Read with interest at the weekend about a group of right wing Labor Party politicians who have been branded “the sensibles” for wanting to make changes to how NSW is being governed, and yet there was not a local pollie among them.
Seems that our local members, Messrs Campbell and Brown, and Noreen and Lylea are still regarded as being on the “insensible” list, but didn’t we have this feeling in our bones already?
With all due respect to the Member for Shellharbour Lylea McMahon she was out and about on a meet the people campaign down Dapto way on Saturday, and although she didn’t attract awe inspiring crowds she did get a strong message about what the locals think about the proposed new plan to develop a major educational centre on flood prone land down that way.
Many of the questions raised and views put by those who did turn up to meet Lylea were on the ball, and it’s becoming increasingly evident those behind the new proposal have not done their local homework.
Hospitals mess worsens
Our State Government and its more recent predecessors have allowed our hospital system to fall further into the mire, and for this they deserve a public pasting.
What, for some time now, has been a recognised mess within the system has worsened and to read, for example, that the South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health System is in debt to the tune of more than $24 million is alarming to say the least.
And, what’s more, the ‘bosses’ don’t seem all that concerned!
No matter how much the government ploughs into the system it doesn’t seem to matter, which surely also points a finger at hospital management.
Still, I suppose it’s like the poor state of our roads, the ferry services and other public transport for example. When you obviously have incompetent ministers in charge and a public service that also cannot escape criticism what hope have we got?
Is the answer that we have too much government and not enough skilled professional managers to go around filling vital spots in government and the public service? I mean when we look at them how many of the people I’m pointing the finger at have ever run a successful business, and if they did why would they ever want to be a public servant let alone a politician?
Back to normal
Local petrol prices jumped 15 cents overnight late last week bringing us a return to the good old days.
So much for Price Watch, Kevin!
More wasted money
The Federal Government has poured more money down the drain on a study which has resulted in guidelines suggesting that more than four alcoholic drinks a day is no good for us.
If this is their only answer to teenage binge drinking then we have no hope of curbing this dangerous trend in our society.
What about closing the pubs and clubs earlier and opening them later?
Of real concern
It was suggested to me at the weekend that at our recent Australia Day celebrations which were eventually spoilt by fights and whatever among young people that some of their ethnic friends wanted to also fly their own flags down at Belmore Basin only to have it suggested to them by police and organisers that this was Australia Day and not another country’s.
I’m also told that the brawling might have been caused by a number of ethnic young men who put their hands down the front of their pants and then sought to wipe them on the faces of young girls in the crowd.
What is the world coming to?
Just don’t mention the word
After Australia’s shocker against New Zealand at the weekend cricket is not a word we use any more at my place.
Just how low can we go?
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Another Dear John Letter, This time John I wish to speak about the Hospital System in NSW. Approximately three years ago ATCS NSW arranged a Meeting with the Hon. Noreen Hay and proceeded to provide a list of recommendations on significant stratergies to reduce waiting lists, reduce costs and improving moral.
Only two of nineteen recommendations were adopted as the Commonwealth Government had to fund these initiatives. The other seventeen recomendations were lost until some raised their heads in the Garling report.
We have a nurse shortage, I proposed an immediate solution, Patient egress strategies to move patients off gurneys into beds was adopted with the out patients medical centres, the the commissioning of the MRI machine with Federal Government funding.
Means of significantly reducing costs and loss of staff were addressed, nothing happened. Single image CAT scanners 3 in all located at Wollongong Hospital using multiple staff can be replaced with multiple scanners, which moves patients through in greater numbers and freeing up specialist staff and more importantly remove antiquated cat scanners out to free up valuable floor space. In addition I recommended that the Millions of dollars that Privately Insured Patients refused to utilize due to receiving Public Hospital treatment.
In addition theft, pilferage,breakage waste. estimated at one quarter of a billion dollars annually. Of course this relates to staff placing general waste in pollutant refuse, which cost ten time the cost to dispose of.
Then there is the ongoing training of University training which is poorly prepared for the reality of Hospital life and leave the profession. Allow R.N's to do their trained tasks not bed pans changeing beds and cleaning duties.
Simply not everyone can or wants to go to uni.
Assistants in nursing which incorporate care kindness and consideration with confidentiality and dignified care.
The reason moral is through the floor is simply care givers that cost half that of R.N's are not utilized and simply a university trained R.N. wants to do Medicine and this perception of coldness and lack of care incites the family and patients alike. This attributes to assults phusically and verbally and simply AIN who provide the care and do the environmental careing of the patients are overlooked. In closing John that takes us to the very experienced community R.N. that run around the neighbourhood pokeing clexane into heart related at home patients. The advanced staff should be in triage and emergency rooms, simply they are not and they would not go back into these poorly administered and run environments.
We were told by twelve community nursing staff in various centres throughout NSW that they would leave before they would go back into the system.
Well John you have a very small pracis of what we recommended, free of charge and yes if you don't pay for something its worth nothing.
God help our system not the right honerable John Dela has his hands on the wheel.
If the recommendations can not reduce the Health Budget by a Billion, then I will cease providing this type of information as the silence is deafening.
As usual John I will now jump off my soap box.
regards
Ian Fulford for ATCS NSW Pty. Limited
by Ian Fulford
03 Feb 09 18:24