A Little Good NHS News

As I've mentioned before, when one gets to a certain age, one starts to take more interest in what is happening in our hospitals.

Today, the Mail provides one item of good news, They report that

"A controversial scheme to give hospitals a bonus if fewer patients die has led to nearly 900 lives being saved over 18 months.
Twenty four NHS hospitals in the north west took part in the Advancing Quality programme where they are given cash incentives to cut mortality rates for conditions like heart attacks."

Clearly from a patient's point of view, this is far better than paying bonuses to hospitals that reach target levels on the so-called "Liverpool Care Pathway" which in fact is a road to accelerated death.

But no, the Mail informs us that
"The scheme, which is used across many US hospitals, is seen as controversial by those who feel hospitals should not be rewarded for saving lives as they should do this anyway".

So under the strange NHS morality, it is apparently all right to offer a bonus to hospitals who meet targets for the number patients that die whilst in their care, but somehow it is wrong to offer bonuses for saving additional lives above the numbers that would normally be expected.