David Nicholson “takes aim at politicians for getting in the way of essential changes to the health service”. NHS is told (by Mr Hunt) to copy banks and airlines

Chris Smyth reports in The Times 5th February 2014: NHS is told to copy banks and airlines

The NHS must copy banks and budget airlines by using the internet to give a better service while cutting costs, Jeremy Hunt said yesterday.

The Health Secretary said that the way patients accessed their GPs had remained unchanged while other areas of life had been revolutionised by technology.

Urging the health service to catch up, he promised that almost all patients would be able to see their records and book appointments online in little more than a year’s time…..

….Meanwhile, the head of the NHS has made an extensive and heartfelt admission of failings over the Mid Staffordshire scandals in a farewell appearance that took aim at politicians for getting in the way of essential changes to the health service.

Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of NHS England, said he “bitterly, bitterly regretted” not meeting the families of those who suffered in Stafford Hospital, in a mea culpa that was dismissed by relatives as too little, too late.

The important part of this article is the last two paragraphs. www.NHSreality.wordpress.com has been calling for overt rationing and unless we listen to Sir David, and put his comments up in the public eye more prominently, we will drift into a downward spiral of poorer and poorer care, especially in rural areas. Wales is the exemplar, where when there is a conflict between raising standards and reducing inequalities, the WAG chooses the latter every time.

This is not a recipe for recruiting professionals either..