Cottage Hospitals

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Fri May 30, 2014 2:42 pm

On the news tonight there is talk of reversing the small hospital closures and bringing back the local cottage hospital.

After years of centralising against public protests, the penny seems to have dropped.

Not everybody wants specialist treatment, a quick local fix for simple problems without travelling miles to a huge hospital, like the good old days.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Fri May 30, 2014 2:46 pm

Bruv;1455976 wrote: On the news tonight there is talk of reversing the small hospital closures and bringing back the local cottage hospital.

After years of centralising against public protests, the penny seems to have dropped.

Not everybody wants specialist treatment, a quick local fix for simple problems without travelling miles to a huge hospital, like the good old days.

Ironic, especially as a little hospital up the road closes in the next month and our local hospitals are currently under threat.

But, we will soon have fully privatised small hospitals. Cleaners have been privatised. Ward assistants are being privatised. Ward clerks are being privatised. Healthcare's are being privatised.

Creeping in syndrome. One day we will turn round and realise that the whole of the NHS has slowly but surely been privatised.

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Fri May 30, 2014 3:41 pm

and after that ........to pay for it all you'll have to start paying a co-payment for bulk billing.

theia · Post by **theia** » Sat May 31, 2014 10:34 am

Going around in circles comes to mind. Someone comes up with a "new" idea, which isn't really new at all but costs a lot of money to implement. And so it goes on...and on.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sat May 31, 2014 3:31 pm

That's what it sounds like to me. Bureaucrats have to *do* things to justify their pay, so they make changes for the sake of change.

My instinct is that people would get better service if the facilities were decentralized, but I don't have anything real to back it up.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat May 31, 2014 4:43 pm

The trouble is we need both, but whoever pushes one........ it's at the expense of the other.

Having expensive scanners and and all the other mechanics of specialist care in one large facility makes financial sense.

Most medical needs are not so specialised as to need highly technical staff and equipment......only a basic place to access the need in a caring and timely manner.

Lets hope they act on the need for a local efficient friendly local hospital, that can refer patients to the specialists if they need it.

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Sat May 31, 2014 6:39 pm

We still have small cottages hospitals (as it's been termed here, we just call them rural hospitals) 50 beds or under. There's huge uproar when one is taken away. They are great for epidemics like flu etc and for kids to have on hand health care. .............Just don't have a heart attack, In the entire area of Gippsland (1 third of the state ) you won't be able to get care for anything major. Cardiologists are few and far between----> to non existent. We're shipping in so many doc's from overseas just to get them to work in these small hospitals.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat May 31, 2014 7:08 pm

Bruv;1455976 wrote: On the news tonight there is talk of reversing the small hospital closures and bringing back the local cottage hospital.

After years of centralising against public protests, the penny seems to have dropped.

Not everybody wants specialist treatment, a quick local fix for simple problems without travelling miles to a huge hospital, like the good old days. I find all that talk misleading. They are talking about ' Cottage' hospitals when many of them changed name to ' Community' Hospitals and there are still many Community hospitals In the UK.

It's not about the penny dropping, It's about cost. Where's the money going to come from to fund all these new hospitals ? Sorry but being the old cynic, I take this as no more than pre-election speak. Just a coincidence Is It that Farage's manifesto Includes returning to old school NHS and his gains last week.?

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 1:50 am

Oscar Farage;1456079 wrote: I find all that talk misleading. They are talking about ' Cottage' hospitals when many of them changed name to ' Community' Hospitals and there are still many Community hospitals In the UK.

It's not about the penny dropping, It's about cost. Where's the money going to come from to fund all these new hospitals ? Sorry but being the old cynic, I take this as no more than pre-election speak. Just a coincidence Is It that Farage's manifesto Includes returning to old school NHS and his gains last week.?

Doesn't matter what you call them does it ?

Small local hospitals or care centres that don't specialise in anything other than caring for those who need a little more than a GP appointment.

My town has closed at least two small hospitals over the years, both slap back in the middle of town, now it's a trip to the outskirts of town and a queue for any minor medical problem.

I have had two stays in hospital, one was blighted by people that were not suppossed to be there including myself. An elderly confused gentleman who was in need of shelter a young man with obvious mental issues, and myself in there for observation with a possible easily communicatable stomach problem.

We should all have been triaged at a small local hospital with better one to one care.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:28 am

Bruv;1456087 wrote: Doesn't matter what you call them does it ?

Small local hospitals or care centres that don't specialise in anything other than caring for those who need a little more than a GP appointment.

My town has closed at least two small hospitals over the years, both slap back in the middle of town, now it's a trip to the outskirts of town and a queue for any minor medical problem.

I have had two stays in hospital, one was blighted by people that were not suppossed to be there including myself. An elderly confused gentleman who was in need of shelter a young man with obvious mental issues, and myself in there for observation with a possible easily communicatable stomach problem.

We should all have been triaged at a small local hospital with better one to one care.

The name is irrelevant.

We need the smaller hospitals. One of ours that is being closed here used to just take in the elderly that were unable to be home alone. They majority of whom were awaiting their families sorting out care homes or perhaps sorting their own homes out so they could care for them themselves.

These people are now just held in our other little hospital and this in turn stops people returning to recuperate from major surgery/illness in the larger hospitals. The turnover of the elderly is a slow process. Families do not take responsibility any more, they expect the hospital staff to sort everything out for them. They will delay organising a care home if it means a house sale and the loss of their inheritance. Even less common are families taking an elderly relative back to their own place to care for them.

