A 'saving' or a 'slight of hand'?

A ‘SAVING’ OR A ‘SLIGHT OF HAND’?

The Manx Independent has the two story about the Hospital Consultants and the closure of the Private Patient Unit online (see links) below:

Much is being made of the so called ‘saving’ to be made almost a quarter of a million pounds so has the unit been subsidised, Apparently not the saving is actually as I understand it a slight of hand.

Staff utilised on the PPU will be transferred as it closes to other duty this will cut down on the need to engage temporary locum or bank staff in the General Hospital.

Bear in mind Nobles already has closed a ward so one would have thought this would mean a surfeit of staff the reality seems to be that front line staff are still hard pressed.

What that points to in my view is the fact that the existing hospital (for whatever reason perhaps problems with recruitment and retention or just a general shortage of trained staff throughout these Islands) is not carrying an adequate establishment. The saving therefore is notional in that the staff will be carrying out duties that already existed elsewhere but were filled on a temporary/bank basis.

I suppose an indicator might be to publish staffing levels and also balance these against demand. One of the points often made is that health care demand is growing so one would expect staffing now to be higher than it was say a decade ago.

The Department may well disagree with this interpretation. If so they should feel free to challenge it - like everyone else I would like the full picture not edited highlights!

The Links:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=43401&headline=Private%20health...

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=43399&headline=Private%20health...

Image: The Minister David Ashford MHK background Nobles Isle of Man Main Hospital

Bernard Moffatt