Will The New British Government NHS Staffing Plan Work? I Don’t Think So! Part Four

As a result of my heart valve replacement surgery, I take warfarin daily to keep my blood thin. To ensure my blood maintains the recommended consistency, I perform regular blood test. When I started the medication a few years ago, I attended the anticoagulation clinic regularly.

Attending the clinic meant my life was restricted since my appointments depended on my blood consistency. After a few months, I was informed I could purchase my own tester and self-test. Knowing I could self-test was liberating. I was able to regain control of my life.

Well, not exactly. I still have to call in my reading to the clinic every time I test. For the life of me, I cannot explain the reason I need to engage in such an exercise. When I asked at the clinic, I was told it was to allow the nurses to advise me on the correct dosage. But the current version of the testing machine also recommends dosage. So, why do I need to be calling the clinic when the machine can tell me the dosage?

I personally think the clinic exists in its current form purely to provide employment for the staff. I think they do not want to go and work on the wards. 

Technology Exits to Solve a Problem

In ‘Beyond The Goal’ author Eli Goldratt said “Technology can bring benefits if, and only if, it diminishes a limitation.” The goal of the self-testing machine is to reduce the need for the patients to attend the clinic, which should in turn reduce the need for staff. However, even with the availability of the machine, staff simply developed a different way of retaining their jobs.

My interest in healthcare reform was sparked after the death of a close friend of mine due to a late cancer diagnosis. Like my friend, there are hundreds of thousands of people who die from cancer each year due to late diagnosis. The technology that could have saved the life of my friend and the hundreds of thousands of others exist. So, why did my friend die? Why were the medical professionals unable to save my friend’s life? How much did it cost the NHS to look after my friend after the terminal diagnosis? How many NHS staff members were involved in his treatment?

What if the very first time he reported to his General Practitioner (GP) that he was unwell, he was tested for cancer at the GP’s office? First, he probably would still be alive today. Second, it would have required less manpower and less resources to treat him at that stage.

Remember Eli Goldratt assertion, “Technology can bring benefits if, and only if, it diminishes a limitation.” If cancer diagnostic technology exists and ten million people continue to die from cancer each year, it means the technology is not diminishing the limitation. Medical science and diagnostic technologies have improved beyond our ability to take advantage of them. Our ability to take full advantage of healthcare technology will drastically reduce the need for additional NHS staff. Therefore, if the UK government is serious about reducing NHS staff shortage, a big focus has to be on the effective use of healthcare technology.