Muammar Al Khadafi

As Britain slides ever more towards run down, third world status, a report from the Care Quality Commission has uncovered horrifying details of our elderly neglected in one fifth of our hospitals.

* Inspectors saw frail patients rattling their bedrails or banging on water jugs to try to attract the attention of staff

* Care so poor in 20 hospitals that patients denied 'the basics in life' - eating drinking and going to the toilet

* Inspection boss: 'some examples truly appalling and truly shocking'

* Medical staff 'putting paperwork over people'

* Nurses ignore orders to give drips to dehydrated patient

That's the bullet points from the Mail story - read the full story here in the Daily Mail

That such conditions can exist in twenty first century Britain is abhorrent, any sane Brit would be disgusted and ashamed at the depths to which our nation is declining.

Such things existing in our nation disgrace us all, the people of Britain deserve far better.

There cannot be a clearer sign that the politicians, those elected to represent us, have failed us utterly.

We must change this, all that is decent and humane demands that we do.

Britain is to give £20 million to the Carter Center to contribute to the eradication of Guinea Worm, a parasitic infection which causes deblitating symptoms.

The parasite, which is contracted by drinking water contaminated with the worms larvae, infected 1,797 people in 2010, all of them in Africa.

Now, assuming cases stay fairly constant over the 4 year period, and basing on the DFID's assertion that there were 1,797 cases worldwide in 2010, we arrive at 7,188 cases over 4 years. Of course, assuming reducing Guinea Worm is successful there would be far less, but we'll use that as a starting point.

With £20 million of your money going in the kitty, that's us stumping up about £2,782 per case.

Is it a horrid disease? Undoubtedly, although rarely fatal it does cause pain and can leave people bed-ridden for months at a time. Certainly sounds unpleasant, and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

However, with our own NHS crumbling - we're seeing many reports of rationing by stealth in a bid to save money - and just today we see a case in York where GP's at a practice in York have written to patients needing minor surgery telling them that the NHS will no longer fund the ops, it's go private or make do, we surely have better things to spend our money on combatting a largely non fatal disease in Africa.

Harsh as it may sound, where is the sense in cutting back our medical facilities at home - and many suspect that more and more 'minor' ailments will end up added to the list of things it's pay to go private or put up with - due to lack of money, yet stumping up a fortune to improve health abroad.

£20 million may be a drop in the ocean compared to the £20 billion in cost cutting being forced on the NHS, but £20 million could still pay for a lot of operations needed by those living in Britain.

How many of those operations - for ailments which may be considered minor, but quite possibly are not so to the poor person suffering from them - which cost a few hundred pounds but are now not to be funded by the NHS in some areas could have been treated with that £20 million?

Much kudos to the Telegraph for actually printing this, quoting them verbatim from their article on Council of Europe plans to forbid parents from being told the sex of their unborn children :

"Midwives in several hospitals in Hertfordshire and parts of London have told mothers-to-be that they are not allowed to disclose the sex of the foetus."

"Some said their policies were drawn up because of concerns that boys, especially firstborn sons, were more dt foetuesired [sic, ed : desired?] than girls in some Muslim communities."

That's integration is it, when entire hospitals are suddenly not informing parents to be the sex of their children because of "some Muslim communities" attitudes?

And daft politicians like dhimmi Dave and the rest of the establishment think that there's any chance of these communities embracing the ideals of equality between genders?

Far from being integration, it is a clear sign of how entire areas of society are transformed to pander to a foreign populations needs and problems, changed beyond recognition in the name of accommodating the coloniser and of meeting the additional problems which the coloniser brings.

Why should Brit parents be denied knowledge of the sex of their baby because of the actions of "some Muslim communities"?

Of course, it would be against discrimination laws to forbid specific communities from learning the sex of their unborn child, so instead all communities are banned.

All peoples pay the price for the prejudices a single community, lowest common denominator equality in action.

As a society we insist on equality, yet foolishly attempt to mix together cultures with vastly different ideas and standards of equality.

Since in most cases there is no give in those cultures, who have after all held the same beliefs - which, to many of us in the West may be barbaric and medieval - for centuries, we end up meeting at the lowest common denominator in order to preserve some illusion of equality and to avoid having to face up to the essential incompatibility of some cultures with our own.

Our system and services become influenced, and in some cases denied to us, by the encroach of an alien culture which brings with it a vastly different attitude towards the genders than the equality upon which Britain prides itself.

Whereas the indigenous parent may rejoice at their child whatever its gender, and knowing the sex solely helps in preparation for its birth, they already are being denied that knowledge in some hospitals within the UK.

Should the Council of Europe legislation become law then they will be denied it in all hospitals.

There could not be a clearer example of one section of the populace being penalised largely as a result of the actions and prejudices of another, outside community.

There's an interesting story in the Telegraph concerning the drop in the number of referrals made by GP's - down 4.7% on this period in 2010.

Here's the Telegraph story instead of a rehash - Click Here

It raises a few interesting questions.

