AND YOU THOUGHT ENGLAND WAS BAD

The NHS in Scotland gets lots more money but produces much worse results. The perfect demonstration that it is bureaucracy, not money that is the problem

Chronic mismanagement of the Scottish NHS has resulted in treatment rates falling behind England for the first time despite billions of pounds of extra investment, a damning new report by a leading health expert reveals. The report has concluded that the English health system has powered ahead of its Scottish counterpart in many vital hospital services, seeing more patients, despite costing less and having fewer doctors. Dr Matthew Dunnigan, senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow, said last night: "The difference is in NHS management. If you speak to English doctors they tell you that although it is not perfect, there is a drive and initiative and coherence which is lacking in Scotland."

His findings reveal that England is now out-performing Scotland for the first time on new outpatient procedures, hospital visits in which patients are seen by hospital consultants for initial treatment. It also shows that the number of cases seen in all stages of the hospital service - from the GP’s door right through to hospital inpatient treatment - has dropped since 1999, following devolution. Yet over the same period, the number of cases seen in outpatients and inpatients in English hospitals has soared.

Scotland on Sunday can also reveal that there are now 1,000 fewer acute hospital beds in Scotland compared with 1999. Doctors warned last night that the reduction had already led to further waits for those on the list, and an increased risk of MRSA infections due to over-crowding on wards. The new revelations come after damning waiting list figures emerged last week, showing that 113,000 people are on the inpatient waiting list - the highest figure ever. A further 240,371 Scots are currently awaiting outpatient treatment, 45,000 of whom have been waiting for more than six months.

By contrast, the number of patients awaiting treatment for more than 6 months in England - with a population 10 times Scotland - is a mere 2,452. In total there were only 64,466 patients waiting for their first outpatient appointment across the whole of England at the end of 2004.

Dunnigan’s study used the Scottish Executive’s own figures and comparable statistics from the Department of Health in London to provide a like-for-like comparison. In 1990, Scottish outpatient clinics saw 212 Scots per 1,000 head of population for new acute appointments. That compared with only 157 per 1,000 in England - reflecting the fact that Scotland has long had greater health needs. However, by 2003, while the Scottish figure had risen slightly to 241, England had soared ahead to 251. The turnaround means that from seeing 35% more new patients in 1990, outpatient clinics now see 4% fewer today than in England.

England’s improvement has been achieved despite the fact that English taxpayers pay around £200 less per person for the NHS than do Scots. The English also have only 2.1 doctors per 1000 people, compared to Scotland’s 2.5. Dunnigan said the figures showed the English system had advanced rapidly in giving more patients access to consultants - while Scotland had stayed the same, despite its massive extra investment. "Despite having more cash, we are only achieving parity with England. That is a major failure. England has caught up with us and now passed us," he said.....

Nanette Milne, health spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: "There is clearly something wrong with the Scottish system, if you are getting 22% more per head of population compared to England yet it is not coming out the other end."

Source

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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