Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
2 January 2009
22:1311972When I was talking at the last General Election at a meeting the press was there and they reported on what I was talking about . The first thing I should say is that while I have lots of views on what I would do if elected, I would be a peoples member of parliament, which means on any issue, I will find out people,s opinions, then campaign on what the majority went.
I will like last time set up a wbsite which will allow me to get opinions on issues.I feel that a return to a direct labour workforce can only be a good thing especially for hospitals and geting at last rid of M,R,S,A,
People who have a direct input into their work, not subcontractors, will actually take more pride in their work, and keep hospitals clean.
I want to see more people taking up good apprenticeships, and learning trades.and crafts over several years. The Government must help this to happen.
Police stations should be open 24hours aday, and return to the days when rural police officers live in the communities they serve.
Asylum is still an important issue today as it has alwaye been,we need to stop all aslum for the next few years ,and look at how asylum seekers can work to benefit the community. I will fight for the railway systemto be re-nationalised along side the water and Gas and Electricity and also look how we can get more freight on to the railways, I would fight to get more coal mines open but up date them. Well most of that is from that meeting some 3years ago but it is the same today that is what I will be saying next time round.
Vic mATCHAM
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
2 January 2009
23:1411973i would agree with most of that vic, yet you are still a supporter of the party that did the direct opposite
confused here!!
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
2 January 2009
23:2611980At this time I am not a supporter of any party and I am now not in any party nor will I I stand on my own.
Vic Matcham
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
3 January 2009
10:0911997Vic
You know my thoughts on your standing inthe election so I will leave that one, but comment on a few of your articles;
I presume on the NHS you mean the privatisation that crept in? companies run for profit rather than in best interests of the hospital.
Let me give you a good example, I visited a london hospital where a private caterer was in place, they did the rounds and one patient asked for a knife to cut his food(reasonable I thought) the lady replied, sorry only had that many so there are none!
She had no interest in the patient, or the work she was doing, but I'm not blaming her totaly, this is privatisatisation at its worst, looking after company interests rather than the patient.
Then we see utility companies making big profits, yet bills still sky high.
I could go on
Something not quite right
3 January 2009
20:2312034I can only agree. I have banged on about the NHS and how it has declined under creeping privitisation so I won't bore you with it any further, but I have personally witnessed over the past 30+ years the de-humanisation of what should be perhaps the most human/humane of services as a direct result of contracting out, and we should be under no illusions - it was done with that specific purpose in mind.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
4 January 2009
08:0412050I could tell you so many scary stories of when Jean went into Guys hospital for her kidney transplant operation at the end of 2003.
The operation was a success, but in the end it failed (the new kidney had to be removed) because she contracted so many hospital acquired infections - fortunately not MRSA ( so we were told) and stayed in there for almost 6 months in 2004, being let out on the odd occasion.
I don't blame privatisation, what I do blame is the people responsible - the people that the firm, contracted to do the cleaning, employed (perhaps allied to their wages); they really were so useless and no one from the hospital staff were checking them to ensure it was done properly.
There were also many instances where the Consultant(s) came and took swabs from Jean's open wounds and didn't wash his hands or wear gloves.
I know being a cleaner in a hospital is not a career move, but it must be instilled in all people who do it, they must do it properly and it must be a part of that contract that it is.
Roger
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
4 January 2009
09:1112052Thank you all for your imput to this post I think we all agree that the hospitals are not clean, but along with this is the cleaning of our roads in and out of the towns again if this was put back in the hands of council d/workforce it would be alot better and the list goes on and on again road repairs what is missing with all this, it is trained inspectors to go round all work done if the work is not good then they do not get paid and must come back and do it again and again.I can tell you now if we do work it is inspected before we go home if they are not happy we must stay and put it right or back next day.
Vic Matcham
4 January 2009
10:0712056Absolutely, individuals must be responsible for their own actions, but the culture fostered by the privitisation thrust and the self centred perspective encouraged by the Thatcher years have played a major part in the disenfranchising of workers, who have less and less of a real human stake in what they do, fewer consequences for corrupt organisations who quickly ally themselves to those in power, and less consequence for those in power who fail to meet the needs of those they are alleged to represent and support - us.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
4 January 2009
18:4012065as said above, the work ethic from contracted staff brought in is much lower.
at one time the same cleaners were responsible for a ward, hence you knew who was not doing a good job.
agencies have a large staff turnover and different people are always being assigned to a task.
some cannot even speak english.
roger
i never knew that about the reasons for the failure of the transplant for jean.
what a shocker, i understand that things have improved a lot since 2003, at least i hope so.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
4 January 2009
21:3512080Thanks Howard - yes, they were the reasons and I also understand that the cleanliness of Guys (and most if not all the hospitals) is so much better now.
Bern - I'm sorry, I cannot agree with any of your arguments about the reasons of the supposed self-centredness and privatisatiion problems, although I do admit that there have been some very severe problems, but they were caused through individual greed, rather than the system itself.
Roger
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
5 January 2009
08:3112100Roger/howard
of course the privatisation is the cause, totaly
staff paid poor wages so not motivated at all
companies running the contracts making millions of pounds but doing little to provide the service they are paid well to provide.
When the hospitals were run by the MATRON it ran so much better she had the run of the area, in house cleaners etc#
you didnt get the problems you get since privatisation
my wife worked as a nurse for the NHS for many a year so i have a bit of knowledge on it
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
5 January 2009
09:3112106Privatisation of cleaning and catering services was introduced to cut costs.Nothing else.
What is has led to are poorly trained underpaid workers doing a job of which they have no interest in,no experience of,no career structure and little hope of financial advancement.
We must nationalise these areas if we are to make any serious progress.A career and pay structure,pride and care in your work and this is more likely to be achieved by being part of the great NHS then simply another offshoot of G4S2 or whatever the hell they are called who run mooring gangs to prison escorts to serving pie and mash in prisons.No we need a dedicate local trust health worker organisation where the employee is proud to be part of the NHS and their important role in health care.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
5 January 2009
10:2012113Yes Marek
In part I agree, whilst pride has to be number 1 in such an organiation as the NHS having worked for the then British Rail for 25 years Nationalisation is also not the best.
There needs to be another way.
But I do go along with running the NHS in the interest of the patient rather than profit for private companies that come in pay poor wages/ and all that goes with it.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
5 January 2009
10:4212115As a question on privitization, does it give anyone a warm fuzzy glow to know that their childrens school meals are now provided by a division of Rentokill?
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
5 January 2009
10:4412116And the pofits they make
Not reflected in staff pay
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
5 January 2009
10:4412117and profits as well
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
5 January 2009
18:0712147Profit is not a dirty word, but it has to be tied to quality of service and guarantees written into any contract.
Roger
5 January 2009
18:5712157Quality...guarantees....words that I no longer associate with the NHS. Wonder why that is...
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
5 January 2009
19:5112166Profit does not have to be tied into any contract Roger!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
5 January 2009
23:0312184may i take this back to the non political?
the cleaners are not part of a team anymore, hence the lower standards.
roger
saying that profit is not a dirty word is irrelevant.
we are talking about a good job being done.