We have a population which is increasing drastically, so how at the same time can hospital referrals fall?

The only possible answers are that the health of the nation is improving, which seems unlikely since we're day in and day out hearing of increasing health threats and incidents of illness, or that there is a rationing by stealth taking place.

Given ConDems imposed cutbacks, is it likely that this is in fact a money saving measure, and, in some instances, are patients who may well have been referred before now being denied that?

There are numerous reports of health authorities tightening up referral criteria, so this seems likely.

Cases which once would have been referred we're now told by the Department of Health are being treated in more "appropriate circumstances".

That has the aroma of bureaucratic doublespeak for cheaper circumstances to be honest.

With the British Medical Association (BMA), and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) raising concerns, it's certainly likely that something is going on, and it is not something in the interests of the patient.

The most obvious question of all has to be why we are cutting back the NHS budget when the population of this country is increasing and thus demand will increase.

The two are incompatible with one another, it is a simple fact that an increasing population produces increasing demand on the NHS.

We would - and should - save money by dealing with an increasing population which has its roots entirely in immigration, but we do nothing about that.

Nor do we do anything about largely imported demands on the NHS such as Tuberculosis, HIV, and Hepatitis.

Instead ConDem attempt to pinch money wherever they can, and insist that less resources can deliver the same quality of care to more people. They can't and they won't.

As well as this, we insist there is less money for the NHS, and yet there is more money for foreign aid.

The whole thing is fundamentally flawed. Less spending on health, due to an alleged lack of money which we all know is really more down to a misapplication of money, and an increasing population, can only result in rationing of one sort or another.

Get used to it, we'll play benefactor to the world, and the cutbacks will be made at home. More people, less resources, we're heading downhill fast.

We've warned of it time and time again, now it seems that the Lords have woken up to the danger posed by foreign nurses and NHS staff who cannot speak proper English.

Stating the obvious, Lord Winston said that "...communication between the patient and the professional is of vital importance....We run the risk of losing it with this issue of nurses who can’t speak the English language.

We all knew that, it's common sense, how do you communicate medical details to someone who can only manage broken English?

How many times is something lost in translation and the patient suffers?

What effect does it have on a patients confidence that they'll receive good treatment when they can't even have a conversation in English with the nurses?

How is it assured that a foreign nurse or doctor meets the same professional standards demanded of a British qualified doctor or nurse?

According to Lord Winston they have been trained in a "completely different way" to British nurses, something that really doesn't fill one with confidence.

Communication is key to ensuring that the right medical care is delivered, it's as simple as that.

The strict laws imposed upon us by the EU concerning free movement of labour as good as guarantee that patient care will suffer and that lives will be put at risk.

Full Story - Daily Mail

As Britain continues to plough billions into overseas aid and funding medical care for foreigners, St Mary's hospital in Paddington faces closure as managers at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust consider drastic measures to try and cut the trusts £100million of debt.

A number of architects have been asked to give quotes for turning St Marys into 3,000 flats.

Given the rapidly shifting demographics in London - aka colonisation - want to take a bet on who will end up in many of those flats should the plans go ahead?

As a whole the NHS faces cutting £20billion from its budget over a four year period - whilst, at the same time, we'll be spending well in excess of that on foreign aid.

Much in the NHS may need reforming, not helped by the insanely corrupt and burdensome Private Finance Initiative, but it is simply absurd that our NHS faces closures whilst we can find huge amounts to spend on foreign aid.

Day after day we hand out money abroad like it is going out of fashion, and then see our own hospitals close because of debts.

Our population is growing rapidly, and looks set to continue to do so, yet we're going to end up with less hospitals who have less money to spend.

There is just no way that quality of care cannot suffer, and that hospital waiting lists won't end up growing.

Just how that can be in Britains interest is anyones guess.

Full Story - Independent

Fresh from the realms of you couldn't make it up comes news that around 4,200 nurses and midwives have left the UK - to go and work in foreign hospitals.



The exodus comes as many leave ahead of ConDem taking an axe to the NHS, and head for sunny climes such as Australia or the Middle East.



What's so bizarre about the whole situation?



Back in January of this year we had David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive, warn that the UK was facing a shortfall of 4,500 midwives.



We also learned that British aid money is being used to fund the training of new midwives in numerous countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and India.



The situation is ludicrous.



We're losing midwives and nurses as they flee abroad ahead of the heavy round of job losses which will be inflicted on the NHS due to ConDems austerity measures - there isn't enough money it seems.



We're already short of midwives as it is, this can only make the entire situation worse.



And, to top it all off, we're funding the training of midwives in multiple countries. There is plenty of money for that it seems.



Britain is short of midwives, is losing midwives due to a supposed lack of money, and is busy funding midwives for nearly everyone else on the planet.



Anyone else notice the insanity and contradictions there?



We in Britain are left watching as our essential services crumble, and the politicians who should be maintaining them hand over huge amounts of our money to foreign nations.



