Universal benefit - £0.425bn to be written off.

TruckerT

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

The above gets to the nub (possibly). If you are in any way right, it confirms my opinion that the Public Sector is still back in the 1900's when Computers=Databases.

In other words, everything that requires doing or performing for 'customers' is done handraulically, using form SAFJ1869B(2007b), lovingly filled in by an illiterate customer, and quickly reviewed by a sloppy civil servant... Later on, it's then "input" into the massive databases by illiterate oiks on minimum wage.

Of course, modern systems are a myriad of complex relational databases, but it is the "Processing" of data that provides (or not) a half-decent system. Public servants do not know or understand this. THey never have.

Even back in 2000, I know from experience that when you go into a Korean hospital for the first time, you give them your name/details once and never again. You are followed through the system using bar codes, images, and online real time information.

The last time I went into a UK hospital (earlier this year) I had to fill in (or give to a member of staff filling in yet another form) my name address, dob, next of kin...... about 12 or 13 times!

On a previous occasion, I went in for a device removal which consists of a simple scan, and if OK, a 5 minute removal and then home within 30 minutes. If the scan fails (as mine did) you simply go home and come back next week. I was told this at 11:40 a.m. but could not go home until a consultant had signed a paper. Not only did I have to wait until after 6 p.m. for this, I had to spend two long sessions with 'nurses' filling in exactly the same information [how many stairs in the house, does my wife have a car and can she look after me. All my previous illnesses, what drugs I take, How much money I have on me....]. I protested in the loudest possible voice that I should be allowed to go home, but their "system" convinced them that they needed to admit me!

This is a system that is utterly broken, not fit for purpose, and there were about 6 or 7 others in the same position. One 70+ year old made so much noise after a wasted day there, they put him in a cupboard, from which he was still shouting when I left at 6:15 p.m.

M8, you seem to be in dire straits - the more time you can spend near a doctor, the longer you are likely to live.

TruckerT

TruckerT

If the Universal Benefit were to live up to its name, then all problems would be solved.

Pay a subsistence allowance to everybody, free of tax, and then tax them on everything they 'earn'.

At the same time, tax employers for the number of people they employ, because there would be a need to transfer the cost of the universal allowance over to the savings which employers would make by not having to pay a proper living wage.

TruckerT

ps - this is a complicated idea, but I have tried to compress it into a single paragraph

grizzly1911

ringo_24601 wrote: »

http://www.necdisplay.com/p/medical-diagnostic-displays/md301c4

7ms refresh rate, so not too bad. 4K display

I was told they're expensive because of the calibration. When really, it's because they're selling them to hospitals..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824002594

Those things go for about $3k

There was something off that size on the desk then a wall mounted unit which I would have put at closer to 40".

I arranged some 22" flat screen displays early in 2000x for a couple of visually impaired guys who also had some form of image expanding software. At that time that was big.

As you say hospitals are an easy touch which ever sector they are in.

Some bean counter probably leases them for $250 per month and thinks how clever he his.

[Deleted User]

if it's 40", i bet it's not a medical grade screen and they've done it on the cheap Probably some plasma they robbed from A&E

Loughton_Monkey

TruckerT wrote: »

M8, you seem to be in dire straits - the more time you can spend near a doctor, the longer you are likely to live.

TruckerT

Ha!

Nice thought. But the consultant was (I reckon) probably 50 miles away in London doing a private jobbie.

True story (of which your post reminded me).... in 2005, living in China, I was rushed one Sunday evening to a Shanghai 'foreign wing' of a local hospital and arrived at the same time as the doctor + 2 nurses dispatched by emergency services to 'open up' the wing to see me. I'd never been there before. It was my 3rd bout of kidney stones.

The Australian doctor did everything right. 4 minutes just to satisfy himself 99.9% that it was kidney stones, and then the morphine injection to bring me out of the excruciating pain. So another 5 minutes and I was 'OK' enough to let the nurse take blood samples, and the doc started his 'form filling' - which would have been impossible earlier due to the pain.

We got to the end bit about drinking and smoking, and he could see my trepidation. I admitted to my G&T/wine intake (well some of it anyway) and to 15 cigars a day.

Imagine my disbelief when his only reaction was to look at his watch, put the clipboard down, glance at the other nurse performing the blood tests, and said "She'll take a bit longer, so now would be a good time to go outside and have one..."

With that we both went out and lit up and chatted for ten minutes. He smoked more than I did!

