Letter: ‘Too many layers in the NHS’

While there is much to be said for Ian Maiden’s point (A&T Letters 14th July) that wealthier people could/should pay towards healthcare, which would entail bringing back the iniquitous ‘means test’, Phyllis Inglis’ letter (same date) would not go down well with many. Yes there are many more people with many more complex needs and there are many facets to the problem.

The frontline staff, doctors nurses, etc, are first class, but it is the ever-increasing ‘backroom’ staff that is causing the rising cost and problem.

Recent experience has told this octogenarian that the biggest problem is the service has become too big, too remote with ever more layers of management and administration. Bigger is not always best. Ever bigger hospitals means more layers of seniority, with ever increasing salaries, bigger staffs, more administration, more management, more premises, all needing more maintenance and all costing more money.

An example, I recently had a alarming problem with my eye. In the past it would have needed one phone call to the surgery and a 5-10 minute consultation with the doctor. Instead a call to 111 entailed three long auto-voice greeting and caveat, followed by three very long phone almost identical, phone consultations, including a delay of 55 minutes while I waited for a call-back.

In total four hours for the same diagnosis, causing unnecessary and unwelcome stress.

Each of those helpful people had their costly support teams, computers, etc, behind them. I won’t start on the horrendously inefficient remote booking schemes each with their offices and overheads.

Derek Redman

New Milton