First World Britain and every third world nation on earth will meet in standards at some point - in the middle as our standards decline whilst we spend all our money on improving their standards.

Foreign nurses and midwives who have not been near a patient in 20 years are being registered to work in the UK - even though a British nurse or midwife with such a long time away from patients would not be allowed to work here under the same circumstances.



This two tier system is a result of EU rules on the free movement of workers, and is leading to patients lives being directly put at risk.



"We now have a situation whereby we are admitting people who literally have not been near a patient for 20 years, have done no CPD and have to be admitted to the register because they have freedom of movement and rights. Yet if they were a UK-registered nurse or midwife, they would not be allowed to continue. Indeed, they would have to do a return-to-practice course at a school of nursing or midwifery" Dickon Weir-Hughes, chief executive of the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) told a Lords sub-committee.



Cases also highlighted include a EU doctor who refused to speak to a member of the GMC over the phone because her English was too poor to have a spoken conversation, instead putting her husband on the phone and getting him to translate.



Good luck getting proper medical care if she happens to be your doctor and you need to explain your symptoms then.



The whole situation is an insane shambles which puts British patients lives at risk - and it arises as a direct result of the EU's lunatic insistence that the free movement of labour between EU states is of greater importance than any practical considerations such as language barriers or patient safety.



Full Story - Guardian

Liberal Democrat Health Minister Paul Burstow is embroiled in something of a controversy after he called his own governments cost cutting plans for the NHS "reckless" and said that local doctors and councillors views were "being ignored" by NHS bosses.

The posting relates to plans to merge St Heliers hospital, in Burstows Sutton and Cheam constituency, with St Georges hospital as part of measures taken by Epsom and St Helier trust in order to save £18.7million, a measure of course needed thanks to ConDems budget cuts.

Local campaigners have accused Burstow of turning tail in order to save himself political embarrassment, and asked him to explain himself at a rally against potential job losses. Burstow didn't attend.

The post was swiftly removed from Mr Burstows site, and the Mirror quotes an aide as saying that it was "unapproved" and "taken down as soon as it was spotted"

However, thanks to the wonders of Googles web cache, here's the full text of the deleted post which is causing such controversy :

Local MP Paul Burstow and senior Lib Dem councillors have called for bosses at St. Helier to pause, listen and reflect over plans for a reckless merger with St. George's Hospital in Tooting.

Having secured £219 million worth of investment for a major re-build to save St Helier Hospital, Paul Burstow is concerned that "local services we have fought so hard to keep will be put at risk by this proposed merger with St. George's."

"I have spoken to numerous hospital doctors, GPs and local councillors, who feel as if their views are being ignored by the NHS bosses. It's been difficult to find anyone who supports these plans.

"St. George's has long running financial difficulties, and, only recently, saw the departure of their Chief Executive. It is quite clear to me that they are not currently in a position to merge with St. Helier.

"Any merger that could result in the loss of services, which local residents rely on, will not be tolerated. It is essential that we show local NHS bosses this," added Mr Burstow.

"We need to ensure that any merger is for the right reasons, and not an attempt at a quick fix," said local Lib Dem Cllr Stephen Fenwick. "The amount of support we've already had from residents has been great, and will help us up the pressure on NHS bosses to pay attention to those people who rely on our local services.

It was originally posted at http://paulburstow.org.uk/en/article/2011/503570/paul-burstow-demands-merger-end  but now, as you'll see, the article is removed.

Which comes first Mr Burstow - standing up for a cause which you seem to be passionate about, fighting against these cuts imposed by ConDem which will see "local services we have fought so hard to keep" being "put at risk" or political expediency and toeing the ConDem line?

Only you can answer that one, but the rest of us can see what the Liberal Democrat Health Minister really thinks about the end result of ConDems austerity insanity, an end result that is seeing the services upon which we all rely suffer.

More shocking evidence is emerging of the exploitation and financial incompetence of the NHS, with todays Sun informing us just how the NHS is paying £32.27 for a loaf of gluten free bread that could be bought at the shop for a mere £2.25.

By the time suppliers have ramped up the cost and then added administration fees on top the NHS - aka Joe Taxpayer - is paying almost 15 times the real cost of the bread.

It works out to £2.48 a slice - surely the most costly bread in Britain, and you are paying for it whilst someone else is notching up huge profits.

Full Story
We, the taxpayer, are ripped off at every single step of the way. Not only labouring under increasing taxes, and having to put up with reduced services as a result of cutbacks, we see our money being wasted time and time again.

There are plenty of people getting rich off of the taxpayers back, hugely inflating costs, and there appears to be very little accountability.

It's all just spend, spend, spend, and then hand the taxpayer the sky high bill to pay.

In this case it'd be far cheaper to just give people a voucher for their local Sainsburies to redeem against a loaf rather than paying vastly more than it's real market value via prescription.

No wonder many of our services are seemingly broke, they're wasting the money and ensuring that someone else makes vast profits off of our backs.