On the second one, I happened to mention that I was convinced that my kidney stones were caused by my daily intake of 9 to 12 Rennies for indigestion - which in turn was caused by drinking, smoking, and 20 or so cups of espresso every day. I had done this for 20 years and my GP had always claimed it wouldn't be the Rennies. The Aussie doctor looked shocked and asked why the hell I took Rennies? Why hadn't I been put on Omeprozole? He gave me a prescription [continuance of which I demanded from my GP once I returned to UK] and I now get through about 1 box of 48 Rennies per year! Usually because I forgot the omeprozole.

So much for my local GP!

Loughton_Monkey

grizzly1911 wrote: »

And the reason is probably to ensure they have covered their backsides just in case you decide you want to later make a claim, on the hospital, for falling down your own stairs or Mrs LM deciding to run you over.

If we didn't have the desperate compo culture that pervades western economies (not doubt producing oodles of GDP) I guess we wouldn't have all those forms....

You're almost certainly right about the forms....

But the real point I was making is that I was a day patient, in for the most minor thing, for which the radiologist had told me already that the scan 'failed' and so I would be told to go home and come back in a week....

But because the consultant was simply not to be found, I was just left sitting on some chairs in the corridor of the hospital ward. Either the nurses, or the computer decided that because I was 'there', then they felt obliged to find a bed for me and go through all the admission procedures. I told them I was simply awaiting a signature to go home but the nurse insisted on going through the procedure. A few hours later and exactly the same. Without getting violent (I nearly did) they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer!

Just think how expensive and wasteful this is! Just think of the possibility that they sent a poor old dear home too early simply to free up a bed for me to hit (say) their 4 hour "target".... to find a bed I didn't need or want! Twice!

I just cringe!

chewmylegoff

michaels wrote: »

But a lot of banks don't and yet they seem to manage to get different legacy systems to work together after mergers and add a web front end that appears to make all the bits work together like a seamless whole. (98% of the time anyway).

I wonder if a big issue is the difference between making a system work for everybody, rather than just everybody who chooses to use it (with a selection bias working against Govt IT, those who are unabel to use IT are probably over-represented in those who qualify for universal credit).

Also of course with private sector IT, people chose to use it and thus are happy to fit in with the supplier's process where as with govt IT there is a perception that the IT should support the process the customer knows (and loves?!)

Some of the banks that have grown by acquisition and merger have absolutely shockingly poor IT systems actually. Some of them are total car crashes (and not just the bits that noticeably impact on retail customers either).

grizzly1911

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

You're almost certainly right about the forms....

But the real point I was making is that I was a day patient, in for the most minor thing, for which the radiologist had told me already that the scan 'failed' and so I would be told to go home and come back in a week....

Was it MRI? Why had it failed?

Did you wriggle to much or suffer flatulence given the antacids you have mentioned?

Were your foreign treatments insurance backed?

When you are running an overstretched service on a relative shoe string cases tend to get prioritised by urgency and need. Having capcity to pander to individuals costs money. There are undoubtedly further improvements that could be made to local processes. Those improvements will probably result in robbing Peter to pay Paul at the clinical workface.

I have had cause to use the NHS service 3 x times for relatives this year.

Two urgent admissions and one invasive surgery. All three cases were handled well with compassionate staff who looked after the patients and provided timely information and care given the constraints they were working under. The doctors/consultants were open and approachable. The biggest complaint was really the quality, choice and delivery of food - but it was sufficient for temporary accommodation.

Oh yes and the cost of the TV/phone service but I guess that is the monopoly effect.

EDIT:- NB You do of course have the option of going private if you need to get back for the first G&T of the day.

kabayiri

I've enjoyed reading this thread.

I can recommend an out of date book to people called "Crash" . It covers 20 years of failed computer systems, and condenses all the case studies into a set of 'deadly sins'.

When you are finished reading the book you feel somewhat chastened. Many of we IT and technology types like to feel like the next super dooper version of Windows 29 will solve all our ills, but it really won't. We are a species where fallbility is always present.

And what of these 'deadly sins'? Well, the fascinating thing to me is that they all reflect human nature. Things like Pride (inability to stop a bad idea), OverAmbition ("of course we can do it in 3 years if everything goes to plan !").

[...oh, and "consultancy" gets 3 chapters - which should tell you all you need to know about consultants ]

[Deleted User]

I miss having my old Architect job title. At that firm, Consultant was a lesser role.

It sounded like I might build stuff. Instead, I'm just a Visio jedi master