MRSA, the Bean Counters, the pseudo 'Free Market' and those annoying Externalities
This story truly disgusts me and sums up alot of what is wrong with the NHS and contemporary British business practice. Like the PPP/PFI debacle big corporations have been indulged, false economies made and fortunes extorted.
As the Liberal Democrat spokesperson in this story points out the drive to lower costs and meet political targets has resulted in rising infection rates. Cleaners employed at minimum wage cost via private contractors do not have the same loyalty and pride in the NHS that a proper employee would have.
This however was not easily measurable or quantifiable for our bean counters and hence was disregarded. But at the time when private cleaning contractors were introduced into the NHS, pseudo- 'free market' theory was at it's zenith amongst the 'stupid party' thus making the Treasury and the Tory ideologues happy. So the potential externalities and complications of this policy were disregarded or ignored, but hey! it's only the little people dying, so who cares.. thinks our craven political class...
As the Liberal Democrat spokesperson in this story points out the drive to lower costs and meet political targets has resulted in rising infection rates. Cleaners employed at minimum wage cost via private contractors do not have the same loyalty and pride in the NHS that a proper employee would have.
This however was not easily measurable or quantifiable for our bean counters and hence was disregarded. But at the time when private cleaning contractors were introduced into the NHS, pseudo- 'free market' theory was at it's zenith amongst the 'stupid party' thus making the Treasury and the Tory ideologues happy. So the potential externalities and complications of this policy were disregarded or ignored, but hey! it's only the little people dying, so who cares.. thinks our craven political class...
posted by Beowulf | 3:11 pm
<< Home