In article <003a01c15d75$9f784260$3e1699c2@wghlaptop>, Dr Matthew Cooke
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>You may be interested to read the Dept of Health report, Reforming Emergency
>Care, which is launched today and is now available via
>www.doh.gov.uk/capacityplanning
>
Hi Matthew

Glad to see there is little changing in the govt view

2 clips

1
<For emergency services, staff should not be expected to handle
emergency care at the same time as having to do other work. Primary care
and hospital staff should be able to respond to patients' emergency
needs without having to wait until they are free of routine work such as
morning surgeries in general practice or outpatient or operating theatre
sessions in hospitals. ******The Primary Care Development Team of the
NHS Modernisation Agency has shown how this can be done in primary care
within existing resources.***** Additional investment will be necessary
in hospital services. *******The NHS Plan projects over 600 extra
consultants by 2004 in those medical specialties involved in treating
patients with medical emergencies. This will allow time to be dedicated
to this service without the interruption of elective work>

Ah, so no more resources for primary care to do this but more resources
for the secondary sector - ho hum, 'twas ever thus I guess
I would like to see how the Primary Care Development Team can arrange
things so that my  morning and afternoon surgeries get done whilst I
provide the emergency care separately  (currently I do both together)
and then show me how to hit 48 hour booked appointment access times at
the same time

Who writes this nonsense?


2
<The allocation of an extra £100 million in 2001-02 to Local Authorities
for investment in social care, which will result in 1,000 extra hospital
beds being available by April 2002. Additional capacity will be brought
on line in intermediate care, nursing and residential homes. A further
£200 million will be invested in 2002-03>

But no mention of who is going to provide the medical care in these
intermediate care, nursing home and residential home environments....I
guess it will be GPs - how does this link in with the 'with existing
resources' statement in clip 1


Whoever comes up with this stuff must exist in a a different space-time
continuum - can  anyone make sense of this for me please?

Cheers
--
Jel Coward

The UK Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician  and Command Physician course is
on 4-10th November 2001 at Glenmore Lodge in Scotland

http://www.wildmedic.org
http://www.wemsi.org

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'There's no such thing as bad weather - just bad  clothing"
                                                Anon Norwegian