Phil xxkr

Dodge City (1939) in colour on YT 😎🤠

Nor in Canada I believe, but Malta is in the EEA!

Now I see Gray 😱, you are the one responsible for global warming 😊 (except on warm days!)

In addition to other certain benefits You can carry on receiving your UK State Pension if you move to live in the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you can still claim your UK State Pension from these countries. Your UK State Pension will be increased each year in these countries in line with the rate paid in the UK.

Today's daily disaster Millions of pounds in Winter Fuel Allowance (WFA) has been paid out to people living outside the UK, it has emerged. In the year 2023/24 there were 34,307 of the payments made to people across the EU, including in Italy, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria. And a few to Liechtenstein who aren't even in the EU!

Overall, there is no evidence of a significant increase in spending on private providers or widespread privatisation of services in recent years.(King's Fund) This is the Lancets position on privatisation "There is only a small number of studies addressing the effect of privatisation on the quality of care offered by health-care providers, and yet within this small group of longitudinal studies, we find a fairly consistent picture. At the very least, health-care privatisation has almost never had a positive effect on the quality of care. But outsourcing is not benign either, as it can reduce costs, but seems to do so at the expense of quality of care. Overall, our Review provides evidence challenging the justifications for health-care privatisation and concludes that the scientific support for further privatisation of health-care services is weak" (The Lancet) More from the Lancet. "A study in The Lancet Public Health by Benjamin Goodair and Aaron Reeves sheds light on the impact of the outsourcing requirements of the Health and Social Care Act. The authors identified all private sector procurement contracts above the value of £25 000 entered into by 173 of England's clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) between April, 2013, and February, 2020. Importantly, the authors were able to determine which contracts went to for-profit providers and which went to non-profit organisations. This approach allowed them to focus specifically on profit-seeking behaviour rather than private ownership more generally. Over the study period, contracts with for-profit providers increased from less than 4% of total procurement expenditure to more than 6%" Looking further into this I am finding contemporary numbers is really difficult but the Doh are predicting for 24/25 budgeted expediture £192 Billion with the private sector accounting for £10.5 Billion. I now refer everyone to the King's Fund Overall comment. Hardly barbarians at the gate.

Don't you just love the facts 👍I certainly do!

The vocabulary of the political left is fascinating. For example, it is considered to be 'materialistic' and 'greedy' to want to keep what you have earned. But it is 'idealistic' to want to take away what someone else has earned and spend it for your own political benefit or to feel good about yourself. Thomas Sowell

Edmund Burke!

You're not going to like me for this but are you aware of Age Champions from Age Uk? They are MP's who have pledged to support older people and their quality of life. Unbelievably on the list are Labour MP's who voted with the government to stop the WFA. 😱😱😱. A spokesman from the OED said there are no words to describe this 😕

That's my point exactly,

Gawd help us Kevin! The same RB who lives out of reach of the NHS and HMRC? The same RB who is great at creating a product brand before selling it off. Think Vcola, VCosmetics Vvie, Vjeans, Vorbit and so on and on. Trust you were not an investor? The big Pharmas, the big IT firms, the big Consultancy firms don't need another expert intervening in the Billions they make every month from the NHS 🤠

I notice you don't mention romance? A significant proportion of people meet their other half at work. So if WFH is the preferred model and a falling birth rate in the UK might this be an unintended consequence? 🤔

John, I am less concerned about what we have "come too" than where we are heading. 🤔

Ah! The much loved "scope creep" the only party disadvantaged here is the patient. The IT staff, supplier/NHS involved still get paid for no viable outcome.

There was a time when deference to Consultants and the like was absolute but no longer. The wider access to knowledge previously held in their tight circle is freely available allowing us to challenge and question. But in doing so assume in yourself that of taking responsibility for getting the outcome you want.

In the late sixties onwards I was involved in Industrial engineering. The Americans had Edwards Deming we had JHJ - a true legend in the business of improving situations.

This is so infuriating when it's common knowledge that proper quality nutrition hastens getting better sooner thereby reducing time occupying a bed, ergo less nursing time per capita. But where is the incentive? At the Lexus garage when your car is on the service ramp the incentive to get it done and off is clear. If it were not so then I predict an oil change taking 8 hours 😎

Those of a certain age will recall John Harvey-Jones and Gerry Robinson in the 70's/80's both considered experts in industrial reorganisation and large scale management. They were invited to see what could be done with an out of date and inefficient NHS. Both tried and gave up. They walked away broadly saying it's too difficult laying it fairly and squarely on the people's unwillingness to change. 40+ years on can anyone spot the difference? But for a real lesson in how to change intractable situations read up on the President of El Salvador transforming it from the murder capital of a South American country to the safest and an 83% re election margin from the people.

Too right Malc, I now see what the 22bn black hole has now risen to 40 😱

Firstly Len, I trust Mrs T is now out of choppy waters? Secondly, your summation is correct. Very expensive kit is being sited in private hospitals and run and used seven days both privately and by the NHS. The irony and hypocrisy being civil servants and train drivers have no problem with this 😕

I still don't understand how they can blatantly say NHS care is a death sentence and blame it previous government and see no connection with WFA debacle 😕

Just today from Wes Streeting "NHS care can be a “death sentence” for some patients, the Health Secretary has said as the Prime Minister called for better use of technology to make the NHS “fit for the next 75 years”. My head spins with incredulity, are they oblivious to the consequences of their actions? 😱

Would me also 😕. The phrase "lack of consideration for other people" rolls around in my head often these days. Had you have taken up greater than one space no doubt a ticket would have ensued?

😅