The new model of care is working, they say, but patients who could have been treated in Seaton Hospital are still bed-blocking in the RD&E
Below is the RD&E’s latest publicity leaflet for the ‘new model of care’ boasting ‘no complaints’ from people who were treated between 28 August and 10 September. On the reverse side it features Doug – is it a coincidence that he is from Seaton? – who has had a knee amputation and is being cared for at home after two weeks on an acute ward. He says, ‘I cannot praise enough the wonderful care and treatment I have received right through from the surgical team to the community healthcare professionals. The skills and attention to detail they have shown is remarkable. It’s been a pleasure having them in my home.’
I am sure that the dedicated professionals working in the new system are doing their best for the patients. But are all the people who would have been transferred to the community hospitals actually getting the treatment at home which they are promised by ‘Your Future Care’? At the same time I received this comment from a Seaton resident: ‘A friend of mine’s husband has been in the RD&E for about 10 days. He could have come home 4 days ago, but there was no home care arranged for him – no one available to do the job, so his wife is paying privately to get help, and he will now be coming home some time on Sunday. He will have been bed blocking for 1 WEEK. It says it all doesn’t it?’
Seaton & Colyton MATTERS 
October 7, 2017 at 9:16 am
Martin, I really have no idea what the complaint is here.
Yes – the bed might have been blocked for a week, and yes, I know that someone might have died because a bed wasn’t available, but in the long run the CCG has benefitted because the costs of the additional week’s stay in hospital have been offset by this man’s wife being willing to pay for the care at home that he should have received from the NHS but now the CCG doesn’t have to pay for.
Of course, that man and wife are going to be several pounds out of pocket that they shouldn’t be, but what does that matter – they are just one pair of individuals, and their needs are unimportant compared to those of the government that has to save money on the NHS (in order to fund tax reductions for their ultra-rich sponsors).
Nor should the fact that the CCG promised us all that they would not close beds until provision for care at home was not only in place but proven to be in place by a formal gateway review, but this is clearly not the case, matter. Who needs truth from the CCG when they can save shed-load-of-money by cutting the hospital beds early if they are economical with it?
I know I am going to hear outcries from campaigners who told us that this would be what would happen, and even campaigners who proved at the time of the consultation that the CCG was being economical with the truth. But it’s too late to cry over spilled milk. We just need to “suck it up” and cope.
Oh – hold on a minute. Ooops. I was one of those campaigners. Ah well, told you so. And if you were silly enough to believe all the lies told to you by the Conservative Party about the NHS being “safe in their hands” and if you were then silly enough to vote for them in this year’s general election (or indeed silly enough to vote for a Conservative candidate at DCC or EDDC), then you have only yourself to blame when this happens to you or your relatives or your friends or indeed anyone that you have some compassion for.
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October 8, 2017 at 12:39 am
I see this as just Tory propaganda. The Tories know full well that the post treatment home care is not established prior to the bed losses. But as usual they are completely blind and deaf to anybodies complaints or suffering in case it causes any delay in their grand plans for this (sorry) their nation. I often draw parallels between the Tories of today and the Nazis of 1930’s Germany, but I think the Tories today have learned from Hitlers mistakes and have discarded all the uniforms, flags and grand parades. These new Nazis wear tailor made suits and shirts from savile row, they preach high morals and denounce their earlier Germanic brothers as genocidal killers. But then they would, wouldn’t they ? because the Nazis all ended with Hitlers death didn’t they ? that’s what the second world war was fought for wasn’t it ? and democracy won didn’t it ?? well that’s what we’ve all been told. Should we question that ?
This is worth a read….
https://kittysjones.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/if-the-tories-dont-like-being-compared-to-the-nazis-then-they-need-to-stop-behaving-like-despots/
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