"Failing" hospitals
Hospitals are pronounced to be failing if they are failing to meet targets or running a deficit. This puzzles me as the Conservative party have been lambasting Labour for target-driven healthcare, and all NHS hospitals make no profit - they all run a deficit. A deficit means running over budget, which is subtly different.
So if a hospital is failing to meet targets, is it
a) putting clinical priorities first
b) underfunded
c) poorly run?
If a hospital is running a deficit, is it
a) adequately funded but "unsustainable"*
b) adequately funded but poorly run
c) underfunded but putting patients first?
* the govt wants to cutback or privatize
Why do I ask these questions?
Because this puts the decisions of hospital boards in Mid Staffs in perspective.
We can be pretty certain that the current coalition government would not regard c) as a valid answer to the latter question.
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