NHS Grampian Health Plan - Have your say

Now is your chance to have your say on NHS Grampian’s proposed new priorities for the next three years. There is a 13 page booklet called the “GHB Consultation Document” available online, that you can read and send your comments back to NHS Grampian. It’s not too long and most of it is explained in plain English, so if you have the time please do make your views known. You have until Friday the 11th of December to reply.

NHS Grampian are also holding a series of public meetings, starting next week, so if you prefer you can go along to one of those and let them know what you think, more information is available here.

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I have read the plan but I haven’t commented on it yet. I’ll pick out a few points that I found interesting, but obviously you’ll have your own views on what is worth commenting on. There were some interesting statistics in the consultation, NHS Grampian employs 17, 000 staff and has a budget of £900 million.  70 % of this is spent on staff costs. They state:

we will need to look at other ways of delivering safe, high quality care, in a cost effective way. This will mean for example, employing fewer staff than currently, by not always replacing staff who retire or leave the organisation.

Another interesting statistic is that NHS Grampian received 1,275 formal complaints (from June 2008 to July 2009) and 305 compliments. Patients aren’t blameless, in one year 37,720 appointments were missed, costing the organisation £3.5 million.

As I said most of it is reasonably easy to understand although there are bits of management speak that I don’t get.

e.g. Involving patients, carers, the public, staff and partners towards mutuality

Mutuality?  Eh? According to their glossary mutuality is When ownership and accountability is shared with the public and NHS staff. Well I’m not sure I have any ownership over the NHS and how am I accountable if someone in the NHS makes a mistake?  I think it might mean that I need to take responsibility for my own health but I’m just guessing.

we need to improve two-way communication with staff around priorities so that we know what we must do better

I’m not sure what improving two-way communication with staff means? Especially when they say so “that we know what we must do better”. Hopefully NHS Grampian is able to listen to an act on its staff’s concerns?

Overall, the main focus of the plan seems to be encouraging people with chronic diseases (things like chronic respiratory disease COPD, diabetes and chronic heart disease)  to manage their conditions at home. They also want to increase the number of older people with complex needs receiving care at home. One final point, something you may care to mention if you reply, is the availability of NHS dentists in Grampian as this also falls to NHS Grampian.

What do you think about consultations like this?  Do they help?  Do they improve the care your receive or are they just an expensive waste of money?  Have you taken part in previous consultations? Please feel free to leave a comment below.