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« Mr Lee gets it
Main Ba'ath Broadcasting Corporation » |
November 26, 2003
Orwell's Britain
Surreal performance this morning by the Health Minister Rosie Winterton on the Today programme (7.09am) responding to the claim by intensive care specialists that there weren't enough critical care beds. The specialists say the number of beds has dropped by 1%. The minister said this was untrue and the number of beds had actually risen by 30%. The explanation for this startling discrepancy in claims? There were now intensive care beds that weren't actually in intensive care. Uh huh. Well, maybe I'm just being very stupid but how can a bed that's not actually in an intensive care unit be an intensive care bed? To be an intensive care bed, its inmate surely has to be receiving, er, intensive care which is provided by units specifically equipped for that purpose. The minister claimed this redistribution had taken place after consultation with all appropriate professionals. The fact that the main professionals involved, the intensive care specialists, were totally contradicting her left her unabashed. An intensive care bed is no longer a bed in intensive care. Of course. Posted by melanie at November 26, 2003
Comments
Do some research Melanie. A major hospital may have 3-5 ICU beds, but 20 'high-dependency beds'. There is a huge difference....it is spelled MONEY. An ICU bed is an intensive nursing station with full kit, and doctors and is hugely expensive, so noone gets to stay there too long.
This regime reversed the Tory cuts in ICU by increasing cheaper HD beds. So when you say ICU they answer HD....that is the difference. If you want to scream, ask about paediatric ICU beds....there are even fewer there which is why you hear about round-Britain tours to find one for neo-nates etc. ICU is the most expensive....I knew of nurses travelling 200 miles to be ICU nurses in London hospitals, they earn such a high rate and it is tough work. The Govt wants cheap healthcare for all, even if corners are cut. Remember NO private hospital could afford an ICU bed.....theWessexes had the first baby born in the NHS, because they needed ICU. Just ask your local hospital how many ICU beds a) it has b) it has empty Then ask how many HD beds Posted by: Peter Williamson at November 26, 2003 02:13 PMie STOCKPORT NHS TRUST
ICU/HDU care is offered to all on site specialities with the exception of paediatrics. The Unit participates in the regional ICU Bed Bureau and ICNARC. The Unit is Consultant led and allows invasive haemodynamic monitoring and ventilating support to be given to critically ill patients with multi-organ failure. We provide a haemofiltration service, which improves the quality of the service for patients with renal insufficiency Oh, oh, pick me! I can explain it. As the Orwellian reference in the title already alluded, leftists just LOVE playing with semantics (aka, double-speak). If a set of data don't agree with their propaganda, they just re-define what is 'is'. Don't worry, the leftist democrats in the States do the same thing. Perfectly normal, nothing to see here, move along now... Posted by: Richard Cox at November 27, 2003 02:35 AMThis is really astonishingly simple. One side is lying. No if's and's or but's. Extrapolate at will. Posted by: ditariel at December 2, 2003 12:29 AM |
