GLOOMY OUTLOOK FOR BRITAIN'S ELDERLY

What kind of world is it where a fifth of adults expect to continue working long after retirement and the most popular towns are rated by the length of their waiting lists for hip operations? This is not some make-believe, Alice-in-Wonderland world, but Britain in 2006, as experienced by pensioners and revealed by two new surveys. Coming after a report from three NHS watchdogs that concluded that older people were subjected to entrenched ageism and to "patronising and thoughtless" attitudes, the latest research raises the uncomfortable question: is this really all there is?

Ten per cent of retired people work part-time for an average of 14 hours per week to supplement their income. But with an estimated pensions gap of 57 billion pounds, this figure is set to increase dramatically, according to a survey of 500 people, both working and retired, by insurer GE Life. Almost one in five people believe that they will need to continue working part-time once they retire - double the number of those currently retired. With the average pension fund producing an income of just 4,381 pounds a year, many retired people admit that they could have planned better. A third said that they were financially unprepared, while a similar proportion were unsure how they would survive the rest of their retirement. More than half of people nearing retirement said they wished that they had started saving earlier.

It is not all doom and gloom, though, at least not if your idea of fun is a gentle promenade along a pier and easy access to affordable car parking. Southend-on-Sea in Essex is the best place to retire, according to a separate study by Yours magazine. The title, aimed at the over 50s, ranked 60 retirement destinations in Britain, taking into account factors such as house prices, council tax, shopping facilities, crime rates, hospital waiting times, the availability of NHS dentists and the weather. Southend was ranked top because it is relatively flat with a pedestrianised centre, its council tax is almost 100 pounds lower than the average, and it has a low rate of crime. It is also has seven miles of beaches, the world's longest pier, and more than 80 parks and open spaces.

Poole in Dorset came second, thanks to its natural harbour, good shops, farmers' market and affordable parking. The waiting time for a hip replacement in the town is also only 84 days, compared with a national average of 128 days. Whitehaven in Cumbria was third, with below average waiting times for a hip replacement and house prices nearly half the national average

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Call to shut hopelessly bureaucratized childrens' hospitals in Queensland, Australia

The Beattie Government is again under fire over its management of the Queensland public hospital system after a damning report called for the closure of two major children's hospitals. A medical panel commissioned by Queensland Health to review pediatric cardiac services has recommended replacing Brisbane's Mater Children's Hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital with a single new hospital. The panel also proposed pediatric services at the Prince Charles Hospital, on Brisbane's north side, be shut down.

Following a series of post-surgery and cardiac deaths, the report found the hospitals were plagued by chronic understaffing, dysfunctional governance and low morale. Its findings were revealed as Premier Peter Beattie ruled out means-testing patients or increasing co-payments for public hospitals, based on the findings of a separate report that explored other possible revenue streams for a system reeling after the "Dr Death" scandal.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said he would have to consult more widely before shutting any children's hospitals. Admitting he was surprised by the report's findings, Mr Robertson said a single stand-alone hospital could cost the Government about $500 million. The Government yesterday established a taskforce to assess the report's proposals. "This is a big recommendation with big implications for the three hospitals involved and for the public health system's staffing, capital and budget," Mr Robertson said. A proposal to build a single children's hospital in Brisbane was raised under the Goss Labor government in 1994 but rejected.

The latest report found it was "simply impossible" to adequately staff the three existing pediatric units. "It is abundantly clear that systems and arrangements, which had been satisfactory in the past, are no longer able to meet current expectations and standards," the report says. "The service is characterised by chronic understaffing, dysfunctional governance, lack of infrastructure, lack of clinical leadership and unsympathetic line managers regarding specific pediatric needs. "With few exceptions, morale is poor, ranging through frustration and anger to cynicism, hopelessness and despair." The report found no evidence of professional incompetence or negligence among the clinicians.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said the report was an "a solid vote of no confidence in administration of health in Queensland". "If it wasn't bad enough before now, it's the kids that are suffering under this Government," he said.

Despite the hospital woes, the Government will forgo about $115 million in additional revenue for the health system after an analysis by the Allen Consulting Group found there would be inadequate financial gains from means-testing or increasing patient co-payments. But Mr Robertson refused to rule out the possibility of raising extra revenue by increasing co-payments from people receiving injury compensations payouts.

Mr Springborg said: "Victims who have taken themselves through the court process and have got compensation payments may be subjected to the Government recovering against them."

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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. Both Australia and Sweden have large private sector health systems with government reimbursement for privately-provided services so can a purely private system with some level of government reimbursement or insurance for the poor be so hard to do?

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