MORE PROOF FROM THE UK THAT SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE SUCKS - A LINK ROUNDUP

NEWS MD: Diabetic ethnic minorities lose out in Britain

Patients from ethnic minorities are not only more likely to suffer from diabetes, but also receive lower quality care from the National Health Service (NHS), claims a paper published in the online open access journal, International Journal for Equity in Health.

Michael Soljak, together with colleagues from Imperial College, London, UK, investigated the treatment received in 2002 by 21,343 diabetic patients in three North West London Primary Care Trusts (PCTs): Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hounslow. The researchers also compared the patients general health, shown by factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and diabetes control, to the patients treatment.

General practitioners (GPs) were encouraged to record new patients ethnicity by providing training and support to the practices. Of the diabetic patients in the three PCTs, 70 percent had a valid ethnicity code, obtained through patient questionnaires and entered by practice staff.

The authors found that although diabetes control was worse among the South Asian population, a smaller proportion of South Asians were prescribed insulin.

GUARDIAN:Patients leave hospital half-starved and the NHS is chucking food in the bin. Surely there is a solution

How lucky we are to have meals provided in hospitals. In some countries all you get is your treatment and the bed, and your family has to traipse in with your dinners. Bad luck if you don't have a family. But bad luck over here as well if you don't have a family, because droves of NHS patients are leaving hospital with malnutrition, particularly the elderly. Yes they get their dinners, but the food is either too ghastly to eat, or they can't feed themselves.

Nothing new in that; it has been going on for years.

GUARDIAN: Minister admits NHS is failing on dementia

About 600,000 people afflicted by dementia are being let down by the NHS and local authority social services, a health minister admitted yesterday. ...

"We know too many families feel the current NHS and social care systems are not meeting their needs. The current system is failing too many dementia sufferers and their carers," he said when announcing the strategy at St Charles hospital in North Kensington, London.

SCOTSMAN: Patients sick of health staff shortages

STAFF shortages have led to a surge in the number of complaints about NHS services in the Lothians.

An average of nearly five formal complaints were made every day in the first three months of the year, new figures show.

The most common concerns related to clinical treatment, the attitude and behaviour of staff, and the date of appointments. But there was a big rise – from four to 25 – in complaints about the shortage or availability of staff.

One hospital worker today told how her department rarely has enough staff, which she said lowers morale and affects patient care.

THIS WAS JUST IN TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS.

I THINK IT PROVES THAT TAXPAYER FINANCED, GOVERNMENT RUN "UNIVERSAL" HEALTHCARE IS NO PANACEA. IN FACT: IT SUCKS. BIGTIME.