NHS is not a Rolls Royce service; we have failed the MOT

Full Story:
http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/News_0661.htm
As under-fire Stormont Minister Michael McGimpsey consults frontline health care staff over his draft budget plans, Nigel Gould talks to one key worker, Dr Brian Patterson, who says that while cash is important we are wasting what we have From his day-time job as a busy family doctor - and, even more significantly - his position as chairman of the British Medical Association's influential council in Northern Ireland, Dr Brian Patterson is more equipped than most to give a verdict on the state of our health services. And the Portglenone GP, with decades of experience, does not mince his words. "We have improved a lot, yes ... we have gone from abysmal to bad," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "We are not fit for purpose. We need a vision to meet the needs of a 21st century health service. "We do not have a Rolls Royce service - we have failed the MOT. "We are providing an unacceptable level of service for patients. Many of them have been forced to go private. "Our NHS is static at a time when we should be re-engineering the future." Dr Patterson, one of Northern Ireland's highest profile GPs, paints a grim picture of a pressure-hit NHS that has left current staff demoralised and problems retaining "disillusioned" medical students. And he called for more "coalface workers in all disciplines". Dr Patterson said that while more cash was desperately needed we could hardly plead for more money when we are "wasting what we have". "I support the Minister (Michael McGimpsey) in his bid for more cash," he said. "But we must use what we have better." And in a message to our politicians, Dr Patterson said: "We cannot afford the luxury of stationary politics. Major progress is needed and we must be reconfiguring for the future rather than fighting fires." Dr Patterson said that the Review of Public Administration, which was expected to transform the health service here, had only been half implemented. While health trusts have merged, the four health boards, which were to be axed to make way for a single health authority, are still up and running. This, he said, was "the worst case scenario". "Half a reform is more dangerous than no reform," he said. "The health and social services boards are demoralised. There is no clear agenda for the future. They are being asked to do more with less. "This is a steep learning curve for the devolved government. "The profession is willing to help but issues must be addressed, not postponed or reviewed or blamed on others. "We must move ahead as fast as possible. If we sit back and plead we are unsure or overwhelmed, we are doomed."