NHS DENTISTRY BUNGLE

NHS dentistry faces a 120 million pound shortfall because the Health Department wrongly estimated how many patients would contribute to the cost of their treatment, the Tories claimed yesterday. Many people appear to have abandoned the NHS to go private, reducing the amount of money that NHS dentists are able to collect through patient charges.

Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, used the Freedom of Information Act to seek data for 51 of England's 152 primary care trusts, which pay dentists. He said that nearly all were collecting less patient revenue than they had expected. The deficit for the 51 trusts was more than 41 million pounds, which suggested, Mr Lansley said, that the deficit for all 152 trusts would 120 million.

The figures also suggested that since 2005-06 there had been a 6 per cent drop in the level of dental care on the NHS, equivalent to 1.4 million fewer people registered with an NHS dentist, he said. "This is the latest revelation in a long series of NHS mismanagements under Labour. Eight years ago, Tony Blair promised everyone would have access to an NHS dentist but in the last year alone, 1.4 million fewer people have access. Labour wanted to milk dental patients through higher charges but the decline in NHS dentistry has even thwarted that plan."

The Health Department contested Mr Lansley's claims. "This survey paints a picture of NHS dentistry that we do not recognise. We do not accept the claim that 1.4 million fewer people now have access to NHS dentistry," it said. "Equally it is nonsense to talk of a massive shortfall in investment.

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The health bungles never stop in Australia's oldest socialized medicine system

[Queensland] Health bosses are building a $30 million operating theatre at a Brisbane hospital, while existing theatres sit empty because of a lack of staff. Only last month, the Beattie Government talked of slashing elective surgery spending after a budget blowout. Theatres at Ipswich, Logan and Redland hospitals have been out of action for months because there are not enough staff.

But plans for a new theatre at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, which is next to Health Minister Stephen Robertson's electorate, are forging ahead. The project is part of a $95 million refurbishment promised for QEII during the election campaign. It will incorporate 30 beds and will open early next year, aiming to cut the number of patients waiting too long for operations.

The Australian Medical Association has criticised building new theatres when others sit idle. State president Zelle Hodge said: "It's like a scene from 'Yes Minister'. "You have to question why they are building a new theatre when we already have theatres in the same area not being used because of a lack of staff or beds."

Figures show more than 10,000 patients are waiting longer than is clinically desirable for elective surgery in public hospitals - almost 200 of those are classified as urgent. Meanwhile, an operating theatre at the Princess Alexandra Hospital has sat idle for the past four years - used only as a storeroom. It finally opened last month after a Sunday Mail report prompted Queensland Health to take action.

Doctors are disappointed about the new QEII theatre and say other services have been sacrificed to support "another Robertson ribbon-cutting photo opportunity". One member of staff, who refused to be named because of a Queensland Health ban on speaking to the media, said creating more theatres was "a ridiculous plan'. A doctor said: They might as well just pour the money down the drain."

In recent months, two new operating theatres have opened at Redcliffe and Caboolture hospitals at a cost of $68.6 million. The emergency department at Caboolture Hospital is still being managed by a private firm at a cost more than double the standard public running costs - a year after it had to close because of staff shortages.

Opposition health spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said the funding should be spent on extra beds. Queensland Health refused to comment when asked why a new theatre was being built while others stood empty. It also refused to say whether there would be staff available to run it.

The above report by HANNAH DAVIES appeared in the Brisbane "Sunday Mail" on March 11, 2007

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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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