calm. I remember thinking that I was calm and being surprised. Looking back I do think that the quiet competence of the para medics and Carol’s presence helped a lot. The paramedics were great. When I asked about having the flashing lights on because it was the only opportunity I was likely to have they said “yes” and the lights were on, for no reason other than I wanted them on. Top Guys. The ride to the hospital was a time for me to take stock. I realised that my left eye would not close and that the left side of my face was dropping more. Although I knew that I had had, or was having, a stroke I did sort of think that I would be going home that day. I was still holding out for a couple of days off work and back in the next Monday. Carol said that she did not think that it would be that simple. The A & E I had never been in A & E before. My experience of A & E was gained from television and Ealing comedies. From the cheeky, heart of gold Barbara Windsor nurse, to the dedicated doctor who has “issues” of Holby General. Judging from my limited experience the truth is that the staff in A & E are professional, a bit cheeky, but they hide any personal issues very well. There were no meaningful looks between the nurses and doctors that I could see, no sly touching or innuendos. (But then was I in any state to notice? Probably not). Carol kept me going. For some reason I felt the need to appear cheerful in front of her, no idea if I managed. I did not want to let the side down. She was being so supportive I owed it to her not to descend into self-pity. After all people get over strokes every day, right? So, with the nurses being calm and professional into my life walked Lauren. Lauren was with the Occupational Health team. She was there to tell me what was going on and ( as I found out later) to observe me, gleaning what she could of my disability before I moved to the ward so that the OT team and the Speech and Language Team had an idea of my issues. She often attends a stroke patient that comes into A & E. If not her one of her team does. It was not until later that I appreciated the importance of her being there. It was Lauren that explained to me that there are 2 basic types of stroke. One that is caused by a bleed into the brain and could need surgery and one that is caused by a blood clot in the brain. I had the latter. As Lauren said that is the good type of stroke. The term “A good type
My Stroke – I Have Had Better Wednesdays – Part 1
No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition, or A Stroke. My stroke. Wednesday 13th June 2018. A perfectly normal day. I was looking after Meg, a golden Labrador for her mum, Di, had gone on holiday with Jane. I had fed Meg, given her a walk, and then taken her to her house for the day. It was 7.45 and I had half an hour before I had to start work. Just time enough to buy food the evening meal. I was going to have Lamb with smoked aubergine and minty broad beans. I was looking forward to making a new recipe. Driving away from Tesco I suddenly had double vision which cleared after 10 minutes. Although I did not know it, my stroke had started. I drove on to work, feeling none the worse for the double vision episode. Was I worried? Not at all, I had experienced double vision before. That I put it down to one of the known side effects of Sertraline, my anti depression medication. I drove into work and parked up and the double vision started again. Again, I waited for a few minutes and when it passed I clocked into work, 8.20 5 minutes late, BUGGER! My Wednesday, it gets worse. Up the stairs and into the office. “Mornings” all round. Victoria looked up and asked me if I was OK. I said something about me having one of my dizzy and double vision episodes and that it would pass, as it had in the past. Then the double vision returned and I knew that I could not stand up without falling over, this was going to be a bad day. Victoria kept looking at me, obviously a bit concerned. By this time I was as well. I held my arms out in front of me, no weakness there, so I knew that it wasn’t a stroke and I said as much, laughing, to Victoria. However, the words did not come out properly. I stopped for a few seconds and said to Victoria, ” Is my speech slurred?” She said yes and I said I think that you had better phone the first aider. Even as I said it I knew that it was a stroke and there was nothing I could do to alter what was about to happen. Everyone Else Looks Worried Geoff, the first aider was with me within a couple of minutes and almost immediately said “call and ambulance”. He knew that it was a stroke and confirmed that when I asked. He stayed with me, asking all the right questions and keeping me calm. Although I already felt calm. There was nothing that I could do. Besides there were enough worried people in the office without me adding to the number. I wanted to stay calm so that I could tell the para medics exactly what I was feling. They needed to have the right information as quickly as possible. It actually did not occur to me that they probably could not understand what I was saying….. One of the many bad things about having a stoke is that your brain works (or you think that it does) but holding a conversation can be impossible. The upshot was that I had a list of symptoms and observations in my head but could not make anyone understand. I also thought that it was all rather unfair. I had stopped smoking (with a couple of slip ups) 10 months previously. Very unfair! At some point I realised that this was going to be a seriously bad Wednesday. For more information about strokes visit http://stroke.org.uk Be sure to check out how to recognise when someone is having a stroke and what tom do here.
Can a Privatised NHS Work?
The first NHS Hospital to be taken over by a Private Company Fails. Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire was privatised in 2012 although the process started in 2009 under the last Labour government. The agreement was that Circle would take over the hospital from the NHS and any profits above £5m would be returned to the NHS. The trouble is that that there were no profits, just losses. Admittedly, the Losses started at £10m in 2012 and fell to £1.5m in March 2013. However, the NHS is not something that can be made to comply to “the market”. People get sick at odd times, mainly during the winter. Just because more people are ill does not mean that prices go up. The laws of capitalism do not apply. As a capitalist you can cut costs, reduce wages, reduce the number of jobs etc. but that does not help when the CQC ( Care Quality Commission) are on your back and the numbers going to A&E are going through the roof. All you can do is to suck it up – or ditch the whole thing, as Circle has decided to do. As much as I hated the idea of any company running a hospital I can not but feel a bit of sympathy, not much but some, for Circle. They take on a proposition that looks like it will make a profit only to find that the Tories, their natural partners in crime (it’s an expression, not a judgement!) start cutting the funding…. On top of that the impending CQC report would have criticised the standard of health care demanding better service levels. That is so unfair. Circle says that its funding has been cut by 10%. It is unreasonable to expect any organisation faced with increased demand to be able to cope with reduced funding at this level. Unless it is the NHS, of course. Circle can hand back the keys. The NHS is just told to do more with less by this heartless and BUPA insured government. (You don’t really think that the boy Cameron uses the NHS, unless it makes a good story n the press do you? So, when can the private sector run the NHS successfully? It is quite simple, Never.
Phil’s British Heart Foundation Donation – you know it makes sense