It's a hard one, there are far more elderly people that need extra care nowadays, and specialist community hospitals are needed for this purpose so the other hospitals can deliver the care they are able to.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:15 am

Oscar Farage;1456079 wrote: I find all that talk misleading. They are talking about ' Cottage' hospitals when many of them changed name to ' Community' Hospitals and there are still many Community hospitals In the UK.

It's not about the penny dropping, It's about cost. Where's the money going to come from to fund all these new hospitals ? Sorry but being the old cynic, I take this as no more than pre-election speak. Just a coincidence Is It that Farage's manifesto Includes returning to old school NHS and his gains last week.?

Don't replace trident for one thing, stop getting nvolved in foreign wars we would be better to stay out of, don't send aid to countries that are richer than we are. Old school NHS is what mopst people in this country actually want only right wing. nustcases think healthcare should be privatised again. Right now if a left wing party came long with a manifesto of not pivatising anything and maybe renationalising the power companies it would walk in.

You're just upset ukip have given the bnp a spanking in the recnt elections.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:37 am

gmc;1456092 wrote: You're just upset ukip have given the bnp a spanking in the recnt elections.

So you have noticed too

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:09 am

Bruv;1456096 wrote: So have have noticed too Have Have ? Who's he ?

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:27 am

gmc;1456092 wrote: Don't replace trident for one thing, stop getting nvolved in foreign wars we would be better to stay out of, don't send aid to countries that are richer than we are. Old school NHS is what mopst people in this country actually want only right wing. nustcases think healthcare should be privatised again. Right now if a left wing party came long with a manifesto of not pivatising anything and maybe renationalising the power companies it would walk in.

You're just upset ukip have given the bnp a spanking in the recnt elections. You know In the real world that will never happen. The nearest will be a Coalition of some sorts with UKIP next year and then another 5 years to even hope for a Government that stops over-sea's aid, withdraws all our troops etc.

You know as well as I do, should the pre-election gumph even get close to re-opening Cottage hospitals, the cost will be borne to the tax payer. Living In a fantasy world of any government or politician replacing the one budget with another may just them a few votes but In reality, It's Impractical.

There are many good community hospitals In the UK when they changed the name from Cottage to make It appear the Government had actually shut them all down.

Regardless, some have been shut down. Why ? Because they were just not cost effective. Believe It or not, no government shuts down a hospital just for a laugh you know.

Why do people want Cottage hospitals here anyway ? We're not the Outback where the nearest hospital Is thousands of miles away.

It's an unfortunate fact of life that people can't always have a fully equipped hospital on every doorstep.

Yes, I was rather peeved at the losses to the BNP but It passed when I was cheered up no end laughing at the SNP only managing to secure two seats.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:55 am

Oscar Farage;1456098 wrote: Have Have ? Who's he ?

I was trying to get you to change your name again............

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:00 am

Bruv;1456105 wrote: I was trying to get you to change your name again............
I was tempted.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:20 am

Oscar Farage;1456100 wrote:

There are many good community hospitals In the UK when they changed the name from Cottage to make It appear the Government had actually shut them all down.

Regardless, some have been shut down. Why ? Because they were just not cost effective. Believe It or not, no government shuts down a hospital just for a laugh you know.

Why do people want Cottage hospitals here anyway ? We're not the Outback where the nearest hospital Is thousands of miles away.

It's an unfortunate fact of life that people can't always have a fully equipped hospital on every doorstep.

The two hospitals in my town have shut, no name change, boarded up and empty.......both of them.

The theory was centralised care, with hospitals full of high tech equipment giving state of the art care..........Good idea but lessons have been learned.......these days Doctor surgeries are getting bigger and treating bumps and grazes, with a Nurse in attendance for blood tests etc etc.

Why have a specialist centre of excellence with beds full of old dears, and teens with mental health issues, and the likes of myself with a possibly virulent illness, amongst all those grossly ill patients ?

It makes a lot of economic sense to have local low tech hospitalsto take the pressure off the big hospitals, somewhere to go with a splinter or a minor burn.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:09 am

Bruv;1456108 wrote: The two hospitals in my town have shut, no name change, boarded up and empty.......both of them.

The theory was centralised care, with hospitals full of high tech equipment giving state of the art care..........Good idea but lessons have been learned.......these days Doctor surgeries are getting bigger and treating bumps and grazes, with a Nurse in attendance for blood tests etc etc.

Why have a specialist centre of excellence with beds full of old dears, and teens with mental health issues, and the likes of myself with a possibly virulent illness, amongst all those grossly ill patients ?

It makes a lot of economic sense to have local low tech hospitalsto take the pressure off the big hospitals, somewhere to go with a splinter or a minor burn.

We've had a right Kerfuffle here In my neck of the woods over recent years. We have a Cottage hospital, Cossham, that was facing closure a few years ago. Massive protests kept It open but then the proposals were already In to close Frenchay A & E. They kept Cossham open and just recently shut Frenchay now the largest hospital has had expansion completed.

Losing Frenchay A & E was a bit of a blow as It Is nice to have that half a mile and within walking distance of your house but It was cost.

Cossham does MRI scans etc but now If you need A & E, you have to go to Southmead. You should hear the whiners!!! As I said prior, we are not In the outback. We are asking people to travel what? 2 or 3 miles to Southmead Instead. Yet, for example, my husband was going to Frenchay for Pain management, Southmead for his Pulmonary Consultant and Cossham for his MRI scans every 3 months. Now, he gets the lot under one roof at Southmead. He's happy but we have a village of people whining that they have to go 3 miles to have their splinter removed.

As the Liptabulous Sir Jagger once said ' You can't always get what you want, but If you try sometimes, you get what you need'.