Is it a good idea to take Social Care funding away from local government and join it all up with central government funding such as the case with the NHS?
Do we run the risk of losing local control over our local resources – just as has happened in education?
It is a great concern and I see so much talk about the pros and cons but I do wonder if funding is the only issue – I have been in and out of hospitals since before Christmas taking people home with my live-in care service. Some wards and A&Es were excellent, clean and well run, but one particular one I encountered was absolutely dreadful….
All the hospitals are in Surrey, so we can assume the funding and pressures would be fairly equal – we have to assume much of the success and indeed failure of the NHS system must be down to leadership, management processes, quality control and implementing robust systems.
Whilst we are about it, though, I can’t think what the excuse is for sending a very elderly lady with dementia home late in the afternoon, in a cold ambulance, with no coat and soiled clothes in her bag – is this caused by funding or is it far more to do with basic compassion, common sense and kindness?
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