That'll learn 'em

In this Thursday's Financial Times there is an article about the dire financial state of seventeen NHS trusts. It reads:

NHS trusts in financial mess

Seventeen NHS trusts are in such deep financial difficulty they are unlikely to be able to get themselves out of it within a decade, the Department of Health has admitted. They are now undergoing "rigourous review" to identify what David Nicholson, the NHS chief executive, described as "long-term solutions".
Options include radical reconfiguration, a takeover by a foundation trust and write-off of part of their debt, with the remainder turned into Treasury-backed public dividend capital on which a low rate of interest is charged.

Just so as you know ...

Radical reconfiguration = closure
Treasury-backed blah blah = write off the rest (but not until no-one's looking).

Don't Mention the "M" Word

Over the past few months, GPs up and down the land have been encouraged by their PCTs to switch patients on some brands of statins (cholesterol reducing drugs) to the cheaper "Simvastatin™". The savings to the NHS are enormous and for most patients there is no real difference. I have no problem with doing this. As a taxpayer, I am saving me and you millions of pounds within a few years. Clearly my PCT does. They sent us a suggested letter to give to patients whose statin was switched. It talked about "adjusting" their medication. It mumbled about the noble act of monitoring patients. Nowhere did it mention money!

"Why?" I asked.

The answer came back that: "patients might be worried that we were offering a cheaper drug and that they might think that it wasn't as good".

Erm, hello! We ARE offering a cheaper drug. They should be PLEASED that we are prudent with THEIR money. If we hide behind half-truths, they are much more likely to suspect that we are hiding something which is exactly what we would have done. We did review each patient and only switched those that appeared appropriate.

Actually, I credit our patients with far more common sense that the folks that came up with the letter which - ooops - seems to have fallen into the little round filing tray on the floor.