Quote:
Originally Posted by 007stuart
Whilst I can see short termism is more tempting to the private sector as repeat business is more profitable, where value for money is concerned even the "bean counters" in the NHS have to embrace therapies that do have high short term costs as the "opportunity cost" of not adopting these new treatments will lead to further reductions in the number and scope of treatments available to new patients given the need to restrain the growth in the NHS budgets.
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They don't do that though - they have budgets to achieve and potential future savings don't usually enter into the equation. It's the same with local authorities who spend fortunes patching up roads on an ad-hoc basis as repeated repairs are required over a period of years rather than spend more up front on proper resurfacing which does away with all that future expense. That's not how it should be but is how it is sadly.
It makes no sense for costly NHS beds to be blocked by people who can't be sent home because someone hasn't ordered or delivered a cheap commode for example due to cuts somewhere else. It shouldn't be happening but it is and if more was spent sorting that nonsense out the NHS would be able to treat far more people.