NHS Reform

From Bananas in Pyjamas: Some free advice on achieving 'world class NHS productivity' McKinsey style.

New Glasses

Just picked up my new glasses from SpecSavers. Awesome. I'd gotten what crisp vision was like. Thanks NHS! Thanks tax payers.

Eyesore

My eye has deteriorated quite rapidly recently. I first got glasses about 15 years ago, and up until 18 months ago was about -1 to -1.25 strength. My eye test yesterday measured my required lenses as -2 . So quite a change in a short time. I'd noticed quite a bit of blur, but hadn't realised that it had got do bad. Apparently it is just my age. But if this keeps going I stand to lose a lot of vision in the next few years!

I went back to Boots Opticians as last time they were good and I got some nice frames with lenses for well within the value of the NHS voucher. This time, even though the optician knew I was an NHS patient, she kept on about vari-focal lenses, persisting after I said I wasn't interested. These are classes as a luxury item by the NHS and so are not covered by the voucher; and they cost about £120 (plus frames!). Looking back this is a bit rude. I also discovered that their selection of cheap frames has become deeply unsexy and dorky looking. So I took my voucher and went elsewhere. I'm waiting for my benefit to come tomorrow but will probably go to Specsavers who seem much more geared to low-income people and have a great deal on NHS vouchers.

Blog posts of note:

Angry Mob: More Lies about the NHS. Critiquing a Daily Mail article. Daily Mail seem to get a lot of stick from more liberal middle-class commentators. Ben Goldacre reckons they characterise things into 1. those that cause cancer, 2. those that cure cancer - with no neutral ground. They are also accused of having a Princess Diana fixation. I wouldn't know as I don't read the papers much. But this seems like an important blog post because it highlights some bad reporting of medical facts generally, and some unsporting digs at the NHS.

Benefits Culture: Welfare Reform: penalizing claimants and carers. A round up of news on reforms especially of the law as regards mental health. It seems as though the general mood of the government is to take out their mismanagement of the banks and economy on the least fortunate while allowing bankers to claim bonuses for running banks into the ground. They also want to punish all sick people because a few people rip the system off. Could we focus on the cheats and frauds (at all levels including the government!) and leave the sick people alone do you think?

Look at how lightly the MPs get off for their frauds: no jail terms for instance, no one got sacked, some of those (gracefully) leaving parliament next year will still get their fat pensions! Listen how loudly and plaintively those who were honest complain about being tarred with the same brush - not so much fun when the boot is on the other foot, is it!