NHS Costs: what are YOU doing to help?

18/08/2010

We are constantly being bombarded with details of the financial cuts required to stop  standards falling.  As we get older we will all rely upon the National Health Service more and more, whether we want to or not. We are told about the very high cost of providing this service and we all fear that some of the inevitable cost will be from the NHS budget.

My point is this.  Can we as individuals help?  YES we can.  I have found out that, locally, the NHS accepts that over prescribing of drugs and dressing amount to over one and a quarter million pound per year.  This in just one PCT in this country - just multiply this by the number of PCTs there are and the amount is colossal.  Another big problem is that of people making appointments with their GP or Hospital and not turning up.  Many do not cancel in advance so that another patient can be booked in, many do not even apologise.  

 

We see that many GPs are posting notices in their surgeries stating the number of DNAs in a month - some as high as 60 DNAs.  What a waste if time and money.

These two subjects are ones which every one of us should be aware of and do our best to correct.  Better still why not chase up your GPs and PCTs to put a stop this waste of public money.

G. Turner ( by email)